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Great River Greening is a 501(c)(3) non-profit; tax ID 41-1940024. Great River Greening | 251 Starkey Street, Suite 2200 | Saint Paul, MN 55107 | Tel: 651.665.9500 | greatrivergreening.org ▪ Chatham Park – The currently prioritized center section of this park has had the initial stages of buckthorn removal started by community members as assisted by City staff but has considerably larger concerns that need to be defined and addressed prior to on-the-ground habitat enhancement as funded by Outdoor Heritage Fund dollars. The current funding available to Great River Greening is not enough to support a complete project from start to finish in this area, and once OHF money has been spent on an acre of a project, OHF funds cannot be returned to that acre in the future. The larger concerns include dead and dying ash trees that are or will present hazards and will need to be removed, future forest diversity goals that need to be defined and budgeted for, and erosion issues that may require regrading and water management engineering prior to natural resource management within the impacted area. We are proposing to use the currently available OHF funds to write a Natural Resource Management Brief for the center priority areas in the park and to provide guidance on continued PTRC community habitat management work and write the budget for management into a future OHF grant that could come online in July 2025 if funded. • Action requested – Plan approval by the PTRC and approval from the City to write a Natural Resources Management Brief and be available for community guidance. ▪ Floral Park – The natural resource management for the full woodland and prairie acres of this park have been written into the M.L. 2024 OHF budget on the Great River Greening grant that will be online in July 2024. Once the grant is online, we propose to define the natural resources management for 5 years through a Natural Resources Management Brief, subcontracted habitat invasive species management and native species establishment, and coordinated community stewardship and volunteer engagement. • Action requested – Broad plan approval by the PTRC and approval by the City for the future work once the grant is online in July 2024. o Community engagement and stewardship - ▪ This state funding may also support the time for Great River Greening coordinated volunteer habitat restoration opportunities to add to the community engagement already strong at these sites for both short and long- term stewardship. ▪ Public information on project timelines may also be provided through on-site signage, neighbor letters prior to major restoration work, and educational events hosted over the duration of the projects. ▪ All project closes will include a Natural Resources Management Brief written to outline continued maintenance and stewardship needs for the City and community to reference going forward.