Natural Resources Restoration Projects
Restoration projects take place throughout Ramsey County. The projects listed below were funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program through the Outdoor Heritage Fund, with matches provided by Ramsey County and in-kind contributions.
Current restoration projects
Tamarack Nature Center/Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park
Oak Savanna Restoration Project
Work will begin August 2019 and be completed by summer 2022 to convert degraded forest and brome field into a native prairie and oak savanna. The project site is located in Tamarack Nature Center, which is part of the Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park, south of County Road H2 and west of Otter Lake Road within White Bear Township. The site is approximately 17 acres, with four acres being converted to native prairie and 13 acres of woodland to be restored and planted with oak trees. This multi-year project is designed to create a healthy and resilient prairie and oak savanna ecosystems.
View project map (PDF)
Battle Creek Regional Park
Creek Corridor Restoration Project
The corridor, within Battle Creek Regional Park, consists of uniquely steep topography, wetland seeps and habitat of high ecological significance. The creek corridor restoration project will restore over 100 acres of mainly oak woodlands and convert around three acres of brome field into native prairie – which is located on steep hillsides adjacent to the paved path south of upper Afton road. The woodland restoration work will include removal of buckthorn and other woody invasive species such as black locust and Siberian elm. Invasive plant control will include burdock, garlic mustard, narrow leaf bittercress, amongst others. Prescribed burns are scheduled for the spring of 2019 and 2021.
View project map (PDF)
Forest Restoration Project
The project site is located in Battle Creek Regional Park, north of Upper Afton Road and east of the Battle Creek Waterworks entrance road within the city of Maplewood. This forest restoration project will take place in the fall of 2019 through the summer of 2022. Historically, this 33-acre woodlands, was a high quality native forest with a variety of ages consisting of mesic and oak woodlands. Over the last several years, this area has been degraded by invasive vegetation and erosion. This multi-year project is designed to remove invasive species and introduce native trees and plants to create a more healthy and resilient forest.
View project map (PDF)
Island Lake County Park
Prairie Restoration Project
Parks & Recreation will complete ongoing restoration to the woodlands and prairies in the southwest section of Island Lake County Park from summer 2020 - 2023.
The restoration work consists of undesirable woody material removal, including amur maples and poplars, sowing of native seed, and permitted prescribed burns (planned for spring 2023).
Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park
Snail Lake Woodland Restoration Project
The project is located south of Snail Lake Road and north of Gramsie Road within the city of Shoreview, Minnesota and lies within the Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park system. The site is approximately 63 acres and consists of six land cover class restoration areas. The project will begin winter of 2018/2019 and will go until summer 2021. The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District and Ramsey County have teamed up to restore the forest and four acres of wetland buffer habitat within. This area supports one of the largest oak forest and associated wetland habitats in the region. However, over the last several years, it has been degraded by invasive vegetation, flooding and erosion. With funding from a DNR Conservation Partners Legacy Grant, this multi-year project is designed to create more healthy and resilient forest and wetland ecosystems. For more information about Snail Lake, please visit Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District's information page.
View project map (PDF)
A trail at Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park will be temporarily closed starting Dec. 3. During the trail closure, a contractor will be using machinery to stack piles of invasive buckthorn for removal. Signs and barricades will be up during the time when machinery is used and removed when the trail is cleared. The trail closure is expected to last until work has been completed around site F, shown on the woodland restoration map (PDF).
Past restoration projects
Battle Creek & Long Lake Regional Parks
Ramsey County Prairie Expansion Project
In an effort to reduce mowing and create habitat, 38 acres of brome and turf grass areas were converted to prairie in select areas of Battle Creek and Long Lake Regional Parks. These areas will benefit pollinator insects and birds that inhabit tall grass prairies. Invasive trees were removed to allow for more sunlight on the sites, herbicide application was applied to remove invasive grasses and weeds and prescribed burns were completed. Drill seeding of native grasses and flowers took place in the spring of 2017. The sites will continually be maintained through mowing of weeds, spot spraying and prescribed burns.
Fish Creek Open Space
Lower Fish Creek Restoration Expansion Project
The Lower Fish Creek Restoration Expansion Project restored 88 acres of oak woodlands. The project included, removal of invasive species, mostly buckthorn, a prescribed burn in the spring of 2017 and planting of native seed to promote growth of native flowers and grasses. Stacked tree material was burned on site during the winter of 2017 and a prescribed burn occurred in the spring, followed by a planting of native seed. All work was completed in the summer of 2018 and ongoing maintenance will include foliar spraying of reemerging buckthorn and prescribed burns.
View project map (PDF)
Keller Regional Park
Keller Lake Savanna & Woodland Project
An oak forest/savanna located in the southwest corner of Keller Regional Park serves as a section of greater wildlife habitat corridor that runs along Phalen Creek and Keller Lake. This 20 acres of oak forest and savanna was restored in 2017 - 2019 and included the removal of invasive woody species throughout the woodland areas and planting of prairie and native understory in an existing oak savanna. Clearing efforts will occurred in the winter of 2017 and tree material was burned on site. Prescribed burns occurred throughout the restored areas in the spring of 2017 followed by a planting of native seed. Ongoing maintenance of the site will include foliar spraying of reemerging buckthorn and prescribed burns through the prairie and woodland areas.
View project map (PDF)
Long Lake Regional Park
Long Lake Oak Woodland Restoration Project
This project was a continued restoration effort that started through volunteers and donations on 20 acres of oak savanna and woodlands within Long Lake Regional Park. The restoration expanded to include another five acres, for a total of 25 acres of woodland restored. The restoration included the removal of woody exotic and invasive species, and removal of larger trees, such as boxelder, cottonwood and some conifers, to decrease the encroachment on the oak trees and field areas being converted to oak savanna. Clearing took place in the winter of 2017 and tree material was removed or burned on site. A prescribed burn took place through sections of the restored areas in the spring of 2017 and 2019, followed by plantings of native seed and oak tree seedlings.
View project map (PDF)
Northwest Bluffs Wildlife Habitat Project
Located in the northwest section of Battle Creek Regional Park, this 72-acre project restored an eclectic mix of oak savanna, oak forest, shrub swamp seep wetlands and converted six acres of brome field to prairie. The project improved wildlife habitat by removing invasive plants through cutting and controlled burns, replanting and seeding of native plants, and protecting mature forest trees while restoring the natural forest floor. Work was completed in the summer of 2018 and ongoing maintenance will include foliar spraying of reemerging buckthorn and prescribed burns.
View project map (PDF)
Rice Creek Regional Trail
Middle Rice Creek Forest Restoration Project
The Rice Creek corridor extends 22 miles through Anoka and Ramsey County and provides habitat for migratory waterfowl and upland birds that nest and travel within the Mississippi flyway. This project restored 80 acres of creek corridor habitat back into quality oak forest, through removal of woody invasive species, suppression of oak wilt and removal of larger invasive trees such as locust and Siberian elm. Most of the clearing was completed in the winter of 2017 and tree material was burned on site, followed by plantings of native seed and oak tree seedlings. Work was completed in the summer of 2019 and ongoing maintenance will include foliar spraying of reemerging buckthorn and prescribed burns.
View project map (PDF)