Praire and Oak Savanna Restoration along Mississippi and Rum Rivers

This project restored and enhanced 120 acres of native short dry and mixed height mesic prairie habitat and enhanced riparian woodland along the Mississippi River.  In addition, this project continues a program of wildlife habitat restoration in the 984 acre "Rum River Central Regional Park/Cedar Creek Conservation Area complex."  The scope of work restored 45 acres of prairie and oak savanna.  The process of restoration included prescribed burning, herbicide application, removal of invasive species and woody vegetation, seeding of native ecotype short dry prairie grasses and forbs, maintenance mowing, and planting of native trees and shrubs.  This restoration along the Mississippi and Rum Rivers is consistent with the Minnesota Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan to protect critical shorelands of streams and lakes, and protect priority land habitats of native prairie, as well as, Mississippi West Regional Park Master Plan, the 2030 Regional Parks Policy Plan, Tomorrow's Habitat for the Wild and Rare, and the statewide management plans for duck recovery, pheasants, and turkeys. Former brome dominated parcels were converted to a mix of native short/dry grass and forbs species which mimics local remnant prairies. A planted stand of red pines were removed and their stumps ground out to accommodate conversion to prairie and increase the amount of a habitat that was once prevalent in this area. The weather played a role in our spring management efforts as we couldn't get the needed wind direction to burn the parcels along Highway 10. We instead opted to mow the parcels. Canada thistle and hoary alyssum were two of our biggest weed problems and the tenacity of the brome to hold on in places also challenged us. We used a mix of herbicide applications, mowing and supplemental seeding to address these problems.