Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 01/25/2021

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valley throughout the county with coarse alluvium, which underlies two broad terraces parallel to the Mississippi River, an example of which is notable in the Capstone Homes project area. The sand in these areas are course in texture near the river and become increasingly finer in texture the further the distance from the river. In various places, it is underlain by strata of calcareous gravel, which was representative of what was found during the current archaeological survey (Grimes 1968). The project area is comprised of Hubbard loamy sand ranging between 0 to 2 percent and 2 to 12 percent slopes, Dickman sandy loam ranging between 0 to 2 percent and 2 to 6 percent slopes, and Nymore loamy coarse sand on 12 to 25 percent slopes. The Hubbard loamy sand series consists of excessively drained sandy floodplain outwash found on stream terraces and hillslopes. The typical soil profile for the series consists of loamy sand from 0 to 20 centimeters, loamy sand from 20 to 50 centimeters, loamy sand from 50 to 82 centimeters, and sand from 82 to 200 centimeters. The Dickman sandy loam series consists of somewhat excessively drained floodplain outwash found on stream terraces. The typical soil profile for the series consists of sandy loam from 0 to 30 centimeters, sandy loam from 30 to 45 centimeters, and sand from 45 to 152 centimeters. The Nymore loamy coarse sand series consists of excessively drained floodplain outwash found on stream terraces. The typical soil profile for the series consists of loamy coarse sand from 0 to 18 centimeters, loamy sand from 18 to 66 centimeters, and sand from 66 to 152 centimeters (NRCS 2020). 3.2 Regional Flora and Fauna Vegetation in the area at the time of Euro-American settlement consisted of Big Wood species in both the south and west portions of the region. Most specifically, the trees were deciduous hardwood species, primarily oak, mixed with deciduous-coniferous forest in the northern part of the region (Anfinson 1990) which also contained maple, basswood, and hickory. As Euro- American settlers moved through the area and cleared portions of forest, prairie land became more abundant. White-tailed deer, bison, elk, beaver, bear, prairie chickens, and a variety of fish and waterfowl would have been commonly available resources (Anfinson 1990). Specific to the site area, the majority of the trees on the sand plain consisted of bur oak and northern pin oak, as well as mixed hardwoods which grow in areas of glacial till, specifically in the areas where the Hayden soil series is prominent (Grimes 1968). Large areas of hardwoods invaded areas of native grasses in the outwash plains along the Mississippi River. The Hubbard series discussed above developed in these areas. 4.0 CULTURAL HISTORY The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has developed statewide contexts Minnesota Archaeological Site Form (Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist 2016). Generally, they describe the history of the state and assist in predicting where specific types of sites may occur. Phase I Archaeological Survey of Proposed Capstone Homes Housing Development 7 Ramsey, Anoka County, Minnesota Nienow Cultural Consultants, LLC