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Photo 15. Bald eagle nest - with fledglings visible - in a large hackberry surrounded by a <br />matrix of grassland and floodplain forest species <br />Farmfield (180 ac) <br />The largest section of the property is currently in agricultural production. In 2015, this was <br />planted with soybeans. The area has a varied but overall relatively flat topography that has <br />a slight general slope toward the southeast. This unit includes what is c tly the <br />homestead and surrounding lands, though restoration of the homes se ion will <br />depend on the size of staging areas necessary to accommodate th ing lot and the <br />Quonset hut. Currently, the field and field edges are lined with m ricultural weeds <br />such as horseweed, hoary alyssum, dandelions, etc. There are desira ecies oi- <br />features of note, other than a small irrigation pipe and pl i the mi th field. <br />This irrigation pivot should be removed for restoratio take place, and wi ly be <br />done by City of Elk River staff (Photo 21). The unit a enco sses a Swale the eastern <br />side where the soil is moister than the surroundin Th' fon is often left natural <br />and not planted, and is a good candidate for a more me a of species. <br />The most notable feature of this unit is t on along the n edge of the property <br />(Photos 16-17). The Mississippi River has nd at the ge of the property, <br />meaning that the water flows into the ban the s. specially in high flow <br />situations, this scours the bank and leads to ' ent on. It is unclear how much <br />riverbank has been lost in pas des, but a is littl vegetation along the bank to <br />protect it from the force of Moreov he agricultural field is in production up to <br />roughly 10-15 ft from t verban hile this doubtedly bad for runoff and fertilizer <br />loads in the river, it is tha in to do with the current state of erosion, <br />though the shallow roots s non-native grass buffer do little to stabilize or <br />hold the soil. Moreover, erose llies have formed where runoff from the field flows <br />down to the r' and re ' g these gullies should occur when restoring this <br />unit. Furt ore, na ant co along the bank would help to stabilize soil and slow <br />future a n. Prairie s s hav deep root systems, allowing them to hold soil in place <br />and take u e quantiti f water. Re -vegetation of the bank and the current buffer strip <br />could succes mitigat a erosion problem, though large-scale grading and other <br />erosion measur ritually be necessary. <br />Friends of the Mississippi W.H. Houlton Conservation Area NRMP <br />45 <br />