Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 02/02/2015

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City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Chapter 13: Environmental Protection /Resource Management or floodplain areas. Floodplain areas can be found along Trott Brook, Ford Brook, many of the drainage ditches and wetlands within the community and the Mississippi and Rum Rivers. Characteristics of floodplains include mucky soils that are poorly drained and seasonally flooded and wetland vegetation. Often, floodplains are used for agriculture purposes because of the high nutrient and organic soils that are unsuitable to development. 6. Woodlands The City of Ramsey conducted tree inventories in 1979 and again in 1992. These inventories indicate a predominance of bur oak, box elder and red oak. The area was originally higher in oak species: however, clear - cutting for agriculture greatly reduced tree cover. Also the oak population is suffering from oak wilt, which has been increasing in recent years. In addition to disease, residential development has reduced much of the wooded population. As the older tree population begins to die off or be removed, new species are introduced. These species are not very well documented. The City of Ramsey has been designated by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a member of Tree City USA since roughly 1986. 7. Natural Resources Inventory In 2007, the City completed and Natural Resources Inventory to collect and evaluate information on the natural resources of Ramsey. This document also described potential strategies for the protection of these resources. Figure 13 -3 shows the existing natural areas in Ramsey and their ranking. 8. Existing Management Efforts The following programs are currently being implemented by the City of Ramsey to protect the natural resource base: The Shoreland Management Program provides orderly development of the shoreland and protects lakes and rivers from pollution by individual sewage treatment systems and other non -point sources. The intent of the program is to encourage development of our shorelands in such a way that the water quality is enhanced and the scenic resources are preserved. The Eloodplain Management Program is intended to minimize the threat to life and property resulting from flooding. This program restricts development in floodplains by preventing structures from being built at too low an elevation in areas that have a high risk of flooding. It also controls encroachment so that the floodplain's capacity to hold floodwater will not be reduced, causing flooding to properly located structures. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Program is a program to preserve and protect rivers with outstanding scenic, recreational, natural, historical and scientific values. The program is designed to prevent damage to these exceptional rivers caused by intensive development and recreational overuse. Both the Mississippi and Rum Rivers are protected under the Wild and Scenic River's Act. The Mississippi River is designated as a "recreational" river through the City of Ramsey while the Rum River is designated as "scenic." City of Ramsey 2030 Comprehensive Plan Page 13 -3