2003-08-14_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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~_ 6 E .-.:~ ~~ ~~., a Y k l ~~ ~~;. ~_ ~__ :~: <;. ~-~ 5 E ~~:. ~" ,~ Lake Phalen Shoreland - Restoration Project Phalen Lake, a highly used regional park " with over one-half million visitors each year, has had a long history of shoreline erosion. fn 2001., the District, City of St. Paul, DNR Fisheries, along with several other partners, began afive-year lake shoreland ecological restoration project. The first phase of th$ project included Thissummer200lphoiooftheWestSideRe~storation stabilization and planting of 1,200 feet shows that one yearaftefrestoration, native plans of Shoreline. - have becomeesta7rlishedintheshorelinetransitional zone and in the upland buffer area. Fish and wildlife, . In 2002 the second phase of restoration including wading bird species, leopard frogs, and took place, and an additional 1,500 feet b/uegil/s,takecaveranduseffiesiteforforaging.' of Phalen's shoreline was planted with Park users enjoy the beauty of aver 50 wildflower species blooming in spring through the fall months..: native vvi(dflowers and grasses to help stabilizethe banks of the lake and improve the water quality..Twenty community,voiun- teers from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and 289 school children helped start the seedlings and do the plantings. In 2003, the District will restore an~addi- tional 1,200 feet o'f shoreline and establish an ongoing maintenance program using a' _ core group of volunteers.to maintain the already completed sites. Purple Loosestrife Biological Control Purple loosestrife is an invasive exotic plant, known to take over lakes and wetlands choking out the native vegetation that provides habitat - and other important lake functions. One way.the District helps con- - ' - _ trot the spread of purple loosestrife is with beetles, which eat the ~--~t _,i` plant's flowers, leaves and roots. In 1997, the District started rais; ` , \ ~~=~'~ ing and releasing purple loosestrife beetles and has expanded ' ~ the program every year. These efforts appear to be paying off: the ~ beetles seem to be reproducing on site and migrating to new r`` - sources of purple loosestrife as the old ones are depleted. A formal evaluation will be,undertaken in spring 2003 to assess the success of ,the program. ,- i you o..- Thenative landscape of the Ramsey= ~~~' '~'~ ashingt~d etro Watershed District was dominated by oak savanna intermixedwith numerous lakes, streams and wetlands.. ; Although urbanization hds claimed several natural treams and approximately 50 per- cent of the District's original wetland- areas, many vital habitat areasremain and a wide range of wildlife stilt make their home herb.