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Councilmember Elvig asked if this was a linear park that followed the river banks and asked if <br />Ramsey was in the system. <br />Mr. Johnson stated that Ramsey is included in the park and it is a linear park, but not the typical <br />National Park you think of like Yellowstone where they go in and buy all the land. He stated <br />that it is similar to the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, which is a combination of private and <br />publicly held land. <br />Councilmember Dehen asked if any houses along the river were included in the park. <br />Mr. Johnson stated that if you live on the River in that 72 mile stretch, you live in a National <br />Park. He stated that they may acquire some federally owned land near Fort Snelling, but they do <br />not have any land management staff for further acquisitions. He stated that they work with <br />Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), Friends of the Mississippi River, <br />which is a non - profit citizen advocacy group, and the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area <br />(MRCCA) Programs. <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he thinks Ramsey is part of both the MRCCA and the Scenic and Wild <br />River. <br />Mr. Johnson stated that there is about a 6 to 8 mile overlap of those two designations. He <br />reviewed some of the things, MNRRA, Friends of the Mississippi River and MRCCA do. He <br />showed examples of green space along the river with nearby parks. He showed examples of <br />bluff management that preserve the visual character of the area and some of the historic and <br />cultural resources that can be found along the river. He stated that he is unsure if there is much <br />historic or cultural resources in this area, although he believes Winnebago is in the area, but is on <br />private land. <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he thinks this may be off of Bowers Drive because there are <br />some Native American pits in some of the yards. <br />Mr. Johnson briefly discussed water quality and noted that rain gardens and green roof gardens <br />can be a good filter to reduce runoff to the river. He stated that there has been work for about the <br />last 15 years to develop a continuous trail system along the entire 72 mile stretch. He introduced <br />Bob Spaulding of Friends of the Mississippi to begin the next portion of the presentation. <br />Mr. Spaulding stated that in addition to his work with the Friends of the Mississippi River, he <br />serves on the Planning Commission in St. Paul. He reviewed the economic value of open space <br />and locating homes near a park. He noted that much of his information comes from a study <br />conducted by the Wilder Foundation in 2005 and noted that the details are available on the <br />internet. He showed examples of open space created along the river and setting back the <br />developments further and how it actually increases the value of a greater number of homes. He <br />stated that there is broad public support for open space along the river and noted that about 72% <br />of the proposed referenda in various communities along the river have been passed. He <br />introduced Irene Jones of Friends of the Mississippi to cover the remainder of the presentation. <br />City Council Work Session / June 17, 2008 <br />Page3of8 <br />