5. SR 04-25-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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C. Flsh and Wildlife: The acquisition site is adjacent to a 210 acre nature park called Woodland Trails which is located within an eighth of a mile of the EIk River Sand dunes, a naturally significant oak savanna. Presently the Elk River Sand dunes is owned by the St. Anthony Sportsman Club. At this time the Department of Natural Resources has a first right of refusal with the St. Anthony Gun Club for acquisition of this property as a Scientific and Natural Area. If this grant is approved and the Department of Natural Resources does acquire the Elk River Sand Dunes, it will be possible to link together the entire complex as a spectacular natural park system. This park system would be over 500 acres in size and would contain much of the remanent vegetation types and geological features of the area. This nature park system would contain a wide variety of remanent species, in their natural distribution, for each of the following ecosystems: prairies, oak savanna, aspen oak parkland and oak forest. Developing the acquisition site for human activities such as hiking, biking, skiing and environmerital study will have an impact upon the natural ecosystem of the area. However, if the site is not acquired as a park, in the very near future, it will be dramatically altered by housing development activities. D. Vegetatlon The acquisition site is considered a naturally significant dry subtype oak forest by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources through the Minnesota County Biological Survey Study. in the past there has been some logging activities on the site; however, the present • condition of much of the forest area has qualities comparable to the preexisting oak forest ecosystem. Tree Types: pin oaks, white oaks, black cherry, bur oaks, Ulmus americans, box elder, big tooth aspen, paper birch, hackberry, green ash Shrubs: chokecherry, gray-bark dogwood, hazel Rhamnus cathrtica, prickly ash, Amelanchier Herbs: Desmodium giutinosum, geranium maculatum, Virginia creeper, Uvularia sessilifolia, Athrium, grape. Rosa blanda, Anocynum androsaemifoliu, Fragaria, Parietaria, Phryma, Aralia racemosa, Asclepias exaltate E. Water Resources: The acquisition site has no regions defined as wetlands, however it does have several ravines which do occasionally have standing water for very short periods of time.