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Friends of Birch Island Woods (Eden Prairie) The Birch Island Woods Conservation Area in northern Eden Prairie anchors a complex of historic, environmental, recreational and community resources including a retreat for special needs people and garden farms at the southern end of a green corridor along the SW Regional LRT trail. The Friends of Birch Island Woods, the Sierra Club, and others are working to enlarge the protected area and restore local wetlands and lake levels.
Chisago and Washington County Green Corridor A "green corridor" of beautiful countryside—farmland, natural areas, scenic areas, and other open spaces that are linked together—runs through Washington and Chisago Counties, both of which face enormous development pressures. 1000 Friends of Minnesota and the Minnesota Land Trust are two of the leading groups working to protect this green corridor.
Crosby Park Nature Area (St. Paul) Crosby Park Nature Area, nestled along the north side of the Mississippi River across from its confluence with the Minnesota River, is an oasis for plants and wildlife. As a floodplain forest and river backwater, it's one of the most important wetland systems in the region, vital to the health of the Mississippi River. But it's fast being degraded by invasive species, erosion, and other threats. Great River Greening and the City of St. Paul are seeking funds to restore this site.
Minneapolis Community Gardens Minneapolis residents have transformed nine vacant lots in the urban core into community gardens. These previously neglected, trash-strewn and derelict properties now produce food, flowers, and community pride. The Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA), legal owner of the nine tax-forfeited properties, last year announced plans to sell the lots for development. Responding to passionate appeals from the community to preserve the urban gardens, the MCDA has now agreed to sell the lots as gardens. The Sustainable Resources Center's City Garden Trust and The Green Institute approached the Trust for Public Land to help with the real estate transactions and to help raise capital to make the gardens permanent. The entire cost of acquiring the nine gardens is $118,000. Visit the Trust for Public Land's website (choose Minnesota, then go to the community gardens article) to find out how to contribute to this protection effort. If you're interested in getting involved with community gardening in Minneapolis or St. Paul—visit the Green Institute or the Sustainable Resource Center.
Pilot Knob (Mendota Heights) Pilot Knob is named for a prominent hill just north of Pilot Knob Road, once used as a reference point for steamboat pilots. The elevation overlooks the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, and sports some of the most spectacular views in the region. Of perhaps even greater importance, Pilot Knob also has sacred significance for the area's Dakota bands as a historic backdrop for native burial grounds and important treaty signings, including the 1851 Treaty of Mendota which allowed for settlement of non-natives west of the Mississippi. Pilot Knob was also once named in the original Congressional Minnesota Territory bill as the proposed capitol site. Recently, a plan to construct 150 town homes on the site has gained momentum. Prompted by the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota and other groups, the Mendota Heights City Council has delayed approval of the development and ordered an Environmental Assessment Worksheet. This may provide an opportunity to nominate Pilot Knob to the National Register of Historic Places and find ways to protect it from development.
Point Douglas (Denmark Township in Washington County) The Carpenter Nature Center has been actively trying to preserve views and artifacts, including 2000-year-old Indian burial mounds, at the very southern tip of Washington County, overlooking the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. The center hopes to restore the property to native vegetation, adding it to their existing restoration projects. The land is privately held by two different owners. Significant resources are required to protect this valuable land. If the center is successful, then this unique, beautiful and historically significant area could be accessible through the extensive interpretive programs offered at the center. For more information, contact Jim Fitzpatrick at the Carpenter Nature Center, 651-437-4359. Riley Creek Conservation Area (Eden Prairie) The Riley Creek Conservation Area in southwest Eden Prairie harbors one of the finest "Big Woods" remnants in the metro area. Although protected by city easement, close proximity to between the Riley Creek Conservation area and new and future residential development are threatening the woods with degradation. Local residents and the Sierra Club are working towards increasing the buffers to stop the damage.
