Zumbro River Water Trail wins unanimous advisory-board support, committee says

Committee members reported that a recent presentation on the Zumbro River Water Trail to the watershed alliance policy committee resulted in unanimous support for forming an advisory group for the project.

Members said the advisory endorsement is a step toward formalizing governance for the river-trail project; the committee discussed drafting a joint-powers agreement among interested counties and cities and noted that an engineering firm is preparing an interactive map showing proposed launch sites and priority locations for public comment.

Committee members referenced the project website (www.zumbro.org) and said stakeholders will be invited to review and comment on the interactive map when it is released. The group said a stakeholders meeting was expected in June and that next steps include legal work on a joint-powers agreement and organizing an advisory board of roughly eight to ten representatives drawn from local governments and stakeholders.

Why it matters: advisory-board recognition from the watershed policy committee advances governance and coordination for a regional water-trail project that spans multiple jurisdictions. That governance framing helps unlock technical, planning and grant-making activity tied to the trail.

Next step: stakeholders and committee members will follow the release of the interactive map and the joint-powers agreement drafting process; a stakeholders meeting is anticipated in the coming weeks.