Laserfiche WebLink
park and creating the current oxbow lake. The neighboring oxbow is slowly being filled with <br />detritus, accumulating nutrients and increasing in productivity. It may eventually become a <br />swamp or bog. Fluctuating water levels of the Rum River affect the seasonally flooded <br />deciduous floodplain forest on the eastern edge of the park. The area is considered very highly <br />sensitive to water -borne contaminants affecting the uppermost aquifer.1° <br />Property Uses <br />Currently the park is open to the public. The assortment of trails, park shelter with picnic tables, <br />river access, and intact ecosystems bring in visitors participating in recreational activities such as <br />hiking, jogging, bird watching, group gatherings, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. It is also a <br />valuable resource for Anoka High School, which is located across county highway 116 to the <br />south. Teachers and students use the property as a natural history laboratory for ecological <br />studies.' <br />Ecological Quality <br />Based on the DNR's Natural Heritage's Element Occurrence Ranking Guidelines, nearby <br />inventoried areas were given a natural quality ranking of C, which designates a moderate <br />condition natural community with obvious past disturbance but is still clearly recognizable as a <br />native community. Not dominated by weedy species in any layer. Minimally, the site must be <br />visited from the edge to accurately assess its natural quality at this level. This level of quality is <br />likely indicative of the natural quality in the southern portion of Rivers' Bend Park.' <br />Walkthrough Assessment Findings and Concerns <br />A walkthrough assessment of the park was conducted to identify areas of concern and assess <br />ecological quality. The following is a summary of the observations that were made. <br />Flora <br />During a field visit on May 28, 2020, Aaron Soltau and Nathan Hartman, prairie restoration <br />experts from Prairie Restorations, Inc., identified the following herbaceous native prairie species <br />in the dry, tallgrass prairie. <br />Native Flowers <br />Scientific Name <br />Common Name <br />Layer <br />Ecosystem <br />Rosa arkansana <br />Prairie rose <br />Shrub <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />Rubus occidentalis <br />Black raspberry <br />Shrub <br />Flood plain Forest/Prairie <br />Achillea millefolium <br />Common yarrow <br />Ground <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />Agastache foeniculum <br />Blue giant hyssop <br />Ground <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />Asclepias syriaca <br />Common milkweed <br />Ground <br />Flood plain Forest/Prairie <br />Asclepias tuberosa <br />Butterflyweed <br />Ground <br />Prairie <br />Dalea candida <br />White prairie clover <br />Ground <br />Prairie <br />Dalea purpurea <br />Purple prairie clover <br />Ground <br />Prairie <br />Fragaria virginiana <br />Wild strawberry <br />Ground <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />Helianthus pauciflorus <br />Stiff sunflower <br />Ground <br />Prairie <br />Lespedeza capitata <br />Round -headed bush clover <br />Ground <br />Prairie <br />Lupinus perennis <br />Wild lupine <br />Ground <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />Monarda fisulosa <br />Wild bergamot <br />Ground <br />Floodplain Forest/Prairie <br />6 <br />