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113PARKS , TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE DRAFT Dec14-17 <br />for review only <br />DRAFT Dec14-17 <br />for review only <br />The Minnesota Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor <br />Recreation Plan (SCORP) <br />Minnesota Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2014- <br />2018 (SCORP) provides an overview of outdoor recreation issues <br />facing Minnesota and it describes policies and funding mechanisms to <br />address those issues� The 2014-2018 SCORP notes a relatively recent <br />decline in support and interest in outdoor recreation� There are several <br />reasons for this including an increasingly urbanized population; young <br />adults and their children are less involved with nature-based recreation <br />than older adults and; nature-based recreation is more popular among <br />white, non-Hispanic populations, which is not growing at the same rate <br />as the non-white population� <br />SCORP identifies four strategic directions to address the changing <br />demand for outdoor recreation� They are summarized as follows: <br />1� Connect people to the outdoors� The report emphasizes creating <br />a welcoming environment through designing high quality facilities <br />and programming that can be used by all ages and abilities, and <br />by creating comprehensive marketing strategies and programming <br />that caters to in-experienced users as well as the seasoned <br />user and partnerships with organizations that serve non-white <br />populations� <br />2� Acquire Land, Create Opportunities� The strategic direction focuses <br />on acquiring land and developing trails in more densely populated <br />areas and rapidly growing areas and near high quality natural <br />resource areas� <br />3� Take care of what we have� Reinvest in existing infrastructure and <br />ensure that funding is available to maintain facilities throughout <br />their useful life� Maintain the quality of natural resource areas and <br />restore natural communities that have been degraded or impacted <br />by development activities� <br />4� Coordinate among partners� Develop and maintain a <br />comprehensive database and web site and facilitate multi- <br />jurisdictional and agency partnerships and funding� <br />As Hugo’s population ages and as the community grows, there is <br />opportunity to involve new and younger residents in parks programs <br />and outdoor recreation