Many will be observing National Public Lands Day on Sept. 28, the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort celebrating the connection between people and green spaces in their community and encouraging the use of land for education, recreation and health.
Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, many people celebrate this day by taking advantage of free admission to one of the nation’s National Parks.
However, in Borderland, many are using this day to participate in the Voyageurs Country Bike the Heart Event on National Public Lands Day, a first-time event hosted by the Heart of the Continent Partnership.
“For local residents, this is a great opportunity to connect with others that enjoy biking and may build contacts and friendships that will encourage future bike outings. Getting outdoors, especially with friends, is a great way to stay fit and healthy,” Voyageurs National Park Superintendent Bob DeGross said of the event.
The ride is a fitting celebration of National Public Lands Day because its routes take advantage of public trails and roadways that travel through the Kabetogama State Forest and Voyageurs National Park.
“The day emphasizes either getting out to recreate or take part in some volunteer effort that improves the quality of the public lands and our lives. We as a nation are lucky to have a broad spectrum of natural, public open space that provides a multitude of recreational opportunities,” DeGross said.
The Heart of the Continent Partnership is a Canadian and American coalition of land managers and local stakeholders working together on cross-border projects that promote the economic, cultural and natural health of the lakes, forests and communities on the Ontario/Minnesota border.
Bike the Heart is a series of cycling events in northeastern Minnesota and Ontario coordinated by the Heart of the Continent Partnership during the summer of 2019. Events were held on the Mesabi Trail, as well as Thunder Bay, Duluth and the famous Highway 61. The ride on Sept. 28 will be the eighth of nine Bike the Heart event rides this summer, with the final ride occurring on Oct. 5, in Atikokan - Steep Rock Iron Range.
There are three rides of varying lengths and difficulties offered for local cyclists:
Full Voyageurs Ride
- International Falls to Littlefork to Ray to International Falls
- 56 miles, along the paved road shoulder
- Three to six hour road ride. It starts at 9 a.m.
- Recommended for avid bikers
Fun Ride
- International Falls to Rainy Lake Visitor Center to International Falls
- 23 miles roundtrip, along paved road shoulder and paved bike path
- Two to four hour road and trail ride. It starts at 10 a.m.
- Recommended for individuals with intermediate biking experience
Family Ride
- International Falls to Ranier to International Falls
- Nine miles roundtrip, along paved road shoulder and paved bike path
- Two to three hour road and trail ride. It starts at 11 a.m.
- Recommended for families and individuals with intermediate biking experience
All rides depart from the Voyageurs National Park Headquarters and James Oberstar Riverfront Complex.
DeGross hopes this will become an annual event for the area.
He explains the ride has been organized for two reasons: “encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful natural opportunities our area has to offer and visit the area.”
“This event that we’re doing in the Voyageurs country is just starting this year, in part because of this desire to develop other opportunities like this,” he said.
DeGross is optimistic about the weather for the upcoming ride and hopes that more people will sign up to participate. Interested participants can register online with Eventbrite or via email until the event day.
“With events like this, registration tends to be light up until the actual event because people are waiting to see what the weather is going to be like," he said. "Thankfully, the weather for our event seems like it’s going to be good. Right now I’m seeing that it’s going to be in the high 50s, low 60s with partly cloudy skies, so that’s a good thing.”
There is no set fee to participate, but there are suggested donations upon registration.
Proceeds from this event will support the Voyageurs National Park Association, the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club and future Voyageur country Bike the Heart events. The Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club is working with Voyageurs National Park and Voyageurs National Park Association to construct an accessible fishing pier in the area of the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
DeGross is also hopeful the ride will positively impact local businesses.
“Because these are fun rides, we are hoping that riders going to come into the area, maybe take advantage of businesses along the route during the ride, for refreshments and things like that, and hang out after the ride and enjoy everything that the community has to offer,” he said.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers available on the day of the event.
“We’re looking for volunteers who might be interested in being a ride advocate, that’s a volunteer who’s going to ride with the groups to assure that things are going well and communicate back to coordinators if assistance is needed, and we also need refreshment site volunteers,” he said.
DeGross is already looking forward to ways the event can improve in upcoming years.
“This is our first year, so we don’t have a lot of other things organized, because we are waiting to see what our participation is going to be like,” he said.
Currently, since the event is a fun ride, there is no race portion, but that may be a possibility in future years.
“I hope that in the future as this becomes an annual event, it encourages local residents to get involved, and also visitors to come to our area to take part in the event, that it will become something where we have vendors and entertainment and educational booths set up for both the riders and people who are just interested in getting outside,” DeGross said.
For information, to volunteer, or to register for the event, contact: bikevoyageurscountry@gmail.com.
