09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Natural Resources Inventories, Assessments, Plans & Products Over the last 30 years, Lino Lakes has seen considerable population growth. In the late 1990s and early 2000s additional development occurred that put more pressure on natural resources. In response, the city has actively attempted to manage growth through various means with varying levels of success. The visual and environmental impact of development has become more obvious and of concern to residents. Managing development in a manner that is consistent with community values is of paramount importance to citizens. The natural resources and the natural environment of Lino Lakes represent valuable amenities within the City. In response to mounting development pressure, significant efforts have been made to inventory and assess the extent and quality of the City's remaining natural resources and to evaluate opportunities for natural resources conservation, restoration, and stewardship. Several important studies, models, plans, and City documents have emerged as a result of the natural resources inventory and assessment that has occurred within Lino Lakes. These products have been based on analyses of existing extent and quality of natural resources within the City, compliance with local, State, and Federal environmental regulatory requirements, and the City's desire to incorporate natural resources enhancement and stewardship into future development plans to achieve a sustainable and contiguous parks, trails, and open space network throughout the City. Minnesota County Biological Survey In 1988, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' County Biological Survey conducted a broad -scale assessment and biological inventory of Anoka County's most significant remaining natural communities and rare plant and animal populations. Potential high quality areas were remotely identified and prioritized for further field assessment on a county-wide scale. Within Lino Lakes, the County Biological Survey identified twenty-three natural community remnants, twelve rare animal populations or rare animal nesting sites, and one rare plant population. However, many natural community remnants were too small or assumed to be too degraded to warrant further (on the ground) field assessment. Furthermore, the field assessment of natural areas was often limited to public lands, as relatively few private lands were granted permission for DNR to access. As a result, many areas of the City were not field checked by DNR biologists, and a majority of the remaining natural community remnants and rare species populations within the City remained undocumented. Despite these limitations, for more than a decade following the completion of the DNR's Anoka County biological survey, the County Biological Survey was the best available and highest quality natural resources information for Lino Lakes and surrounding communities. Assessment of Existing Ecological Conditions and Restoration and Management Opportunities In 1998, the City conducted a city wide assessment of existing ecological conditions and restoration and management opportunities within Lino Lakes. Data collection and interpretation was based primarily on remote - sensing of available low- altitude aerial photography with only limited field checking. This inventory, assessment, and analysis process resulted in the identification of numerous contiguous natural and semi - natural potential habitat corridors within the City. The results of the inventory were published in 1999 and served as the foundation for the City's Handbook for Environmental Planning and Conservation Development • • •