03-03-2022 Parks_Rec Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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EAST METRO Maplewood City Hall landscaping going wild, with the help of goats Maplewood seeks to protect imperiled native pollinators such as the monarch butterfly and the endangered rusty patched bumblebee. By Shannon Prather (https://www.startribune.com/shannon-prather/6370507/) Star Tribune FEBRUARY 17, 2022 — 2:47PM Crews, with the help of a herd of voracious goats, will dig up 9 acres of grass and invasive buckthorn around Maplewood City Hall with plans to transform the campus into something a bit more wild and beautiful. They're partnering with the St. Paul-based nonprofit Great River Greening (https://www.greatrivergreening.org/) to add more native grassland habitat on city- owned land. "It's going to be pretty visible being at the City Hall campus, but that's a good thing," said Becca Tucker, Twin Cities program manager at Great River Greening. "It's showing community members that even little efforts of native restoration can have a big impact. You don't need 100 acres outstate. You can do this work right in the middle of your community." Other goals include increasing storm water infiltration and addressing climate change, which 16 Minnesota cities including Maplewood have labeled a crisis (https://www.startribune.com/we-have-a-lot-to-lose-16-minnesota-cities-declare- climate-emergency-urge-legislative-action/600137514/) . The Maplewood City Council approved the partnership this week, praising the change. Maplewood was an early leader in the installation of rain gardens more than two decades ago to improve water quality, said Carole Gernes, the city's natural resources coordinator. This is poised to be an even more conspicuous display of the suburb's values. The city will contribute $7,500 with the nonprofit spending $37,500 from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as well as National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on the restoration. Great River Greening is working with nearly three dozen communities across the state this year. They are removing invasive species and unused turf grass at parks, next to municipal storm ponds, along parking lots and under power lines and replacing them with native habitat. It has helped restore 22,000 acres at nearly 400 sites across Minnesota since its inception in 1995. Goats will be used to eat buckthorn as Maplewood seeks to transform the land around its City Hall campus with more native The nonprofit is part of a national movement rethinking what Americans do with lawns and urban open space. According to a 2017 Scientific American report (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/the-american-obsession- with-lawns/) : "Lawns are the most grown crop in the U.S." Yet they feed no one. Tucker said the interest in these kinds of transformations on public land and in people's own yards continues to grow. Great River Greening raises money, solicits grants, provides technical and ecological expertise and guides communities through the process. That assistance is critical for smaller suburbs. "We do apply for some grants on our own but we are smaller. There are budget constraints," Gernes said. "To have an outside partner who takes the lead is really important." Gernes said they worked with Great River Greening a few years ago to restore the blufftop at Fish Creek Natural Area. Maplewood seeks to protect imperiled native pollinators such as the monarch butterfly and the endangered rusty patched bumblebee with