03-05-2020 Parks & Rec Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Bryce Shearen, Parks & Recreation/Community Services Manager DATE: March 5, 2020 RE: Thunder Bay-Westwinds Park Pollinator Planting A very successful seeding event was held the morning of Wednesday, February 5. Mayor Keis, Commissioner Ray, members of City staff, and Xcel Energy workers joined staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to seed the large area between Arcade Street and Greenbrier Street. Workers walked in lines and spread seed over the top of the snow pack. The idea is to spread the seed, get a snowfall shortly after to cover it up and protect it, and then let it work its way into the soil as the snow melts in the spring. This gives the seed a head start in growing right away when conditions warm up. The entire area was completed in less than two hours and both Xcel and CTV North Suburbs took video footage of the event. The Xcel video can be seen at https://youtu.be/l8TOkj98T1s and the CTV video can be seen at https://www.ctvnorthsuburbs.org/videos/little-canada-pollination-project/. KSTP-TV channel 5 also stopped out to get a story of the seeding event. Nicole Menard from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has served as the project coordinator. She put together the planting plan for the entire length of the linear park. This is just phase one of numerous phases that will encompass the entire project over the next few years. She selected the seed mix and demonstrated to the volunteers how to properly spread the seed over the snow. She has also put together a maintenance plan for 2020 and the years ahead. City staff will be in charge of maintaining the seeded area. The idea is to mow everything once it reaches 8-10 inches in height to keep invasive weeds from taking over. In future years the area will only be mowed once or twice a year for general maintenance and health of the plant species. Some species may take more than three years to fully bloom. The area will not look great this year but past projects have proven to really pop during the second year and continue to look better each year with new species blooming and older ones maturing. Xcel Energy is paying for this first phase of restoration since the work is taking place on its property. The City has budgeted money for work on future phases in the coming years.