Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 03/13/2003

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utilizing this partnership to incorporate existing IMA archaeology curriculum into our environmental educanon programming, expanding this falls' Heritage Lab on Minnesota Indians to include Early and Middle Woodland Period Expansion on the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes 2,500 to 1,500 BP. Also look for an- upcoming archaeology program for the general public during Archaeology Week in-May at Wargo Nature Center. If you are interested in learning more or joining the lab, feel free to call the nature center at 651-429-8007. We will be finishing the existing project in the next few weeks but the lab runs through May, before the fietdwork season begins. Greenhouse Native. Plant Propagation In Full Swing Natural resources staff have begun the process of propagating several thousand native plants in Anoka County's greenhouse that will he used for various ecological restoration projects later t. his year. As part of the Anoka County Parks and Recreation Department's natural resources management plan, ecological restoration projects are occurring in prairies, oak savarmas, forests, and wetlands in an effort to improve the overall health, quality, function and diversity of native plant and animal habitat throughout the Anok~ County-Parks System. A variety of species of trees,shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, and ' . wildflowers.are being propagated for various projects. After the seed is collected from the various target species, specific seed treatments such as soak~ng, scarifymg, and eold/m stratification are implemented to prepare the seed germination in the greenhouse. Some of the species that are being propagated include write oak and bur oak trees, write pine trees, bur-reed, blue-joint grmss, culver's root, sedge spemes, bulrush, and cord grass. The seeds are sown in specialized deep rooted plug trays in which accommodates a healtky root system for transplanting into the various restoration areas. Some of the primary ecological restoration projects in which will. receive the newly propagated native plants will include the Bunker Hills Pasture Restoration, the Sandh/ll Crane Natural Area Prairie Restoration, the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Wetland Restoration, and The Mar tin-lsland-Linwood White Pine / M/xed Hardwood Restoration. In addition, many of the white oak and bur oak trees will be used to supplement the oak forest regeneration in areas that have been impacted by gak wilt mortal/ty. County Subraits Grant Application for Twin Lakes County Park Authorized by the Anoka County Parks ar Recreation Committee, the department presented the redevelopment plans for the improvements to Twin Lakes County Park at a public hearing on Tuesday, February. 25th. At the hearing, the director presented the plans and proposed budget for the park, and 'answered questions for the public. Most' all of the Seed that is being propagated in the county's greenhquse at the Bunker Hills Activities Center, has been hand collected by county staff from native plant community remnants that exist within the parks system. By collecting and propagating seeds from these locally native remnant plants, beneficial plant genetic traits are effectively maintained when these plants are re-established back into the local habitat types for restoration purposes.