A funding agreement was reached Thursday by the Minnesota Legislature and was signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, which will keep state parks open for the public, according to officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"We are delighted to be able to report that all state park and state forest campgrounds, buildings and services will remain open and programs scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend will go on as planned," said Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR Division of Parks and Recreation.

Nelson added that because of the uncertainty regarding state park funding, several hundred reservations were cancelled. As a result of these cancellations, Nelson reports that state parks, normally are booked to capacity, still have some first-come, first-served sites available.

"We thank our customers for their patience and understanding, and encourage them to visit state parks this holiday weekend and throughout the year," Nelson said.

Customers with camping or lodging reservations who had planned to arrive Wednesday or today (June 30) but decided to wait until they heard whether the parks would be open or closed, will have their reservations held until 10 p.m. on Friday, July 1.
For more information, call the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367) or visit the DNR's Website at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

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