Dispute over parking area threatens popular Sherburne County boat launch

BIG LAKE, MINN. – It's only a boat launch.

But to those who frequently fish the waters of Eagle Lake, it's the gateway to one of the most popular lakes in all of Sherburne County.

Early in the morning of July 4, however, anglers arrived to find access to the public launch partly restricted by rope and "No Trespassing" signs. County sheriff's deputies were called in to remove the barriers, but the issue that prompted a nearby landowner to put them up in the first place still threatens access to what local boaters say is the busiest boat launch in the county.

"When we saw those stakes, we said, 'What the hell is that?' " said Jerry Keeton, who lives in Becker and fishes Eagle Lake often, adding that he knew it would cause trouble.

The dispute centers on parking and pits Adam Kretsch, a local property owner, against the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which owns the boat launch. Caught in the middle are the anglers, who simply want easy access to a favorite fishing spot.

Cliff Thornberg, who lives about 5 miles away, has been fishing Eagle Lake for more than 30 years. The launch is the busiest in the county, he said, adding that he uses it only on weekdays because the traffic on weekends is too heavy to fight.

The concrete boat launch has been owned for more than 60 years by the DNR, but the land surrounding it — including a gravel parking area — is owned by Kretsch.

Kretsch said he roped off his land because he was worried about possible insurance liability for letting people park there. To address the parking problem, he's hoping the DNR will buy some of his property adjacent to the launch, a plot he bought about two years ago.

"I live across the street. So it's helpful for me to have 2 acres on the lake," Kretsch said. "I have a dock now; my kids can play there and I don't have to haul my boat down to the water."

Since he bought the land, Kretsch said, he's been trying to sell part of it to the DNR. But he said the agency has been giving him the runaround.

"I've played really nice with the DNR," he said. "I've told them they can buy it, they can lease it — it should be theirs. And everything we suggest, they blow me off."

In protest, Kretsch staked off his land the night of July 3. His rope fence didn't completely cut off access to the launch, but it forced boaters to back in through a narrow passage and make an awkward 90-degree turn to get their trailers lined up.

It also cut off the parking area, which even on a weekday during the holiday week held about a dozen trucks and boat trailers. Boaters have no other place to park near the launch.

Kretsch said he could face insurance liability if he continued to allow people to park on his land, adding that he's not looking to make money on the deal.

"It's not a money thing for me," he said. "I'll donate it; I'll trade it for some state land where I could take my kids hunting. I've given them 10 different options. I'm not trying to be a pain … for anyone in the area."

He staked off the land, he said, to light a fire under the DNR bureaucracy.

A DNR spokesman said the agency is aware of the July 4 confusion and hopes to settle the property issue with Kretsch.

"We have been working with a landowner in this vicinity regarding this," said Tim Edgeton, area supervisor for the DNR's Division of Parks and Trails. "We are in the process of trying to make it right. We certainly didn't anticipate that some of these events would take place."

Edgeton said he's optimistic things will work out.

"We've expressed interest in just acquiring that small parcel in the parking lot and I think he seems agreeable to that," Edgeton said. "So I hope that's where we're headed. We're certainly planning on having further discussions."

And if the standoff continues, the anglers will make do, Thornberg said.

"Well," he noted with a chuckle, "there's 10,000 lakes."

John Reinan • 612-673-7402