Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/10/2014

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City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Chapter 11: The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area A Vision for the River Corridor "The Ramsey community has acknowledged and embraced the importance of the Mississippi River Corridor, its history, water quality, beauty and recreational opportunities. The future of the corridor through Ramsey consists of a sanctuary where wildlife and nature coexist with people and development. Much of the land is preserved as passive open space, restored to its native vegetation offering opportunities for education and recreation to both residents and visitors to the river corridor. While the rights of private property ownership are protected and respected by the users of the river corridor, it remains accessible to the general public through controlled access points such as the Mississippi West Regional Park site and the continuous trail corridor linking Ramsey to other riverfront communities. In the future, the river corridor will continue to be an important part of the Ramsey community identity and will receive the attention that its local, regional and national significance demands." B. Background Information 1. Natural Communities and Features Original vegetation within the river corridor included a variety of prairie grasses (Dry Sand -dune Prairie) and floodplain forests consisting of lowland tree canopy of seasonally flooded river bottoms. Today's features are much different due to acts of weather, urbanization and agriculture activities. (See Figure 11-2 "Critical Area/MNNRA Environmental Features.") The following is a cursory inventory of existing natural features and communities present in the corridor. a) Wetlands Few wetlands are located within the Critical Area Corridor in the City of Ramsey. No wetlands are featured by the DNR protected waters inventory, however, the National Wetland Inventory indicates some wetlands of Wooded Swamps (Type 7) and Seasonally Flooded Basins (Type 2) as being within the Critical Area Corridor. The many islands along the corridor are typically classified as Wooded Swamp wetlands. The Critical Area Corridor is entirely within the Mississippi River Watershed and is therefore affected by surface water runoff coming from lands within the Highway 10 Corridor that also drain towards the Mississippi River. There are several wetlands of the Shallow Marsh (Type 3) located in the central portion of the Mississippi River Watershed but not within the Critical Area Corridor. b) Floodplain The riverbank along much of the river has relatively distinct edges with slopes of 12-25%: however, some areas are more even with the river's water level and are more prone to seasonal floods. These areas were officially mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and can be seen on flood rate maps produced by FEMA or on the City of Ramsey's official zoning map. c) Soils/slopes The predominant soil types found within the Critical Area Corridor include the Hubbard, Dickman and Becker Series of soils. Slopes are predominantly flat to gently rolling and generally do not exceed a slope of 6% except for a few City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Page 11-3