Reader Opinion: Grateful for tree preservation

How grateful I am to the City of Baxter for preserving the trees in the city beside the Paul

Bunyan Trail that extends from Walmart to County Road 48. Increasingly more people have

discovered this gem as is evidenced by the greater number of people I’ve seen using the trail

this year. If you haven’t walked or biked the trail beginning from either the Walmart parking lot

or County Road 48 you may want to explore this gem. From wild flowers, ponds and croaking

frogs in the spring, to the five strategically placed Fairy Houses, goats which beg to be fed,

yummy wild raspberries and hazelnuts in the summer, to colorful trees in the fall and the

cleared walking path in winter, there is something for everyone to enjoy. While walking the

trail one truly feels surrounded by forest. What’s even better is the fact that the trees buffer

vehicle exhaust since the trail is right on the edge of the newly constructed Isle Road.

Local governments in Minnesota need to have foresight and take the lead to preserve green

spaces in our cities. Thank you for doing just that. It certainly makes Baxter a more appealing

place to live.

Carol Smith

Baxter