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Board approves resolution supporting DNR acquisition of Toad Mountain parcel for wildlife management
Summary
Becker County commissioners approved a resolution backing a Department of Natural Resources purchase of most of the Toad Mountain property for a wildlife management area after public commenters and DNR representatives described ecological value and plans for public access and state management.
The Becker County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a resolution supporting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ proposed acquisition of roughly 250 acres of the Toad Mountain property for designation as a wildlife management area.
Nick Banks of the acquiring trust and Eric Thorson, the DNR area wildlife manager, presented the county with maps and a summary of intended uses, saying the parcel would be open for nonmotorized outdoor recreation such as hiking, hunting, shoreline fishing, trapping and wildlife observation. Thorson said the DNR would maintain trails for walking and hunting and would generally limit high-impact facilities such as campgrounds or horseback developments.
Members of local conservation groups and shoreline residents spoke in favor of state management during the meeting’s public forum. Willis Mattson of the Isaac Walton League testified to the property’s ecological value, saying it sits at the confluence of prairie, hardwood and boreal habitats and that the League would work with the DNR to identify and protect biological diversity on the site. Clark Lee, a nearby landowner, reported unanimous support from a recent township meeting and said township residents viewed state ownership as a preferable management outcome.
Banks and Thorson told commissioners the parcel the trust plans to convey to the DNR omits roughly three acres containing cabins and immediate lakeshore structures; the bulk of the peninsula and sensitive lakeshore would be included in the WMA. Thorson said the DNR would consider limited timber management through the state planning process and would engage the county on vegetation-management planning and trail access.
The presenters said a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) estimate for 2026 would likely be nearly double the property’s 2025 tax levy, increasing local payments in lieu of property taxes compared with current county revenue from the parcel.
After discussion the board adopted the resolution in support of the DNR acquisition. A motion to adopt the resolution carried by voice vote; commissioners did not record a roll-call tally in the public portion of this meeting.
Commissioners and presenters said the DNR would engage the county on future management plans and noted that if state parks funding were secured in the future, additional waterfront recreational amenities might be proposed as a separate action.
The resolution is recorded in the county packet as 08252d; the county’s formal action at the meeting expressed support for the DNR acquisition and concluded the public hearing and vote process.
