Heartland Trail Planning

Learning Series with Clay County Public Health

Learn about the planning efforts and explore maps demonstrating the proposed expansion of the Heartland Trail through Clay County with Clay County Public Health and the Fargo Moorhead Metro COG.

Join the Moorhead Public Library's Learning Series with Clay County Public Health to learn about expansion of the Heartland Trail, a paved recreational path for year-round activities including walking, running, cycling, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.

The program is offered free-of-charge and will offer attendees the opportunity to learn more about the plans and process to expand the trail into Clay County, with Patrick Hollister, Active Living Planner with Clay County Health, and Dan Farnsworth, Transportation Planner with the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Council of Governments (Metro COG).

About the Project:
The Heartland State Trail is currently a 49-mile paved path running from Cass Lake, MN, to Park Rapids, MN. In 2006 the Minnesota Legislature authorized extension of the trail from Park Rapids to Moorhead. Hollister and Farnsworth will discuss the planning efforts so far in implementing the trail within Clay County, including proposed alignment, public feedback, challenges, opportunities, and the future of the project. 

About the Presenters:

Patrick Hollister is the Active Living Planner with PartnerSHIP 4 Health and is committed to helping to make communities more conducive to active transportation (biking and walking) through improved community design and encouragement. Patrick works with FM Metro COG, city and county governments, and MnDOT to leverage opportunities for Complete Streets projects and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. Patrick is active in efforts to complete the Heartland Trail through both Clay County and Becker County. Patrick has a Master of Planning degree from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Mathematics from Macalester College.

Dan Farnsworth has been with Metro COG since 2012 and works on a range of transportation planning efforts including bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure and coordination, traffic data collection and analysis, corridor studies, and more. Dan has been working on Heartland Trail planning in Clay County since 2014. He graduated from NDSU in 2008 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

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