(TOSP) is a coalition of over 50 agencies and organizations working to achieve the vision of "a continuous linear trail and open space system along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro area while protecting the corridor's natural, cultural, and economic resources" (Vision). This important vision was identified in the 1995 Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), a unit of the National Park System. The National Park Service, with the support of the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the MN Parks and Trails Council, established the TOSP in the Fall of 1996 to help local communities in the MNRRA corridor realize this important vision. By Fall 2000 membership had grown to include representatives of the twenty-five local governments and seven regional implementing agencies in the 72-mile Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the University of Minnesota, and the Minneapolis Community Development Agency, and many non-profit organizations like the Trust for Public Land, the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation, the National Audubon Society, Friends of Parks, Friends of the Mississippi River, and the Midtown Greenway Coalition. Below are some additional highlights of the TOSP's accomplishments.

• An informal coalition of regional, state, and national organizations involved in trail and open space planning and development. The National Park Service provides overall coordinationand facilitation.
• Subcommittees handle funding, advocacy, and interagency coordination.
• The TOSP has successfully helped to build consensus and create awareness for its vision to local communities, the State Legislature, U. S. Congress, and various national organizations and decision-makers primarily through the development of promotional tools and public outreach.
• The TOSP's collaborative structure and process has been used as a model for various national projects and is a true example of a successful partnership working to achieve common goals.
• The TOSP coordinates with various resource protection agencies and organizations to ensure the natural, cultural, and economic resources of the Mississippi River Corridor are protected. Many of these organizations are members of the TOSP. (In addition, and separate from the TOSP, the National Park Service - Mississippi National River and Recreation Area's Stewardship Division, is implementing and funding many resource protection efforts within the corridor.

• Involvement in the TOSP increases visibility of an agency or organizations individual goals and its role in achieving the overall vision.
• Partners are able to share information, pool resources, and collaborate on developing common goals, and the tools to promote them, thereby increasing their agency's efficiency.
• Collaboration has proven to be a useful tool to achieve both individual and corridor-wide goals, and for resolving conflicting issues.
• Various projects have received over 35 million in state and federal funding due primarily to the coordinated efforts of TOSP members and the individual project's relationship to the overall vision.

• Connections to the River Map
• Corridor Trail Slide Library
• Trail User Guide (produced by NPS with support of TOSP partners)
• Technical Assistance, including identification of available funding opportunities
• TOSP selection criteria for identifying priorities, issues to address, and funding needs

For additional information, or to join the TOSP, please call Susan Overson at 651-290-3030, ext. 225