Agenda - Council - 08/24/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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i MRCCA Work Group Meeting Summary Second Round of Meetings Held June 21 - June 24, 2010 July 23, 2010 In early June, the DNR and National Park Service completed a first draft of potential districts for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA). The MRCCA rulemaking work groups met sep- arately in 3 -hour meetings throughout the 72 mile corridor to provide feedback and suggestions on the draft districts. The group meetings were: • Southeast Work Group met June 21St at Cottage Grove City Hall • Urban East Work Group met June 22nd at Lilydale City Hall • Urban West Work Group met June 23'd at City of Lakes Building, Minneapolis • Northwest Work Group met June 24th at Brooklyn Park City Hall The meetings were led by DNR project staff Jeff Berg and Jenny Shillcox, accompanied by DNR area hydrologists, Steve Johnson, Resource Stewardship Chief of the National Park Service (NPS), and other NPS staff. A total of 56 work group members attended, with various observers attend- ing as well. District Map Information Provided The meetings focused on draft districts. As part of its rulemaking directive, the 2009 Legislature re- quired the DNR to establish new districts for the MRCCA. Working under contract with the DNR, the NPS developed proposed draft districts and maps of district boundaries. Steve Johnson guided the participants through the processes used to develop the district descriptions and maps. Layers of Geographic Information System (GIS) data were used to map the following features: soils, land cover, regionally significant natural resource areas, rare natural features (including plants, mus- sels, fish), open space opportunities, native plant communities, biodiversity significance, 2005 exist- ing land use, 1979 land use, cultural resource elements, recreational facilities, existing zoning, de- sired future conditions derived from local comprehensive plans, geologic resources, existing condi- tions, and topography. Added to this mostly geographic -based information were the goals of the MNRRA Plan, and goals of the Critical Area Executive Order 79-19. Since scenic values data are li- mited, the NPS convened a workshop to conduct a rapid assessment to describe the visual characte- ristics of 21 separate segments comprising the entire river corridor. The NPS used the data and maps to search for common characteristics among different MRCCA stretches. Through this process, 10 potential district types were identified and mapped, each ap- pearing multiple times throughout the corridor. Participants were provided with a copy of a large scale MRCCA-wide proposed district map as well as detailed maps for their work group area. Proposed District Feedback Provided Work group members provided excellent feedback on the district descriptions and boundaries, in- cluding new information, corrections and observations. Comments varied from the appropriate- ness of district designation for a specific site, to how entire districts fit into the landscape. Common Issues Corridor -Wide Common recommendations from all four work groups included: provide statements of intent for districts; better define the districts to inform the standards; accommodate changing land owner- MRCCA Rulemaking Project - June Work Group Meetings Report - July 23, 2010