Happy New Year Natural Trail Supporters! The proponents of a proposed paved Minnesota River Trail will tell you that they need to do so so they can bring more people into the valley which will in turn protect it through awareness. So....bulldoze native plants, chop down hundreds if not thousands trees, disrupt or displace many animals local to the area....so more people can get down there to enjoy them. We're going to repeat this for emphasis....kill plants and trees and displace wild animals...so more people can enjoy them. We really can't make this stuff up. Sure seems like fuzzy logic to us. Here is another article on the perils of asphalt. It's worth 15 minutes of your time. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257665/pdf/ehp0113-a00456.pdf If this gets you steamed like it gets us steamed....locate those that represent you in Minnesota Government and tell them that this an environmentally unsound and fiscally irresponsible boondoggle and you don't want. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder Save the River Bottoms!!!