What: National Park Service Brush Hauling Event along Mississippi River
When: Saturday, July 31, 9 AM to Noon and/or 1 PM to 4 PM
Where: Former Bureau of Mines Site, currently Coldwater Unit
Registration: Email Daniel Schultz at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
I hope we can make our presence as Master Naturalists felt at this event, will be fun to work together too! I can't understate how important this site is - it is sacred to Native Americans, was a key source of water for soldiers at Fort Snelling, and it is going to be fantastic to have this Bureau of Mines area transformed into native plantings and green space, and it is also where the National Park Service will be stationed along the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Come be a part of it!
This brand new addition to the Mississippi National River and Recreation area was once a stunning oak savanna and tall grass prairie, where oak trees reached out across fields of flowing grasses and wildflowers and native wildlife flourished. Over the years, this land has gone through many changes, and today you will find the landscape to be quite different. As the former site for the Bureau of Mines, abandoned buildings and roads dot the landscape, but the 27 acres are also overrun by invasive plants that are actively out-competing native species within this habitat. Our ultimate goal is to restore natural beauty and function to the area by converting it to open space/park land. Included in current plans are invasive plant removal, reintroduction of native plant species, and removal of roads and buildings. The historic spring house and reservoir will not be removed, as they hold cultural and historical importance. The Great Lakes Exotic Plant Management Team cut down the invasive buckthorn, Siberian elm, and black locusts in the woodland, but we need help from volunteers to drag and stack it, and lop small leftover trees. Be part of the first year of restoration in our new Coldwater Unit!
Please email Daniel Schultz at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with times you can join us, number of people in your party, and full names, phone numbers, and addresses for each person attending. I am going to register us with the National Park Service as a "MN Master Naturalist" work group. There will be other people and groups attending, as well, such as Great River Greening.
-- Dan Schultz