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Boreal Community Media

Public Lands and Recreation Tourism the Topic for Cross-Border Meeting

Apr 30, 2018 01:58PM ● By Editor

A discussion on cross-border partnerships, along with presentations by Gary Davies from The Nature Conservancy of Canada, will be held at a meeting of the Heart of the Continent Partnership, on May 3 – 4 in Grand Portage, MN.

The Heart of the Continent Partnership (HOCP) is getting together in Grand Portage at both the Grand Portage Heritage Center (NPS) and the Grand Portage State Park for those interested in tourism opportunities to identify and map the region’s special values, places and stories. HOCP is a coalition of public land managers and interested community stakeholders from Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario who recognize the benefits of geotourism and are committed to sharing the uniqueness of the region with the world as a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Community members are invited to the general meeting and presentations Thursday afternoon at the Grand Portage Heritage Center. Friday morning at the Grand Portage State Park, topics for discussion will include the “Bike the Heart” and other events being planned for 2019.

The Ontario-Minnesota group has been working together under the Heart of the Continent banner for more than ten years. Their goal is to ensure the sustainability of the vast expanse of public lands in the center of North America. The Partnership began with representatives of public lands from both sides of the border – the Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park, Grand Portage National Monument (Minnesota) and Ontario Parks, getting together to share best practices and to collaborate on projects that make best use of the wilderness region with a focus on environmental and economic sustainability. It has since grown to include communities extending from Thunder Bay down the Lake Superior shore to Duluth and over to Fort Frances-International Falls, bringing together people and agencies interested in capacity building through region-wide dialogue to make best use of healthy public lands. Please visit website for more information and to register - http://www.heartofthecontinent.org/  Registration helps assure that we can accommodate attendees.

Boreal Ship Spotter - larger view here