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DNR staff brief Rice County commissioners on local lands, SLAM program, PILT and school trust funds
Summary
Minnesota DNR regional staff briefed the Rice County Board on local public lands, the SLAM land portfolio program, PILT payments and school trust fund distributions. Staff highlighted local acreage (7,887 acres, ~2.5% of Rice County) and described programs that affect county revenue and land management.
Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources visited the Rice County Board on Jan. 13 to overview DNR holdings and programs that affect the county.
Brooke Hocker, regional planner, highlighted Rice County's public-land resources including wildlife management areas, scientific and natural areas, aquatic management areas, parts of Nurse Strand Big Woods State Park and Scott Lake State Park, and recent trail and wetland projects coordinated with local partners. Hocker noted that some DNR-managed sites are cooperatively managed by local units and that habitat projects and visitor programs aim to expand access and stewardship.
Benjamin Shaffer of the DNR's division of lands and minerals described the Strategic Land Asset Management (SLAM) program and county-specific figures: DNR owns 7,887 acres in Rice County (about 2.5% of the county), and the 2025 PILT payment to Rice County was $266,189. Shaffer also summarized the school trust fund revenue generation and distributions to local school districts (more than $1.1 million to Rice County school districts in 2025). He emphasized SLAM's role in evaluating land acquisitions and noted that the agency declines many purchase requests after review.
