Contact:

Tom Knisely

Media Relations Specialist

763/694-7617

tknisely@threeriversparkdistrict.org

SOME THREE RIVERS PARKS WILL CLOSE FOR SCHEDULED DEER HUNTS

Three Rivers Park District will conduct scheduled deer hunts intended to keep deer herds in balance with available habitat. This will necessitate the closing, or partial closing, of parks where the hunts are taking place.

Archery deer hunts will take place Nov. 8-10 in Crow-Hassan Park Reserve (Cities of Hanover and Rogers), Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Savage), and Cleary Lake Regional Park (Prior Lake). During the archery hunts, these parks will be closed; however, the off-leash dog areas at Cleary Lake Regional Park and Crow-Hassan Park Reserve will remain open.

Shotgun deer hunts are scheduled Nov. 16-17 at Carver Park Reserve (Victoria) and Nov. 23-24 at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Savage). During the shotgun hunts, these parks will be closed.

Three Rivers Park District selects a limited number of archery hunters by lottery. A limited number of shotgun hunters are selected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Hunters have already been selected for this years hunts.

In addition to temporarily closing the parks to the public, the Park District takes several measures to ensure the safety of nearby residents. Shotgun hunting boundaries are established well within park property where homes are located adjacent to park borders. Hunters may not go beyond these boundaries unless they are accompanied by a Park Police officer. In addition, all shotgun hunters must attend a pre-hunt orientation that stresses firearm safety procedures. Deer hunters must also follow all applicable DNR regulations.

About Three Rivers Park District

Three Rivers Park District is a natural resources-based park system that manages park reserves, regional parks, regional trails and special-use facilities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Park District offers facilities for every season, including picnicking, swimming, creative play, boating, fishing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, golf, camping and sledding; extensive trails for hiking, biking, in-line skating, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, as well as program sites for nature, recreation, historic and farm education.

Three Rivers Park Districts mission is to promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources-based park system. The Park District owns and operates over 27,000 acres and serves more than 9.5 million visitors a year.

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