5.10. SR 12-20-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Landowner Notification Potential natural community locations marked on plotted maps were used to identify parcels where field visitation by a plant ecologist was desired. Staff from the City of Elk River sent each of these landowners a letter in the spring of 2004 to respectfully request permission to visit the natural area(s) on their property. Over 900 letters were mailed to property owners, 560 self-addressed, stamped postcards were returned. The returned cards revealed a Jaw percentage of property access compared to the amount of land available for survey, and thus the amount of data that could be collected for some natural communities was reduced. This resulted in somewhat less detailed data than originally desired on aspects of natural areas such as natural community quality and instances of nonnative plant infestations for areas that could not be adequately viewed from the edge or at a distance. This project focused on inventorying natural areas on parcels of 5 acres or greater, including all natural areas that extend beyond the boundary of those parcels. The following page shows the project area within Elk River (parcels greater than 5 acres), as well as those properties where access was granted for field inventory. Field Inventory Field inventory work and land cover classification took place in summer and fall 2004. Where private landowners declined entry to their property, viewing an area from a distance, or less desirably, remote interpretation was relied upon. During field review of areas, a 5-digit MLCCS code was assigned to any particular area/polygon. In addition, other pertinent data was recorded including notations using MLCCS Modifiers and Field Check Levels (see below). The field survey also included identification of dominant plant species within a given natural community. Intensity of inventory effort was related to the overall quality of an area. In general, good quality natural communities were more thoroughly inventoried and more extensive searches conducted for less frequently occurring or State-listed plant species. The field inventory emphasized gathering data on the composition, structure and function of natural communities, including disturbance indicators such as exotic species and erosion. This information provides a solid starting point for assessing the current condition of the community and can be used to develop management recommendations. City of Elk River, MN - Natural Resouce Inventory Bonestroo Natural Resources, September 2004 8