Dakota and Washington County Restorations

This project will enhance and restore a total of 43.3 acres at three sites: Vermillion Linear Park (VLP) and Rosemount Wildlife Preserve (RWP) in Dakota County, and Camel?s Hump Park and Open Space (CHPOS) in Washington County. At VLP, three acres of floodplain and terrace forest along the Vermillion River will be enhanced through non-native woody species control and native shrub and wildflower planting, and roughly four acres of non-native grassland will be restored and enhanced to native prairie. At CHPOS, 11 acres of forest and woodland will be enhanced through non-native shrub removal, native shrub and understory additions, seeding, and a prescribed burn. Work at VLP and CHPOS will occur on extensions of areas that were previously restored with ENRTF, LSOHC and CPL funding, expanding the restored and enhanced areas at each site. Restoring and enhancing these new acres will help buffer the current restorations and decrease the amount of invasive propagules reaching currently restored areas. At RWP, 18 acres of forest and seven acres of prairie will be enhanced by removing non-native shrubs, adding native shrubs, and conducting prescribed burns. At RWP, proposed work occurs on acres previously enhanced with both LSOHC and ENRTF funds. This additional management and enhancement will ensure that the initial investment in these areas is maintained and the restorations do not degrade.

Forest and prairie habitats at all three sites are plagued by invasive woody plants, which have degraded wildlife habitat and led to declines in the abundance and diversity of native plant and animal species. Removing these species and increasing the abundance and richness of shrub and forb species will benefit native wildlife and the provision of ecosystem services, providing much needed food and shelter, biotic resistance to future invasion, and soil stabilization and erosion prevention. At VLP, restoring prairie ? one of the state'd most imperiled ecosystems ? will provide important habitat for declining wildlife populations such as native pollinators, monarch butterflies and prairie bird species. All sites are located within the Metro Conservation Corridors, and are situated adjacent to or near other protected properties. At each site, we will also engage the public through volunteer restoration events. Not only will these events improve the ecology of the site, but they will help to connect the local community to each site and to the process of ecological restoration.