Agenda - Council - 04/14/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Docusign Envelope ID: 08B04173-16F8-4514-B6A0-7C8337975079 CONSERVATION PARTNERS LEGACY GRANT PROBLEM STATEMENT (Continued) Habitat Restoration Guidelines, including mowing of upland areas to reduce competition of annual weeds (and trees) within the newly seeded areas surrounding the pond at The Waterfront. The same area will be subject to a prescribed burn in the late Fall, using patch burning and 'skips' to protect areas of grass thatch and leaf litter providing Fire Refugia zones for overwintering queen bumblebees and other invertebrates. Other maintenance activity will entail judicious spot spraying herbicide as needed in the significant emergent vegetative area prior to seeding and installation of Prairie Cordgrass - to reduce shoreline erosion from waves. The most labor-intensive maintenance investment will be hand -pulling or cutting invasive cattails below water as they continue to populate the shoreline into the shallow water. 64 hours in total are allowed for this work, estimated to occur in three periods during the 2025 growing season. Complete and thorough removal of these cattails while in a manageable state, is imperative to prevent these invasives from dominating the littoral zone and eliminating this important interface between the aquatic and upland environment. (Cattail removals will continue in subsequent years by the city, following the successful implementation of this CPL project.) The Waterfront was dormant seeded with BSWR Pollinator 38-631 and Wet Prairie 34-262 on the slopes near the water in late September of 2024, with none of this seed germinated yet. This project will provide for a combination of drill and broadcast overseeding of the site, with hand broadcasting in select areas to ensure uniform, native groundcover is achieved - with a maximum of grass and forb diversity present. Another activity categorized as a 'match' will be the placement of boulders in groupings around the perimeter of the waterbody. This will provide for a more natural appearance to the shoreline of this large artificially created pond - and diversify the littoral habitat, providing refugia for benthic invertebrates, snails and crustaceans. All of the planting, seeding and associated maintenance would be performed by a qualified landscape contractor, with the above boulder work performed by city forces and equipment. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The attached 'Contracted workplan and budget' document details overseeding, planting and maintenance necessary for the establishment of a biologically diverse, upland and emergent zone native plant community over three years, totaling approximately $100,000. While the Park Trust Fund was able to pay for the initial park development, these funds are strictly forbidden to be used for maintenance activity, which is the essence of this CPL grant request. The city has within the General Fund, park department operating budget less than $30,000 annually allocated for existing native plant community maintenance and management by contractors specializing in this work (MN Native Landscapes, Great River Greening, Prairie Restoration Inc.). The city was not able to increase this amount for The Waterfront in 2025, which is the most critical year for adequate vegetative establishment maintenance and important enhancements like the Prairie Cordgrass. For budget year 2026 and thereafter, staff will formalize the maintenance budget for this park to protect the investment and ensure a successful, native plant community. Failure to develop a sustaining, appropriate plant community would result in public pressure to convert the land and slopes around the pond to a mown landscape, which has little wildlife value, higher costs with no inherent benefits. METHODS (N/A) EXPERIENCE / ABILITIES (N/A) PROJECT TIMELINE Time Frame May - November 2025 Goal Establish a diverse, native plant community, benefitting the upland and aquatic environment. Estimated Project Completion Date: 2025-11-15 PROJECT INFORMATION - Page 2 -