Salvation Army Camp (St. Anthony) The Salvation Army camp near the intersection of Saint Anthony, New Brighton, and Columbia Heights provides welcome relief from the densely packed houses and buildings surrounding it—a large, serene eye at the center of an expanding storm of development. Following the camp's recent transfer in ownership to Three Rivers Recreation, citizen concern is building around rumors of future growth coming at the camp's expense, literally paving the way toward the loss of one of the area's very few natural parks. Sand Coulee (Marshan Township southeast of Hastings) The Sand Coulee is a small valley created over thousands of years by an intermittent stream. Elevation changes are dramatic, with a 90-foot drop from top to bottom and slopes up to 45 percent. The soils are sandy with low amounts of organic matter, low nutrient levels, and a low capacity to hold water. These physical characteristics support a high quality dry prairie that is about 180 acres in size, the largest prairie remnant in Dakota County and one of the largest in the metro area. The Sand Coulee has been identified as an important natural feature in the Dakota Farmland and Natural Areas Project and the Mississippi River Greenway Strategic Planning Project. The major threat to this beautiful site, which supports five rare plant species and two rare snakes, is the encroachment of exotic and woody plants. The sand coulee is in private ownership and the landowners are working with Friends of the Mississippi River to manage and restore the native prairie. For more information contact Friends of the Mississippi River.
Springbrook Nature Center (Fridley) Located near the Mississippi River in Fridley, Springbrook Nature Center offers miles of forested hiking trails that pass through prairies and wetlands, with opportunities to see over 3,000 native plants and animals. Some 30 years after its designation as a nature center, Springbrook continues to welcome families, individuals, community groups, and schoolchildren; and to serve as an important resting place for migratory waterfowl. It is the largest and most heavily used park in the area, with an onsite interpretive center featuring indigenous animal displays and a community room, as well as offices for program administration. Recently, voters narrowly passed a referendum to continue funding for Springbrook's programs. Nevertheless, the Center's programs—supported entirely by the City of Fridley—continue to exist at the mercy of political winds and tightening budgets.
Upper Mississippi River (Minneapolis) With Minneapolis's "Above the Falls" Master Plan just completed, the city and its park board and trying to help protect several key properties to achieve early successes in creating open space and further fuel the economic development and community revitalization envisioned in the plan. Creating new parks and trails in this central, urban stretch of the Mississippi River has been identified as a top priority for increasing public access and connecting 50 miles of river trails in this nationally significant river corridor. Trust for Public Land, Minnesota is one group working on the protection of this area.
Wayzata Big Woods (Wayzata) *Success Story* The 22-acre Wayzata Big Woods property runs along East Wayzata Boulevard from County Road 101 to near Central Avenue, and is bordered by Highway 12 to the north. Comprising the last remnants of the original Big Woods' 6,500-acre footprint, the site is known for diverse plant and animal life and for the former Cenacle Retreat House at its heart. It also serves as an important migratory pathway connecting Gleason Lake to Lake Minnetonka. The area has a history of successful citizen efforts, which helped halt plans for development in 1998 and 2002. In 2003, Wayzata voters agreed to help pay for protection of the Big Woods property. Friends of the Wayzata Big Woods continues to spread the word and gather private funds for lasting protection of the Big Woods' legacy through permanent land conservation.
West Side Bluffs (St. Paul) The West Side Bluffs are located just south of downtown St. Paul, extending from Lilydale Park in the west (behind Harriet Island) to Annapolis Street in the east. The bluffs completely surround St. Paul's west side, including Cherokee Park and the Wabasha Caves, and offer one of the few wildlife corridors in the area. The site's terrain ranges from oak and maple-basswood forest remnants to very rare dry grass prairie and ephemeral plant communities. It serves as a vital part of the Mississippi flyway for migrating songbirds, and provides spectacular views of the river and downtown St. Paul. The bluffs are being overcome by invasive species such as buckthorn, black locust, cockle-bur, and boxelder. Erosion has been worsened by unofficial footpaths, vegetation removal, soil compaction near the bluff edge, and stormwater drainage. A local task force, with support from the West Side District Council, has been working with the City of St. Paul, area residents, and other stakeholders to restore the bluffs. They want to provide safe trails, views, and other recreational opportunities, without damaging the natural function, beauty, and integrity of the wooded bluffs.
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