The pace of FMRs ecological restoration work quickened in 2007
In 2007 we reached a stage of completion at several of the restoration projects that we initiated three or four years ago. While the projects are never really done, these are now essentially well-established and have graduated to the stage of long-term maintenance. Read more about them and our other 2007 restoration projects below.
Prairie and wet meadow restoration, Hastings River Flats Park
After four years of restoration work, the 32-acre central area of Hastings River Flats Park, where five huge petroleum tanks once stood, is now dominated by native prairie species. The shoreline along Lake Rebecca mowed turf just a few years ago is now an explosion of color all summer, with a bonanza of wet meadow flowers: swamp milkweed, Joe pyeweed, great blue lobelia, boneset, cardinal flower, blazing star, ironweed, and many more. Much more than eye candy, however, these plants help to filter runoff from the park, thus improving water quality of the lake. These small planting areas are also home to dozens of species of butterflies and other insects, as well as birds, muskrats and other wildlife.
Wet meadow restoration, Empire Wastewater Treatment Plant, Farmington
The 50-acre wet meadow restoration at the treatment plant put on a showy display this year, the fourth season after installation. Formerly a monotypic cropland, the site now has a great diversity and abundance of native plants, with 34 flower species and 16 species of grasses and sedges. Our work this year was focused on treating pockets of non-native, invasive species, especially reed canary grass, which has been reduced about 90 percent.
With the plant diversity comes a diversity of animals. Where once only a handful of bird species could be found in the soybean or cornfields, we have recorded over 55 species in the last two years. Among the 35 species that breed at the site are Dickcissels, sedge wren, and savannah sparrow. In spring, this area holds shallow pockets of water where flocks of common snipe may be found, and hundreds of ducks, sora and other shorebirds and migrants.
A 30-acre grassland at the treatment plant was also enhanced by eradicating reed canary grass and smooth brome grass on about four acres, then re-seeding with native prairie species. After two growing seasons the seeded species have taken well and provide a splash of color, as well as improved diversity, to the site.
Woodland and prairie restoration, Rosemount Preserve
A massive buckthorn removal in 2005 and 2006 on about 16 acres of woodland was followed by cutting of resprouts in spring and fall burning in 2006 and 2007. The woodland responded with a bounty of wildflowers, especially wild geranium and rue anemone. After exotic shrub removal we planted native shrubs hazelnut, pagoda dogwood, gray dogwood and others in spring 2006 and 2007. Ardent volunteers helped with this work, and also installed fencing around the shrubs to protect them from deer. After the 2007 fall burn we broadcast native wildflowers to try to increase the diversity of forbs, especially in some areas that had little ground cover.
This preserve also has a seven-acre former hayfield that FMR seeded in 2004 with native prairie species. After two growing seasons and a spring burn this year, familiar species such as Canada wild rye, bergamot, goldenrods, and black-eyed Susan now dominate the site.
Sand gravel prairie management, Sand Coulee, Hastings
FMR has been doing ecological management work on roughly 100 acres of this high quality prairie remnant south of Hastings since 2003. Working on both private and city-owned properties, this year we did secondary control of invasive shrubs, completed prairie and woodland burns covering about 30 acres, and worked on spotted knapweed control. The latter is an aggressive invasive species that can displace many native species. Our multi-pronged control methods included hand-pulling (with volunteer help), spot-spraying herbicide, mowing, burning and releasing insects for biological control. All methods help to varying degrees, but we were pretty excited this fall to find seed-eating insects on plants that were far removed from the insect release location.
Student volunteers also helped install 50 mats of aquatic plants at a stormwater detention basin in an effort to improve water quality of the basin. The increased diversity of aquatic invertebrates recorded in a 2007 pond survey may have been a result of aquatic plantings in 2006. Students also collected prairie seed, which will be grown and installed back along the pond edges in 2008.
Sand gravel prairie management, Hastings Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area
Just across Highway 316 from the coulee project above is the newest SNA in the state. While we have not yet started management work at the 70-acre site, plans are underway and will begin soon. The first phase will be removal of about 90 percent of the red cedar and all the deciduous trees that are encroaching on the prairie. Later we will remove a four-acre stand of planted red pine trees. Seed collected by volunteers in 2007 will help to restore that area to native prairie. This is a very exciting project and we encourage people to visit the site to watch the transformation and to participate in volunteer events. Heres the DNRs web page for the SNA.
Prairie, woodland and savanna restoration and management. Flint Hills Resources, Rosemount
Initiated in 1999, the restoration and management activities at Flint Hills Resources have come a long way, managing the high quality sand gravel prairies, restoring oak savannah, and managing oak woodlands. In 2007 we focused on the ever-persistent problem of cheat grass invasion on the sand gravel prairies. Strategic application of herbicides is our most successful control method so far. After weed removal we placed an erosion blanket on some of the steep sandy slope, then installed prairie plants. The plants were grown with the help of Dakota Technical College from seed collected at the prairie in 2006. We also tackled buckthorn in a 50-acre woodland and continued to manage the 27-acre savanna restorations with burning and removal of weedy species. Volunteer employee teams from Flint Hills Resources were recruited and trained this year in a new initiative and they assisted tremendously with weed removal, buckthorn work, tending plant plugs and seed collection.