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• • Nature's Refuge EAW Record of Decision page 15 reason, the City may consider a local trail on the north side of CSAH 14 to complement the regional trail on the south side. The City agrees that continued coordination with Anoka Parks and the Anoka County Highway Department should continue for the planning of the County's and City's trail systems to optimize the coordination of the two systems. Wildlife Habitat • Rod Kukonen comments that the suggestion that the bird population contains various songbirds such as the American Gold Finch and robin is extremely weak. He list numerous other species he has observed on the site. Response: While Item 11 of the EAW cites some examples of species observed, it does not pretend to be a complete list. Long term residents of the area surely have observed many more species than could be noted during site visits. The City recognizes the extensive wildlife diversity in this area of the community. It is the richness of habitat and ecological resources in the area that make it a good site for a conservation development project. • The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) comments that there will be substantial reduction of forest and grassland areas due to the project. To provide Blanding's turtle habitat, some protected upland grassland area adjacent to the wetland would have to be left undeveloped and protected. It may be necessary to create more buffer adjacent to the wetland and manage it as dry prairie. Response: The proposed conceptual site plan and conservation plan seeks to optimize upland grassland habitat adjacent to (and including) the highest quality wetland resources on the site, while allowing for development of lower quality grasslands and portions of the existing forest on the property. Under the proposed concept conservation plan, these upland buffer areas shall be restored to appropriate native grassland, savanna, and forest communities, including dry, mesic, and wet prairie, oak savanna, and oak forest. Restoration and management strategies and spatial configurations of the concept site plan have been designed, in part, to provide more suitable habitat for vertebrate species, such as the Blanding's Turtle, within restored and actively managed conservation areas. The proposer welcomes the input of the Minnesota DNR to assist with the future refinement of a natural resources management plan of prescribed habitats and management strategies that optimize habitat for potentially sensitive plant and animal species, such as Blanding's Turtle. III • The DNR comments that the EAW mentions a restoration and management plan but does not include it. Nor does the EAW identify an entity that would be responsible