Residents say they were blindsided by DNR land donation notice; county acknowledges receipt but has no approval role

At the start of the meeting, two residents told the Pine County Board they had just learned a neighboring property was being donated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and said they were “totally blindsided.”

“My name is Becky Hen ... We were just informed this morning at 07:47 by Jeffrey Waldell that the property next to us was being donated to DNR for hunters and snowmobiles and such. And we had no idea. We were totally blindsided by this,” Hen told the board during the public forum.

County administrator Dave Mankie responded that a letter about the transaction was included in the board packet and that the packet contained contact information for the DNR and the Trust for Public Land project manager. Mankie said the packet letter met the county’s statutory notification requirement and that the county does not have approval or disapproval authority over that transfer. He encouraged the residents to follow up directly with the DNR or the Trust for Public Land using the contact information provided in the packet.

Later in the meeting the board formally acknowledged receipt of correspondence items, including the Department of Natural Resources correspondence. A county commissioner clarified the acknowledgement does not constitute approval or support of the proposed transaction; it only confirms the county received the letters.

Hen raised concerns about increased public access adjacent to their property and said the landowner had earlier pressured them to sell a portion of their property. Mankie said staff and other commissioners would follow up with the residents after the meeting to make sure they received the packet contact information.

No board action was taken to approve or block the land transfer; county staff and multiple commissioners stated the decision rests with the DNR, the landowner and the Trust for Public Land, not the county board.