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Natural Resource Management
- Natural Resource Management
- Big Marine Park Reserve
- Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park
- Lake Elmo Park Reserve
- Grey Cloud Island RP
- Pine Point Regional Park
- St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park
- Square Lake
The Natural Resource Coordinator oversees and implements land stewardship activities throughout the 4,400 acre park system.
Current Projects
- Continued mechanical grazing with Parks staff of buckthorn re-sprouts in the main park area.
- Cover crop program on 24 ac of crop field within the park reserve.
- Oriental bittersweet control south of the maintenance shop.
- Noxious weed control along the main park road for Canadian thistle.
- Rain Garden maintenance.
- CR-4 turtle fence crossing.
Future Projects
- Implementing conservation based grazing/haying within grassland plant communities, with some oak savanna restoration integrated.
Current Projects
Friends of the Mississippi River
- Restoring over 62.5 acres of Oak savanna, Dry prairie within the southern half of the park. FMR has continued restoring oak savanna within the park and is assisting with the development of a natural resource management plan in partnership and funding from the South Washington Watershed District.
South Washington Watershed District
- Goats were used to set back garlic mustard and common buckthorn within the central draw overflow storage area. Efforts are continuing this winter with fuel load reductions within the ravine with Sentence to Serve crews cutting and burning downed wood.
- South Washington Watershed District is providing funding for an ecological restoration implementation plan for the entire park with assistance from Friends of Mississippi River.
Washington County
- Goats were used to set-back garlic mustard and buckthorn in areas north east of Ravine Lake around intersection #3b.
- Natural Resource seasonal staff spot sprayed buckthorn re-sprouts in 60 acres of oak savanna restoration areas.
- Sentence to Serve crews are helping with fuel load reductions in oak savannas in the central portion of the park, north of ravine landing (Area between intersection #'s 2, 4, 9, 10, 11). Crews will also be thinning thinning mesic trees such as box elder, ash and hackberry to allow for more sunlight to enter the groundlayer. A controlled burn is anticipated in the spring of 2022.
Future Projects
- Implementing the ecological restoration plan developed in partnership with SWWD and FMR.
- Developing a firewood program to assist with fuel load reduction efforts in the park.
- Implementing a conservation based haying or grazing system on the NE portion of the park to improve the grassland habitat.
Current Projects
Washington County
- Washington County received a $390,000 metropolitan conservation partners legacy grant for over 166 acres of oak savanna and prairie restoration on the west half of Lake Elmo Park Reserve.
- Prairie Restoration (94 acres).
- On the west side of Eagle Point Lake, 45 acres of prairie restoration started in the summer of 2021 by Landbridge Ecological. Seeding is anticipated in the spring of 2022 with mowing for establishment.
- On the west side of Eagle Point Lake, 28 acres of prairie restorations were seeded by Stantec and will be hayed for establishment in 2022.
- On the north end of the park, west of the barns, 12 acres of a 24 acre soybean field was seeded to prairie (New state mixes of Pollinator, Dry Prairie and Conservation Grazing Mix). Two wetlands were restored via scraping out sediment that had filled in over years of cropland use with the assistance of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The remaining 12 acres will be seeded in the spring, with mowing for establishment to follow.
- Oak Savanna Restoration (47 acres)
- Around Eagle Point Lake, 47 acres of buckthorn, honeysuckle and amur maple were controlled via prescribed grazing with goats, cover crop of oats being seeded to absorb nitrogen, as well as a spot treatment of herbicide. Buckthorn replacement mix will be seeded in the spring of 2022.
- Prairie Restoration (94 acres).
- Washington County received a $50,000 expedited conservation partners legacy grant (part of the Outdoor Heritage Fund Grant) for a prairie restoration for the Rusty patched bumblebee SW of the North barns in Lake Elmo Park Reserve. Due to partnership with Washington Conservation District and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. We were able to expand the original planting from 32 acres to 48 acres. Spot mowing and herbicide treatment of canadian thistle, white and yellow sweet clover and spotted knapweed occurred in 2021. Mowing did not occur across the site due to the drought.
- Natural Resource seasonal staff conducted noxious weed control for wild parsnip, common tansy on the west half of the park reserve. Canadian thistle control efforts were made along the main park roads/active use areas.
- Natural Resource seasonal staff gathered prairie seed within the park for use with restorations.
- Sentence to serve crews have been assisting with thinning in prairie and oak savanna restoration areas as well as gathering dead and downed wood to prepare sites for future controlled burns.
- Goats were used to control buckthorn re-sprouts in oak savanna restoration areas.
Great River Greening/Butler Family Foundation
- Butler Family Foundation in partnership with Great River Greening helped establish 24.5 acres of prairie production plots at Lake Elmo Park Reserve on the north end of the park reserve, south of the barns. The fields were planted in spring, fall and winter of 2018, mowing is occurring during 2019 to help natives establish followed by weed control in 2020. In the fall of 2020, GRG and volunteer groups helped collect native seed out of the plots.
Xerces Society and Pollinator Friendly Alliance
- Utilizing the Xerces Society Organic Site Preparation Methods resource manual, the parks is utilizing a soil inversion method on 4 acres of former cool season grass north of the Rustic Campground. Grasses and forbs were planted in 2019 with site mowing in 2020.
- This method is again being used on the west half of the park on an 8 acre site being restored by Stantec.
Future Projects
- Continuing to develop a plan to implement conservation based grazing (Bison or Cattle) on the west half of Lake Elmo Park Reserve to help maintain grassland.
Current Projects
The park is not currently open to the public and efforts are not currently underway for managing the resources.
Current Projects
Pollinator Friendly Alliance
PFA has helped restore a 17 acre prairie known as Butterfly Landing. PFA and their volunteers have aided with Citizen science surveys, purchasing and spreading seed to increase floral diversity for pollinators, and planting over 2000 plugs.
Future Projects
Implementing activities included in the master plan such as thinning the pines to improve the stand health and conducting ecological restoration in the core conservation areas including oak savanna restoration.
Current Projects
Washington Conservation District/St. Croix River Association/South Washington Watershed District, Pollinator Friendly Alliance
- Noxious weed control with natural resource seasonal staff for Canadian thistle, common tansy.
Future Projects
- Implementing conservation based grazing and haying north of the main park road.
Current Projects
Washington County
- Washington County is developing a Master Plan - efforts are being made to guide future actions.
- Park Maintenance staff are conducting mechanical grazing on oak savanna restoration units close to the beach.
- Natural Resource seasonal staff continue to maintain the rain garden at the north half of the park.