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9 Friends of the Mississippi River Camp Cozy Park NRMP <br />native – to become overabundant. The habitat that these remnant plant communities provide <br />will be completely lost if fire and other disturbances are not reintroduced. <br /> <br />Common buckthorn dominates several areas of the forest understory, and in addition to <br />displacement of native shrubs that provide superior habitat, buckthorn shades and suppresses <br />herbaceous forest plants causing large areas of bare soil that are prone to erosion. Buckthorn- <br />dominated areas are adjacent to the channels in the southern third of the park, and the <br />combination of low vegetative cover in the forest and flashy flows in the channels is leading to <br />soil loss and erosion. Herbaceous weedy species such as garlic mustard and creeping Charlie are <br />present in patches. These issues should be resolved as resources allow. Future issues should <br />also be considered in planning budgets and timelines of management. In particular, the <br />population of ash trees on the property is at risk from emerald ash borer infestation. <br />Understanding future risks and their likelihoods can help design and prepare future <br />management strategies. <br /> <br />Natural Resource Management Recommendations <br /> <br />Natural resource management recommendations for Camp Cozy Park are based on the <br />resource assessment conducted by FMR ecologists, past land use and management activities, <br />the goals and perspectives of the City of Elk River Parks Department, and the community’s <br />desired uses of the park. The recommendations stem from general ecological guidelines for <br />these types of landscapes set by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) in <br />consideration of native plant communities of Minnesota, accepted practices for restoration and <br />protection of native habitats and incorporation of compatible public use. <br /> <br />This plan recommends the restoration and preservation of the remnant prairies within Camp <br />Cozy Park, reduction or elimination of non-native woody species in the forest areas and <br />progressive management of herbaceous invasive species. Because of the imperiled state of the <br />remnant prairies, management and intervention in these units is the priority. Removal of <br />woody encroachment by hand-cutting and treating stumps followed by spot management to <br />eliminate resprouting trees and shrubs would allow sun-loving prairie species to rebound. Fire <br />would be reintroduced to the prairies by prescribed burning with supplemental seeding used to <br />diversify the plant community. <br /> <br />Secondarily, the removal of mature buckthorn in the forests with follow-up management of <br />smaller and newly germinating buckthorn should be pursued. Forest management units could <br />be grouped for concurrent management and the work phased over several years to distribute <br />costs and reduce overall site disturbance to this publicly used space. Over time, reintroduction <br />of native species will provide longevity of these plant communities. <br /> <br />Tertiarily, the number of trails within the northern prairie could be reduced to create more <br />contiguous habitat and reduce park maintenance. The community has also expressed the desire <br />for a trail that would allow access to the river’s floodplain and the river itself. Such a trail could