SOUTHWOOD NATURE PRESERVE North St.Paul MN Long Range Management Plan Leah Andersen, Austin Christensen, Erin Denny, Shaun Hansen, Brandon Liddiard, Adam Maxwell

Southwood Nature Preserve ●28-acre natural area in North St. Paul ●Managed by Parks & Recreation department ●Recreational facilities, outdoor classroom and wildlife habitat Image taken by Austin Christensen

Mission Statement City of North St. Paul Parks and Recreation To help make Saint Paul the most livable city in America, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation will facilitate the creation of active lifestyles, vibrant places, and a vital environment (North St. Paul, homepage 2013)

Vision Statement North St.Paul vision North St. Paul Parks and Recreation will make North St. Paul the most livable city in America by: Responding creatively to change Innovating with every decision Connecting the entire city

Significance Near several schools and a large wetland Natural learning area for students Historical significance and interpretive opportunities Natural area in an urban setting Important to the community and ecosystem of the North St. Paul mage taken by Austin Christensen

Goal Set By Management Team: Increase use and quality of experience Create interpretive curriculum for Southwood Nature Preserve

Objectives ●Renovate maps and signage within SNP ●Remove trash and debris within SNP ●Monitor use of the SNP ●Build a structure to allow educational programs protection from the elements ●Manage for native species and remove invasive species

Southwood Nature Preserve Natural Features

Hydrology Water in SNP Pond in center of preserve Kohlman Creek, intermittent stream Collects runoff from surrounding neighborhood and streets Image taken by Austin Christensen

Holloway Marsh ●Managed by Ramsey County Parks and Recreation ●Located in the city of Maplewood ●North of Hill-Murray School ●Roughly 38 acres, primarily cattail marsh image from maps.co.ramsey.mn.us

Watershed Mississippi River- Twin Cities watershed o Empties into Gulf of Mexico ●Kohlman Creek subwatershed o Empties in Kohlman Lake I mage from Ramsey- Washington Metro Watershed District

Geographical Information North St. Paul population 11,460 Southwood Nature Preservation 28 acres Part of 66 acres natural area Image from googlemaps

Geological Features ●The St.Paul - Baldwin Plains and Moraines Subsection ●Dominated by a Superior lobe end moraine and areas of an outwash plain due to the glaciation of the area around 7,000 years ago ●low lying and urban image from:

Geological Features ●Bedrock is mostly limestone, sandstone and shale Soil composition in this subsection is mainly alfisoils and mollisoils with sandy parent material present in the outwash plains o Alfisoils - soils formed under forested vegetation o Mollisoils - soils formed under prairie vegetation

Biomes Within Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province of the Deciduous Forest Biome Section- Minnesota and North East Iowa Morainal Intersection of wetland and deciduous forest

Habitat The western and northern portions of the preserve are oak and maple forests, with the southwest corner resembling an oak savannah Image fromwww.buzzle.com Image from

Habitat The eastern half is a maple forest with some aspen, and a stand of large basswood trees near the old homestead foundation.

Habitat Southwood Pond Intermittent water flow Algae growth Host wildlife including: Turtles Frogs Migratory waterfowl Nesting Gadwall Image taken by Austin Christensen Image from nwbackyardbirder.blogspot.com

Mesic Prairie Formerly named Butterfly Garden Plot of prairie grasses and flower on east side of pond Created by Minnesota Master Naturalists Image from Nathab.com

Wildlife Several species of ducks and geese Urban wildlife including White-tailed Deer, Gray Squirrels, raccoons and skunks and fox Migratory and resident song birds Turtles in SNP and southern wetland Image taken by Austin Christensen

Native Trees Basswood (Tila americana) Sugar Maple (Acer aaccharum) Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) Box Elder (Acer negundo) Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) White Oak (Quercus alba) Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) White Pine (Pinus strobus) Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) Wild Plum (Prunus americana) Mulberry (Morus rubra) Sumac (Rhus typhina) Cherry Tree (Prunus serotina) Black Willow (Salix nigra) Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) White Ash (Fraxinus americana) Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) American Elm (Ulmus americana) Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)

