Battle Creek Buckthorn Project In Motion ...

 

Crew stacks woody invasives in Battle Creek Regional Park

Ramsey County has begun a multi-year, $288,000 project to clear out invasive species and
restore native vegetation in Battle Creek Park. They're focusing on a large swath in the northwest corner of the park. The Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Department will complete ongoing restoration improvements to the oak savannas, woodlands and prairies in the northwest section of Battle Creek Regional Park from summer 2015-2018.


A DNR Conservation Partners Legacy Grant through the Outdoor Heritage Fund, provided by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Funds, is covering ninety percent of the costs of this project. The remaining ten percent of the project funding is being matched by Ramsey County. 

 

 

The restoration work will include permitted prescribed burns (planned for spring 2016 and 2018), removal of buckthorn and other invasive woody material, and sowing of native seed over the seventy-acre site.

Buckthorn cut at Battle Creek Regional Park

According to Mike Goodnature, that area is being targeted "because it contains a unique mix of habitat types, such as oak savanna, wetland seeps and bluff prairie areas".
 

Oak woods are opened up after invasive removal.

The goal will be to improve habitat for deer, nesting birds and migratory waterfowl that travel along the Mississippi River corridor. It’s an ambitious and noble goal. We appreciate your efforts, Mike!