Vermilion park issue still percolating

The Lake Vermilion State Park proposal still is alive at the Legislature, but if it's going to become reality, several hurdles remain.

Pawlenty has asked legislators for an exemption to state law that restricts the state from offering more than the assessed value for property.

The tax-assessed value of the 2,500 acres owned by U.S. Steel Corp. is $13.4 million, according to St. Louis County. Pawlenty told reporters last week that the company wants $20 million.

The state has done its own appraisal, but DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten said he doesn't want to reveal that yet as negotiations continues on a purchase price. But he said the state hasn't agreed to the $20 million figure.

"We have not finalized an offer," he said.

And time is running out at the Legislature.

Funding is the other major problem. Pawlenty wants to use Environmental Trust Fund dollars to pay off bonds for the park land and development. So far the legislators haven't supported that idea. And no other funding sources have been offered.

But the bill does contain $19 million for state parks, nearly twice what the governor recommended. And there's $15 million for trails, $12 million more than he had recommended. The fate of the bill is uncertain, however, because Pawlenty wants a bill in the $825 million range. He could make cuts himself, or he could veto the bill and let the Legislature start from scratch. The governor is expected to announce his decision Monday.

There's no stopping spring now. The spring migration is going full-force in many areas of the state. Among the reports:

• Robins, mourning doves, killdeer, pelicans and sandhill cranes were reported in the Glenwood area.

• Goldeneyes, mergansers and woodcock were seen in the Longville area.

• There were an estimated 300,000 Canada and snow geese on the Lac qui Parle Wildlife Area recently.

• At Hutchinson, large numbers of Canada geese have started nesting in the area, reported conservation officer Brett Oberg. He also reported seeing canvasbacks, scaup, ring necks, goldeneyes, bufflehead, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, mallards, gadwalls, northern shovelers and wood ducks

Conservation officer Mark Mathy of Cass Lake got a TIP call about a person riding in the bed of a pickup truck hunting with an uncased bow. The hunter told Mathy that he was indeed hunting rabbits and squirrel from the pickup with his bow and said he often hunts that way in his home state of Texas. Enforcement action was taken after it was explained to the hunter that rabbit and squirrel season was closed, a small game license is required, it's illegal to transport an uncased, strung bow and hunting from a motor vehicle is not allowed.