CAMPAIGN FOR FORESTS & FRESHWATERS
Did you know that 40% of the assessed bodies of water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes are currently classified as "impaired"- unsafe for drinking, swimming and fishing?
We can do better. You can help make it happen.
Great River Greening, a leader in community-based restoration projects, is the only group uniquely focused on improving water quality by restoring the land's natural filters - because healthy habitat means healthy waters.
Cleaner water starts on the land.
We can improve water quality dramatically by simply improving the quality of the land through which our waters flow. In healthy, well-managed habitats, water running over the ground is intercepted and absorbed by plants, or filtered through the soil. Great River Greening is a master in the art and science of shoreline restoration, buffer strips, ravine stabilization and other techniques.
2012-2015
Campaign for Forests and Freshwaters
Project Sites
Ongoing Projects
Bloomington, Ike’s Creek: One of only 12 trout streams in the metro area and adjacent to one of the largest urban wildlife corridors in the country, the Minnesota River Valley Wildlife Refuge. Activities through 2015: brush hauling and removal of invasive species like buckthorn and garlic mustard. Work will help to restore the natural buffer along the stream, improving water quality.
Cambridge, Rum River Easement Properties: In collaboration with the Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Land Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service – Great River Greening has initiated three riparian restoration projects on private lands along the Rum River in Isanti County. Projects will restore buffer to the river and reduce sedimentation and nutrient runoff. Activities through 2015: Conservation practice implementation will continue on the three identified projects. Other opportunities will be pursued. Greening will collaborate with MN DNR to build outreach and engagement with other private landowners with critical buffer lands along the Rum River, with a focus on maintaining water quality in the river.
Chaska, Seminary Fen Scientific & Natural Area: As with Savage Fen (below), the calcareous fen here is the rarest type of wetland in Minnesota, and there are fewer than five hundred surviving in the world. This makes the restoration and management of this fen very important. Activities this year only: invasive removal will enhance populations of rare plant species and the quality of target ecosystems supporting target bird and endangered species.
Inver Grove Heights, Simley Lake: A very popular fishing lake, part of DNR’s fishing & community’s program, with a pier, shore fishing stations on the north shore and island, plus a lot of open space to fish from. Activities through 2015: prairie and woodland seeding, shoreline planting, erosion control, maintenance will be phases of a major shoreline restoration project that started in 2009.
New Prague, Cedar Lake Regional Park: Identified as one of the “Last Best Places” in the Metropolitan Council’s Regional Parks Policy Plan, this planned 300-acre park includes the last remaining undeveloped shoreline on Cedar Lake, with a picturesque site for picnicking, swimming, and shore fishing. Activities from fall 2012 to 2015: planting and seeding. Work will help restore the shoreline and wetland, as well as buffering upland habitat.
Savage, Savage Fen Scientific & Natural Area: As with the Seminary Fen (above), Savage Fen is a calcareous fen, the rarest wetland type in the U.S., and considered globally imperiled. Activities this year only: invasive species removal and prescribed burning will enhance populations of rare plant species and the quality of target ecosystems supporting target bird and endangered species.
Woodbury, Powers Lake: A highly popular fishing lake with scenic recreational trails and great facilities. Activities: brush hauling and invasive species removal. Work will help to restore a natural buffer around the lake, improving water quality.
Projects Starting July, 2013
Prior Lake, Pike Lake Natural Area: Scenic shoreline and mature forest stands containing rare maple basswood forest. Activities through 2015: shoreland planting and invasive species management. Work will help improve a natural infiltration corridor to protect water quality in a dense urban environment.
Saint Paul, Trillium Nature Preserve: A new nature preserve (42 acres) in the heart of a heavily urbanized area, the central element of which is the creation of a stream channel segment that runs the length of the park. Activities: planting, seeding, and invasive species removal. Work will help develop this brand-new nature sanctuary, which also includes a stormwater management system of filtration ponds and wetlands, restoration of pre-settlement ecosystems present in this area, a new portion of the Trout Brook Regional Trail, local connector trails, nature trails, and related amenities.
Projects Starting Fall 2013
Fridley, Springbrook Nature Center: Springbrook Nature Center is a 127-acre parcel containing native, undisturbed prairie, oak savanna, oak woodland and wetlands located less than a mile from the Mississippi River. Springbrook is a valuable environmental science resource in the region, conducting curricula activities to schools (over 15,000 students per year) and other groups from more than 35 communities. Activities through 2015: invasive woody and exotic species management and prescribed fire will help enhance 77 acres of habitat that serves as a buffer along Spring Brook.
Inver Grove Heights, Heritage Village Park: Site of a former rail yard and swing bridge pier on the Mississippi River, the City is redeveloping Heritage Village Park into a place where the local community and broader public can learn about, and celebrate, the area’s heritage and historical significance. Activities through 2013: floodplain forest enhancement and invasive species management will help improve this historic park, which the city hopes will nudge redevelopment of both housing and business in the area.
Mille Lacs, Isanti & Anoka counties, Wild Rice Restoration Program – Rum River: Wild rice is used by a diverse array of wildlife species and is under-utilized as a restoration tool. Nowhere is wild rice as important a resource for wildlife as in Minnesota, and the Rum River watershed was historically at the center of its range. Activities through 2015: As an initial phase of this project, partners will restore 100 acres of wild rice to public waters along the Rum River (backwaters, oxbows).
Up to five new shoreland projects TBA
