Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/18/2004

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EXECUTIVE Mississippi West Regional ]Park [s located 20 miles northwest of Minneapolis, Mirmesom along the Mississippi River in the city. of Ramsey in western ~'&noka County.. The park's hydrology is under the management of the Lower Ruzn River Watershed Management Organization (LRRVv~[O). It includes ~vo islands on the Nfississippi Rive~-; Cloqu.et Island (70 acres) presently owned by the Anoka County. Park Officials, and .Foster's Island (9 acres) currently owned by Herbert and Marcetla Husby. Mississippi West Regional Park property consists of a total 266.17 acres and Lies along the south boundary of the city of Ramsey, occupying most of section 33 and parts of seCnon 28 and se~-mion 34, all in T. 32 N., R. 25 W. Current access tothe property is via Traprock Street, just north of the Ramsey Boulevard junction with US Highway 10. An inventory was corned out by students in the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences curnculum at the Universrty of Minnesota. The inventory, looked at natural communities within the park and classified each commtmity according to the resource classification system used by Aanoka County. The natural communities were classified based on the predominant vegetation on the landscape. Cultural features of the land (utilkies and m-Uctures' were also noted on the inventory.. "Uae inventory found three existing native sand plain communines within the park: oak woodland-bmshland, flooc¥1am forest, and a river beach community. Five non-native communxties were also identified: non-native arboretum, red cedar forest, red cedar/non-native g-rassland, non- native ~assland, and agricultural areas. These non-native communities could be altered into native commumties with relative ease. Recommendations were then trade, based on data coIle~ed during the inventory, about how to best manage the park. The park was divided into four distract management zones: wildlife, preservation, resource, and development. ReCOmmendations were made on how to best manage the individual zones for the benefit of the entire park. Recommendations for the wildlife refuge management zones focus on maintaining the natural barriers to the islands to prevent human impact in these delicate communities. The recommendations also address the proposal to develop campsites on Cloque~ Island. In general the islands are too fragile and mo dangerous (due to flooding) to sustain any development. ~.eccmmendanons for ,+_he presepra~ion management zones focus on preserving ,.the soil resource Ec~th prese.~,~ancn zones occur in areas ~a-xh sandy sc. ils and s~e~ slopes. iv