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Outdoor enthusiasts, county park board members, consultants and user groups have been involved since 2018 in a concerted effort to get a plan developed to support an application for Fish Lake County Park to be officially designated as regionally significant.  Landing a spot on this list of regional facilities opens up financial aid from state sales tax proceeds dedicated to “legacy” uses and locations.

The voters in Minnesota approved a three-eighths of one percent sales tax, which sunsets in 2034.  Proceeds from the tax are divided amongst activities and projects that support clean water, arts and culture— and regional parks and trails get 14.25 percent.  Over the past approximately 10 years there’s been $99 million dispersed through these Legacy Amendment revenues.  

Word just arrived that Fish Lake Park has earned the right to add “regional” to its name.  

Chisago County Park Director Joseph Tart is looking forward to the support the park is now eligible to pursue and the attention this special park will receive as the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks & Trails Commission will be listing Fish Lake as a regional facility.

Tart added three exclamation points to his email sharing the regional designation announcement, in stating,  “I am truly thankful to all current and past County Park Board members for all their hard work to make this possible.  Their insight and vision have made this a reality,” he concluded.

Fish Lake has always been a favorite for its beach and water quality/fishing but the park itself sits on 129 acres of potential trails and recreational and scenic opportunities.  The county recently installed a kayak access (special dock)which has been on the park to-do list for a while.  Other priorities include improving the public restroom facilities, expanding the beach, addressing some issues with the picnic shelter (which is the most-rented site in the park system) and parking is available for a daily or season fee.

Preparing for population influx to this area, and growth in park use is a priority of the (long range) Master plan and Fish Lake Park has Elmcrest Avenue,  #65, that runs through the rectangular-shaped parkland— and park visitors safely negotiating this roadway is among the issues the county has  identified. 

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