Metro Big Rivers Phase 8

Metro Big Rivers Phase 8 will protect, restore, enhance and connect prioritized land habitats in the metropolitan area, with an emphasis on the three big rivers and their tributaries. The projects will benefit wildlife and species in greatest need of conservation (SGCN) and provide increased public access for wildlife-based recreation. The work is briefly described below. Please see the parcel list for additional detail.Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) will enhance 150 acres of forest at three sites along the Mississippi River:●William H. Houlton Conservation Area: Enhance 85 acres forest on an island in the Mississippi River.●Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park: Enhance 51 acres forest adjacent to Ravine Lake. ●Riverside Park: Enhance 14 acres forest along the Mississippi River.Great River Greening (GRG) will enhance 515 acres of prairie, oak savanna, forest and riverine habitat at 8 projects throughout the area:•Maple View Open Space: Enhance 19 acres of forest and wetland of new open space.•Springbrook Nature Center, Phase II: Enhance 31 acres of wetland.•Carrol’s Woods: Enhance 61 acres of oak forest.•Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Phase 2: Enhance 70 acres of oak savanna and woodland.•Valley Park Xcel Pollinator Corridor: Enhance 9 acres to a prairie pollinator corridor.•Minnehaha Creek Knollwood Riparian Corridor: Enhance 6 acre terrace forest.•Brown’s Creek Open Space: Enhance 13 acres of newly-acquired oak savanna complex.•Grey Cloud Slough, Phase 2: Enhance 2 miles (300 acres) of Mississippi River side channel habitat. Minnesota Land Trust (MLT) will protect through perpetual conservation easement 130 acres of priority wildlife habitat, including riparian lands, forests, wetlands and grasslands. Projects will be selected through a competitive RFP process that ranks proposals based on ecological significance and cost (criteria attached). MLT also will restore/enhance 35 acres of high quality natural communities on private lands already protected through permanent conservation easement. Properties selected are of high ecological significance, adjacent or in close proximity to public conservation investments (e.g., state parks, WMAs, streams and rivers) and owned by landowners who have a keen desire to manage these resources for conservation. Minnesota Valley Trust (MVT) will protect in fee 100 acres of river frontage, floodplain forest, wetland and upland habitat in the Minnesota River Valley to expand the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. An additional 50 acres will be acquired with other non-state funds. All prospective lands have been prioritized by the USFWS and are along or very near the Minnesota River. All lands will be restored or enhanced, then open to the public for wildlife-based recreation, including hunting and fishing.