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CITY OF RAMSEY FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF WETLANDS February 12, 2007 SUMMARY Peterson Environmental Consulting (PEC), now part of Westwood Professional Services, Inc., conducted a functional assessment of wetlands within the City of Ramsey. A total of 349 wetlands were identified in the City of Ramsey from National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) data. Using a GIS-based analysis, PEC placed these wetlands into one of four preliminary Wetland Management Classifications: Preserve, Manage 1, Manage 2, or Manage 3. A total of 124 wetlands were initially classified as Preserve and Manage 1 using GIS methods. These wetlands, along with 12 additional wetlands, as requested by the City, were field verified and underwent a complete MnRAM 3.0 analysis. A total of 136 wetlands were assessed in the field between June 13 and November 15, 2006 by Westwood Professional Services, Inc. The MnRAM 3.0 field analysis resulted in the following Wetland Management Classifications for all wetlands inventoried within the City of Ramsey: 40 wetlands classified as Preserve, 46 wetlands classified as Manage 1, 127 wetlands classified as Manage 2, and 130 wetlands classified as Manage 3. INTRODUCTION Project History In 2005, Peterson Environmental Consulting (PEC), now part of Westwood Professional Services, Inc., and Hoisington Koegler Group, Incorporated (HKGI) assisted the Environmental Protection Task Force (EPTF) and the City of Ramsey in the preparation of a Wetland Buffer Ordinance and development of wetland management classifications. These classifications are used to assign upland buffer requirements under the ordinance. Recommended buffer widths provided in the City of Ramsey buffer ordinance vary by Wetland Management Classification (WMC) grouping as described in Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) guidance document Recommended Wetland Management Classification System (Draft) (Appendix A). According to BWSR’s Recommended Wetland Management Classification System (Draft), this system classifies wetlands into one of four categories: Preserve, Manage 1, Manage 2, or Manage 3. Preserve and Manage 1 management categories represent the highest quality wetlands with high rankings for several wetland functions. Wetlands in Preserve and Manage 1 categories require the widest wetland buffers under the City’s ordinance to sustain existing high functions and values. 1