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29 City of Elk River - Parks and Recreation Master Plan Chapter 3: The System Today <br />Natural Areas <br />Elk River is blessed with an extraordinary natural environment of forest, savanna, <br />prairie, flood plains, and wetland complexes, much of which is publicly accessible <br />as parkland. <br />The city maintains numerous natural areas as parkland throughout the community. <br />Natural areas provide benefits to the public through the services they provide <br />such as water storage and purification, moderating our environment, and the <br />biodiversity to efficiently cycle nutrients. <br />These areas are also available for public recreation such as hiking, bird watching, <br />snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. Natural resource parks are assets that <br />provide the city with the type of outdoor character that the city promotes through <br />its Powered by Nature theme. <br />River/Water Access <br />There are relatively few public access points to the rivers, although the city is at the <br />confluence of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers. Access to the river includes visual <br />connection, or views, as well as places where residents can be near, or ‘touch’, the <br />river. Creating better connections to the rivers is an important task for the city. <br />Needs and issues related to river access include: <br />• Lack of public connectivity along the rivers. <br />• Right-of-way and roadway design constraints that complicate development <br />of a downtown riverfront trail. <br />• Uncertainty about the long-term future of Babcock Park and the boat launch <br />when Highway 10 is reconstructed. <br />• Potential for more river-based recreation. <br />• Connections at Rivers Edge Park. <br />• Protect Mississippi bluff land in its natural form as public amenity from the <br />FAST subzone (East Elk River Gateway) to the Oliver Kelley Farm. <br />In addition to river access, there is a need to address perceived and real water <br />quality issues at Lake Orono.