04-08-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Partnership Proposal with Great River Greening (See second page for more guidelines) Project Name: Replanting Thunder Bay / Westwinds Linear Park Ownership: City of Little Canada Location: Little Canada, MN – Payne Avenue to County Rd D Site Size: 6 acres Contact Information: [Bryce Shearen 515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117 Bryce.shearen@littlecanadamn.org] Site/Project Description: The park is a linear park area that runs beneath Xcel Energy high transmission lines. In the winter of 2018, Xcel clear cut just about all of the trees and tall bushes that were growing within the easement due to new federal rules regarding how much they needed to trim below those type of lines. The City was left with areas that have been stripped bare of vegetation and only ground up wood mulch and weeds remained. The Parks & Recreation Commission and City staff felt that a neighborhood meeting would be appropriate to discuss what happened and the future of the area. City staff and Xcel Energy representatives held a neighborhood open house for residents to discuss and get feedback on potential next steps to restore the area. Following that meeting the City concluded that creating a pollinator-friendly habitat would be a great benefit to the area that was clear-cut and a process to create a plan for that area should begin. Xcel was very supportive of a pollinator habitat under its transmission lines both due to the limited height of the plants and the great benefits pollinators can have in the area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) joined our effort and, following collaboration with the City and Xcel Energy, a detailed management plan specific to priority areas (see map of project area) was created. With support for the pollinator habitat and the planting management plan completed the area is now ready for the phased implementation process. The first priority areas were hand broadcast seeded in February 2020 in a joint effort of Xcel Energy, USFWS, City staff, and City Officials. Future phases will involve prepping other prioritized areas for seed, purchasing of seed and plants, and community events to help with the restoration process. The project will be done in phases due to funding concerns. In order for this process to be successful and continue to move along, it will be crucial to coordinate volunteer help and seek financial help in purchasing seed and prepping the areas for planting. This will be a great partnership between multiple entities to restore and beautify an area that lost its character following the clear cutting. The planned restoration includes numerous species of wildflowers, pollinators, and natural grasses. The City currently mows some of the park and would continue to maintain those areas but would also like to mix in some different vegetation to have some visual appeal. There is a large pond in the middle of the park that lost much of the vegetation surrounding it and there is a desire to complete some shoreland restoration in that area. There is also a second, smaller pond that could use some restoration as well.