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
Battle Creek Regional Park
Battle Creek Turf to Prairie Conversion Project
Cost of project: $44,922
Funding source: $40,425 from CPL grant and $4,497 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 7 acres
This restoration is part of a larger imagining of the greater Battle Creek System! Historically this park consisted of native prairie. Mowed turf, spruce that do not belong in prairie, and invasive Amur Maples will be removed as they provide little to no beneficial habitat. This 7 acre area will be converted back into prairie to increase habitat diversity for pollinators and other environmental benefits.
The project goals are to:
1) Remove Spruce, Amur Maple, and turf to create prairie for key pollinator species
- The Monarch Butterfly, Minnesota’s official state butterfly
- The endangered Rusty-Patched Bumblebee, Minnesota’s official state bee
2) Create ‘green corridors’ connecting animal habitats
3) Provide nature for you to connect with your native landscape
- View Project Map (PDF)
West Battle Creek Prairie Expansion
Cost of project: $146,025
Funding source: $132,750 from CPL grant and $13,275 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 45
This 45-acre project, west of Battle Creek Road and north of Lower Afton Road, will enhance and convert native prairie over five different land cover types (detailed below). This project will take place January 2022 through June 2025.
- View project map (PDF)
- Site 1 and 2: Six acres of fallow field - Steep hillsides consisting of invasive herbaceous grasses and weeds, such as crown vetch and brome. These two sections were excavated for fill more than 30 years ago, which has left two concave impressions on the hillside. The goal is to remove the invasive material through mainly foliar application and convert these hillsides to native prairie.
- Site 3: Three acres of fallow field - A flat cleared field with woody invasive material. This site has been mowed the past few years. The goal is to remove all invasives and convert to native prairie.
- Site 4: 23 acres of native prairie - This flat established native prairie was planted in the mid-2000s and is burned on a three-year rotation. Recently, the site has seen an increase of invasives and has buckthorn growing throughout. The goal is to increase maintenance of this site over the next three seasons (mowing, spot treatment and prescribed burns) to improve the existing prairie.
- Site 5: 13 acres of cleared invasive woodland - A plateau that was farmed until the late 1980s and then was left fallow. Large invasive black locust and Siberian elm trees filled the site and provide little to no habitat while leaching the soil of nutrients. These trees were girdled three seasons ago and were removed in February 2022. Starting spring 2022, this area will be converted to native prairie to better provide birds and insects with beneficial native vegetation.
Battle Creek Woodlands Enhancement Project
Cost of project: $456,300
Funding source: $412,300 from CPL grant and $44,000 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 226 acres
The Battle Creek Woodlands Enhancement Project will enhance the site through further control of woody invasive species, prescribed burning and stimulating the oak woodlands by opening the canopy and seeding native understory plants in select areas and expand the restoration into the east side of Battle Creek Park.
- View project map (PDF)
Central Battle Creek Oak Woodlands Restoration
Cost of project: $398,640
Funding source: $362,400 from CPL grant and $36,240 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 98 acres
The proposed Central Battle Creek Oak Woodlands Restoration project will remove invasive species throughout 98 acres of primarily oak woodlands and small sections of prairie and wetland within Battle Creek Regional Park, located in St. Paul, MN. This project will further enhance the Southern Dry Savanna through mature tree thinning and native seeding of herbaceous and shrub layer. The start of mature tree thinning will occur within select areas of the Southern Seepage Meadow and Southern Dry - Mesic Oak (Maple) Woodlands.
As identified through the assessment and surveys, the project area is highly degraded by invasive species, providing low quality habitat for the animals and birds that inhabit this area. The invasives are mainly woody, including buckthorn with well-established pockets of black locust, with Siberian elm scattered throughout. Pockets of herbaceous weeds include Japanese hedge parsley, garlic mustard, dewberry and brome. Buckthorn is widespread and abundant within these areas, sometimes exhibiting up to 100% coverage within the shrub layer. Due to invasives dense shading, the herbaceous understory is lacking and bare soil is often exposed throughout the woodland site. In addition, due to lack of fire to set back, there are a number of trees within the native land cover types that have become overgrown and need to be removed. The objective of thinning mature trees is to re-introduce a natural or mimicked disturbance regimen which will be essential to restore and maintain a dense and ecologically diverse graminoid and forb layer through the savanna areas.
