New regional park finally has a name
Considered from the outside, the name is deceptively simple. Whitetail Woods Regional Park. But those four words, the name of a planned Dakota County Regional Park in Empire Township, are the result of a process that stretches back more than a year. The name is the result of focus groups and surveys and best-practices research conducted by the county’s communications department.
RELATED CONTENTWishful thinking 
Signs are up around Farmington to mark the city's snowmobile trails, but so far this winter conditions have been more favorable to bikers and joggers than it has to anyone who needs snow for their recreational activities.
RELATED CONTENTDakota County seeks comments on planned regional park in Empire Township
Dakota County is looking for your opinion on a new 456-acre regional park in in Empire Township. County staff will use those comments to create a final master plan for the project. County staff will take comments through Jan. 12 on the draft master plan, and the county will hold an open house from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 5 at the Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley.
RELATED CONTENTLetter: What’s with all the litter?
We moved here two years ago from a beautiful, neighboring state. We had visited Minnesota numerous times and knew well of its reputation for beautiful lakes and a citizenry which enjoyed the great outdoors year-round. So it was quite a shock for us when we first used the wonderful walking and bike path out our backdoor to discover the amount of trash that littered this route.
Saturday at the Slough
A few raindrops aside, Saturday was a warm and sunny late-summer day in Farmington, a good day for a walk through the Big Slough. The restored prairie on the south side of the Dakota County Fairgrounds is home to a wide variety of plants, and on this particular day it drew plenty of butterflies, bees and other bugs.
RELATED CONTENTDakota County's greenway trail network takes shape
Someday, Farmington families could well hop on bicycles and ride a paved trail all the way to the Minnesota Zoo. Dakota County’s proposed North Creek Greenway could one day provide an extensive trail system from the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley all the way south to Rambling River Park, then over to a planned Dakota County regional park in Empire.
RELATED CONTENTQ and A: Busy days at the municipal pool
If there was one place that was pretty popular during last week’s hot weather, it was the Farmington outdoor pool.
RELATED CONTENTSurvey wants to know: How much do you know about the Vermillion River?
The Vermillion River is just a fact of life when you live in Farmington. It shimmies through the midsection of the county. It spills over the shores in the spring and after heavy rainfalls. It’s even got a pretty good reputation as a trout stream.
RELATED CONTENTNature gets a helping hand to restore habitat along the Vermillion
A stretch of the Vermillion River in Empire Township is returning to its natural shape with a little help from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR is near the end of a project to add back a series of curves and pools that were cut out of the river more than 70 years ago by farmers looking to maximize their field space.
RELATED CONTENTVermillion River trout migration set for Saturday afternoon
A group of Vermillion River trout will get a new home this weekend thanks to a group of volunteers.
RELATED CONTENTRambling River Park will get new playground equipment
Something big is coming to Rambling River Park in the next couple of weeks. Before Memorial Day, a new castle will be erected in the park. It’s not just any castle, either. It’s a really cool one that is likely to delight the community’s younger population.
RELATED CONTENTCleanup day went on despite weather
More than 200 volunteers battled the elements just so they could clean up their community Saturday morning.
RELATED CONTENTFarmington's park and pond cleanup is coming
In Farmington, spring cleaning isn’t limited to cleaning out the house. On April 30, somewhere around 300 volunteers will spend a couple of hours outdoors, doing a little spring cleaning in Farmington’s parks and around the community’s ponds.
RELATED CONTENTSpring cleanup is in the air
There’s a pretty good chance a lot of spring cleaning will take place around Farmington this weekend. Next Saturday kicks off the annual Curbside Clean-up Days, sponsored by the city of Farmington. It’s that time of year when residents haul their miscellaneous pieces of broken furniture and old televisions to the curb, just waiting for city crews to come by and take the eyesore away.
RELATED CONTENTFree class can prepare you for spring gardening
It might be hard to plan gardening projects while snow is still on the ground, but if you ask the folks out at the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, they’ll tell you it’s not impossible.
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