8.0 PRSR 03-09-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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, RARE SPECIES According to the DNR natural heritage database,there are no rare species recorded on the Bailey Point Nature Preserve. However,there were three elements recorded within five miles of the site.The closest element of occurrence exists about 0.6 miles to the east in the Mississippi River.There,surveys found Ligumia recta, or the black sandshell mussel,a species of special concern in Minnesota. Further to the east and southeast(roughly 3.5 to 4.2 miles from the property border), remnants of the native plant communities Dry Sand Gravel Oak Savanna (UPs14b),a state- threatened plant community,and Dry Barrens Oak Savanna (Ups14a2) occurred. The Dry Sand-Gravel Savanna was last observed in 1989 and had a"fair" estimated viability,while the Dry Barrens Oak Savanna was observed in 1989 and had a"poor" estimated viability. The field notes read as follows: "Pin and bur oak dry sand savanna. Park-like canopy dominated by Quercus Ellipsoidalis and Quercus macrocarpa (DBH 2O-30cm)with occasional Juniperus virginiana.Shrub layer approximately 25%: Zanthoxylum americanum,Juniperus virginiana, Corylus americana, and Rubus occip. Ground cover dominated by disturbance species: Poa pratensis, Bromus intermis,Agropyron repens and a few Linaria vulgaris, Berteroa incana,Verbena stricta and Achillea millefolium." This description could be similar to the historical vegetation on what is now grassland at the site-minus the non-native species.The property lies within what was historically savanna-then called"oak openings and barrens" -lending support to this description as indicative of what may have historically occurred on the property. Although rare species are not likely to occur at the site,a restored Bailey Point would provide habitat for a number of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). SGCNs are species designated by the DNR and presented in Tomorrow's Habitat for the Wild and Rare (DNR 2006) as those in need of conservation, or species whose populations have experienced large declines in their respective ecological subsections.Thus, restoring wildlife habitat is still a priority for this plan. Habitat loss and degradation have been the primary causes of problems for SGCN species in the subsection,with the greatest number of species dependent on prairie, oak savanna,and grassland.The property's location at the confluence of two water bodies also makes it an important potential habitat for myriad plant and animal species.The DNR recommends stabilizing and increasing SGCN populations in oak savanna and prairie areas by managing invasive species, using prescribed fire and other practices to maintain savanna and prairie,to encourage restoration efforts,to manage grasslands adjacent to native prairie to enhance habitat, and to provide technical assistance and protection opportunities to interested individuals and organizations. Friends of the Mississippi River Bailey Point Nature Preserve NRMP 21