- View Project Map (PDF)
Lake Josephine County Park
Lake Josephine Enhancement Project
Cost of project: $189,604
Funding source: $172,350 from CPL grant and $17,254 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 27
This restoration and enhancement project will improve the quality of 27 acres of degraded mixed woodland and remnant prairie communities that surround a major wetland within Lake Josephine County Park. The woodland understory is currently dominated by dense buckthorn and other woody invasives such as Siberian elm, black locust, and honeysuckle, many of which are large in size. The herbaceous layer also has established populations of invasive garlic mustard. Much of the remaining prairie has been invaded by woody invasive species along with reed canary grass and Kentucky blue grass. The primary goal is to remove non-native invasive plant species throughout the woodland and prairie areas while conserving and enhancing the existing native plant communities.
After the woodland and prairie communities are healthy, they will provide much needed food and shelter for native pollinators, migratory birds and other wildlife. This restoration project will also reduce the spread of invasive species to other areas of the park and will provide an improved experience for park visitors.
- View project map (PDF)
Pig’s Eye Lake Park
Creating Pig’s Eye Island Habitat
Cost of project: $349,400
Funding source: $314,460 from CPL grant and $34,940 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 26 acres
This project involves the construction of 6 islands, totaling 25.6 acres, which will be strategically constructed in Pigs Eye Lake to reestablish some of the habitat that was lost and protect adjacent shoreline. Three of the islands will also be constructed in a horseshoe shape, to better control wind fetch and to create approximately 17.6 acres of shallow water wetland complexes with emerging vegetation along the islands.
The purpose of this project is to enhance these islands by establishing native vegetative cover for stabilization and to improve terrestrial and aquatic habitat throughout Pigs Eye Lake while improving water quality. Establishing these islands will prevent further erosion to the natural shoreline surrounding the lake. This project will also result in improved substrate for spawning, shelter, and food resources for fish and other aquatic animals.
- View project map (PDF)
Round Lake
Round Lake Shoreline Restoration
Cost of project: $95,000
Funding source: $75,000 from MPCA grant, $5,000 from RCSWCD (Ramsey County Soil & Water Conservation Division), and $15,000 from Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD)
Amount of shoreline being restored: 300 linear feet
This project includes the restoration of 300 linear feet of shoreline on Round Lake, near the Lake Phalen Boat Launch. This project will connect existing shoreline restoration projects between Ramsey County and St. Paul property. The project will consist of removal of existing invasive and undesirable vegetation, installation of a coir log, erosion control blanket, and install of native vegetation to convert existing turf and eroding shoreline to native emergent and prairie cover.
Snail Lake
Snail Lake Enhancement
Cost of project: $193,857
Number of acres being restored: 62
This project seeks to enhance and restore habitat throughout 62 acres of woodland and prairie within Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park. Work will include invasive species removal including buckthorn and other woody invasives, as well as a prescribed burn to open up the landscape and allow for native plants to flourish.
Tamarack Nature Center
Tamarack Nature Center Prairie Expansion Project
Cost of project: $55,000
Funding source: $50,000 from CPL grant and $5,000 match amount
Number of acres being restored: 15
This project would convert the abutting 15 acres of fallow field in the southwest corner of Tamarack Nature Center to native prairie. A contractor will complete the work in converting the fallow field to native prairie. Steps taken will include prepping the site, planting, and maintenance. Prepping the site will include multiple herbicide applications and a prescribed burn (if required). The native tallgrass prairie seed will be drill seeded and then maintenance ongoing will include mowing numerous times following the initial seeding and spot spraying invasives throughout. Maintenance will continue until end of grant period.
Vadnais-Sucker Lake
Vadnais-Sucker Lake Buckthorn Removal
Cost of project: $55,165
Number of acres being restored: 27 acres
Ramsey County seeks to enhance approximately 27 acres of restored woodlands and native prairie within Vadnais-Snail Regional Park. The County’s goal is to provide high quality wildlife habitat in the woodlands and prairie through routine resource maintenance that suppresses invasive species and allows native species to thrive.
- View project map (PDF)
Past restoration projects
Island Lake County Park
Prairie Restoration
Number of acres restored: 30 acres
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).
- View project map (PDF)
Lake Owasso
Shoreline Restoration
Number of acres restored: 1 acre
Lake Owasso, situated north of Bennett Lake and south of Lake Wabasso in the Owasso Chain, is the largest lake in the District. Over the past several years, the District has been working to reduce the invasive carp population in Lake Owasso and surrounding water bodies.
With the recent completion of work at Lake Owasso County Park, Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District has partnered with Ramsey County and secured a Conservation Partners Legacy Grant to restore over 700 feet of shoreline between the boat launch and swimming beach along the northeast shore of Lake Owasso. The majority of the work will occur in the spring and summer of 2022.
