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Natural Resources in Hugo <br />Hugo is in an ecologically diverse area of Minnesota known as the St. Croix River Valley -Anoka Sand Plain. <br />The natural lakes, wetlands, and hills in the area were formed by the glaciers that came through the region <br />during a period roughly 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. As the glacier advanced and receded several times, it <br />deposited sediments of sand, gravel, and rock that eventually produced the rolling hills that are found in <br />eastern Hugo. <br />Most of the natural wetlands and lakes in the area were formed by large blocks of ice that broke from the <br />glacier. These ice blocks were buried by sediment pushed down in subsequent advances of the glacier. As <br />the buried ice blocks slowly melted, the sediment on top of the ice collapsed leaving depressions that filled <br />with water and eventually formed lakes and wetlands. <br />Some soils in Hugo, like the soils in the low lying, nearly level area around Hardwood Creek, Oneka <br />Lake, Egg Lake and Rice Lake, were formed from the outwash of the melting glacier. The soils in the hilly <br />areas of Hugo were formed from the glacial till itself. Over hundreds of years, several different types of <br />plant communities began to develop based in part on these landforms and soils. In the early 1800s, the <br />vegetation in this area consisted primarily of oak barrens, conifer bogs, and a variety of wetlands. <br />Many of the natural communities that once existed in Hugo have been eliminated. However, Hugo still <br />has several significant areas that contain natural communities. Unless measures are taken to protect <br />these areas, many of them may be completely lost or severely degraded. Housing developments, road <br />construction, alteration of drainage systems, chemical runoff, sedimentation, and succession due to <br />the lack of fire, threaten the area's remaining natural communities. Wooded upland communities are <br />particularly threatened because they are more easily developed than wet areas. <br />HUGO 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE PARKS, TRAILS AND OPEN SPACE 126 <br />