Native Shrubs American Beech ( Fagus grandifolia) Carpet Moss (Mnium hornum) Guelder Rose ( Viburnum opulus) Lady Fern ( Athyrium filix-femina) Northern Arrowwood ( Viburnum recognitum) Tawny Milksap Mushroom ( Lactarius volemus) Red Raspberries (Rusus Idaeus) Common Elderberry (Sambucus) Image from ://

Non-Native Trees Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus bathartica) Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) Apple (Malus domestica) Honeysuckle (lonicera) Image from seaagri.com

Invasive Species The 3 Big Invaders Buckthorn (Rhamnus) Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) Image from macalester.edu

Southwood Nature Preserve Social Features

History Of the 28 acres of land that makes up Southwood Nature Preserve, some was bought and some was acquired by eminent domain in ●The parcels were purchased with the some help from a State of MN Natural Resource Fund Grant, Federal HUD Grant and funds from other State and Federal grants

Homestead site ● Home of Daniel Allan bought by Southeast Area Village Park ● the building was destroyed ●Currently remnants of the foundation exist in the Southeast quadrant of SNP

Images from Google Earth

Recreation Facilities On street parking Wooden deck overlook Portable outhouse Benches Signposts Trailhead posting board Doggy bag dispensing boxes Garbage cans

Recreation Resources Multi-use trails Interpretive signs Informational trailhead Naturalist signs identifying certain plant species Pond

Users Residents that live around the SNP Children of the surrounding elementary and middle schools Citizens of the city of North St. Paul Dog walkers

School Programs The University of Minnesota Master Naturalist Program Maplewood Middle School Cowern Elementary School Image from

Meeting State Standards Cathy Troendle and Minnesota Master Naturalist program Third grade - leaves of native trees Fourth grade - birds and binoculars Fifth grade - Minnesota mammals

Images from Cathy Troendle

Social Influence Due to the location of SNP and its very close proximity to an urban area it provides unique opportunities.

Negative Impact of Location ●Dogs off leashes ●Disposal of yard waste ●Introduction of invasive species ●Runoff and litter

Recommendations

Mission Statement Current Mission Statement: To help make Saint Paul the most livable city in America, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation will facilitate the creation of active lifestyles, vibrant places, and a vital environment (North St. Paul, homepage 2013)

Mission Statement Option 1: Task force makes new mission statement Option 2: Follow the mission statement our group has provided: Southwood Nature Preserve aims to make North St. Paul a more sustainable city by increasing the use and quality of green space by providing opportunities for outdoor education and environmental education Option 3: Keep the city of the North St. Paul Parks and Recreation mission statement

Holloway Marsh Option 1: Work in conjunction with the city of Maplewood to utilize Holloway Marsh Option 2: Do not incorporate Holloway Marsh with SNP

Invasive Species Option 1: Eradicate one invasive species at a time from different sections of the preserve. Option 2: Eradicate all of the invasive species in the preserve at once. Option 3: Take no action

Parking Lot Option 1: Build a blacktop parking lot in the northeast corner of SNP Option 2: Build a gravel parking lot in the northeast corner of SNP Option 3: Continue having visitors park on Holloway Avenue

Improve Interpretive Signage Option 1: Replace and update existing interpretive signs Option 2: Continue without improving signs

Increase Winter Recreation Option 1: Continue without further attempts to increase winter recreation Option 2: Create a ski trail system

Option 1: Have an SNP employee count how many people use the park on a given day Option 2: Have a sign in sheet for users at entrances Option 3: Continue loosely monitoring the use of SNP Monitor Usage

Create a Shelter Option 1: Build an enclosed shelter. Option 2: Build a roof shelter. Option 3: Take no action

Staffing Recommendation Option 1: Hire an interpreter who also monitor numbers and types of users Option 2: Hire a maintenance crew for trails, facilities and invasive species Option 3: Keep current unofficial staff members

Thank You Image taken by Austin Christensen