More information can be found on the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District website.
Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park
Tamarack Nature Center Prairie Conversion and Woodland Restoration
This project will complete the southwest prairie conversion and woodland restoration over 45 acres. Converting the area back to native prairie and oak woodland will provide quality wildlife habitat for insects, pollinators, birds and local wildlife. Removal of conifer plantations, poplar trees, brome, buckthorn and other invasive woody materials began December 2021 and will be completed by summer 2024.
- View project map (PDF)
Oak Savanna Restoration
Number of acres restored: 17 acres
This 11-acre oak savanna restoration, south of Upper Afton Road and west of Century Avenue, will preserve oaks and revive the savanna landscape. The majority of trees within this project area consisted of invasive black locust, Siberian elm, poplar and boxelder, amongst old growth oaks.
Invasive buckthorn removal began in the winter of 2021 along with the girdling of large black locust and Siberian elm trees. Native seed was cast in the spring in some open areas. Work in the winter of 2022 includes the removal of large invasive trees and piles of buckthorn. Spring and summer of 2022 and 2023 will include maintenance of buckthorn and planting of native flowers and grasses to re-establish native habitat that will better benefit local wildlife and pollinators.
- View project map (PDF)
Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park
Oak Savanna Restoration
Work began in August 2019 and will 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)
Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park
Snail Lake Woodland Restoration
Number of acres restored: .25 acre
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 (see project map for details). The project began in winter of 2018/2019 and ended in summer 2021. The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District and Ramsey County teamed up to restore the forest and wetland buffer habitat. This area supports one of the largest oak forest and associated wetland habitats in the region. 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 the wetland buffer restoration location and timeline, please visit Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District's information page.
- View project map (PDF)
Battle Creek Regional Park
Forest Restoration
Number of acres restored: 33 acres
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 began in 2019 and will run 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)
Creek Corridor Restoration
Number of acres restored: 103 acres
The corridor, located within Battle Creek Regional Park, consists of uniquely steep topography, wetland seeps and habitat of high ecological significance. The creek corridor restoration project restored over 100 acres of mainly oak woodlands and converted 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 included removal of buckthorn and other woody invasive species such as black locust and Siberian elm. Invasive plant control included burdock, garlic mustard, narrow leaf bittercress, amongst others. A prescribed burn took place in 2019, with a follow-up completed in 2021.
- View project map (PDF)
Battle Creek Park Wilderness in the City
Number of acres restored: .25 acre
The Turf to Pollinators Garden Project is a project of Wilderness in the City in partnership with Metro Blooms and funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. The goal of the project was to build pollinator habitat in the form of native gardens to build healthier and more diverse regional park ecosystems. The gardens were placed in highly‐visible locations to engage, educate, and inspire park visitors to install similar projects in their own yards and communities.
Long Lake Regional Park
Oak Woodland Restoration
Number of acres restored: 25 acres
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)
Long Lake Shore Woods Restoration Project
Number of acres restored: 14 acres
Ramsey County Parks owns over 2 miles of shoreline on Long Lake. Around 1 mile of shoreline is wooded, with a mix of oak and lowland forest types. This 14-acre section of woodlands is dominated by buckthorn and other invasive species, which is causing adverse conditions to the habitat and soils throughout the area. The goal of this project is to remove the invasives throughout and add native seeds and shrubs to increase the herbaceous and shrub layer for the birds and insects that need quality woodlands close to waters edge. This project abuts 14 acres of converted native prairie and over 40 acres of restored woodlands to the west, within the same parkland, that was funded through MN DNR CPL and ECP grants over the past 5 years
- View project map (PDF)
Rice Creek Regional Trail
Middle Rice Creek Forest Restoration
Number of acres restored: 80 acres
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)
Keller Regional Park
Keller Habitat Enhancement Project
Number of acres restored: 6
This project continued restoration efforts in the park and converted 4.5 acres of mowed turf to native prairie, restored 0.5 acres of high-quality woodland and restored 1,335 linear feet of channel buffer consisting of invasive vegetation to high quality native prairie and wetland edge habitat.
Although historically this park consisted of native prairie and wetland habitat, there were areas of mowed turf not being used for recreational purposes, buffers of invasive and short grass vegetation along the channel and lake edge and a section of high-quality woods that is infested with buckthorn. All these areas provided little to no beneficial habitat. In the past decade efforts have been made to identify areas of turf that are currently not being used much for recreational purposes and land along water bodies to increase habitat diversity for pollinators. This project will accomplished these goals within the sites identified.
- View project map (PDF)