Great River Greening

ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

2009 Accomplishment Highlights

Volunteer Involvement

Million Acorn Challenge - engaged almost 1,000 area youth who collected over 901,350 acorns.
Volunteer Events – engaged 2,185 volunteers in planting and restoration events including 1362 youth (62%) resulting in:
Teen Supervisor Program - trained 16 teen volunteer supervisors to lead community events and neighborhood projects.
23,519 Volunteers - have planted 59,448 trees and shrubs since Greening began in 1995

Partnerships, Conservation Focal Areas, and Initiatives

Million Acorn Campaign - During 2009 the number of projects underway reached seventy-two including:
- Grey Cloud Island oak savanna and oak woodland restoration
- Oak savanna restoration Pilot Knob Phase II
Healthy Waters Initiative – Design and installation of award-winning Best Management Practices to safeguard the waters of the St. Croix River in Washington and Chisago counties, including:
- Forest Lake Dead End Street shoreline restoration
- Lakeside Elementary School rain garden planting
- Lily Lake Boat Launch Sites shoreline restoration and stabilization
St. Croix Blufflands – Restoration and management of floodplain forests and blufflands along the Lower St. Croix River including:

Franconia-Scandia Corridor Landowner Incentive Program – working with 6 private landowners to restore 200 acres of habitat.

Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC) – Restoration and management of metro area natural areas and parks including:

Removal of 30 acres of buckthorn and other invasive species at Spring Lake Regional Park

Middle Minnesota River – Development of an overarching conservation plan for the Minnesota River Valley in Redwood and Renville counties that is now guiding conservation action in the region.
Natural Areas Teen Network – Development and implementation of combined classroom sessions and field tours program matching community mentors with underserved youth to protect endangered green spaces while focusing on conservation careers.

Management Plans and Publications

Belle Prairie Management Plan
Prairie Stewardship Plans (12)
Pleasant Lake Shoreline Evaluation
Lever Street Management Plan
St. Croix Corridor Private Lands Management Plans (8)

Ecological Designs

Forest Lake Shoreline Restoration
Lakeside Elementary School, Rain Garden plan

Research and Workshops

How To Write a Management Plan - Presentation, Minnesota Conservation Summit
Boat Launch Evaluation - Poster Board Session
Native Landscaping for your Yard - Presentation, Wild Ones Conference
Sustainable Landscape Alternatives for Commercial Properties - Presentation, BOMA

2008 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships and Initiatives

Million Acorn Campaign: development of 10 new projects, including a 350-person volunteer event at the Xcel Energy High Bridge in Saint Paul where over 6,775 trees, shrubs and native plants were installed.
Healthy Waters Initiative: Nine projects included planting buffer strips around Bone Lake, Scandia; correcting trail erosion at Wind-in-the-Pines Park, Scandia; and improving stormwater management at Camp Waub-O-Jeeeg, Taylors Falls; rain garden planting at Water Tower Park, Chisago City; and assessing eroding conditions at boat launches all along the St. Croix.
Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC): New projects included a 40 acre direct hardwood seeding with Wright County’s Robert Ney Regional Park, as part of their on-going Big Woods reconstruction efforts. At Murphy’s Landing along the Minnesota River we removed buckthorn, releasing the historic oaks and their open grown structure.
For the Birds: At Afton State Park, an 85-acre direct hardwood seeding used the over 300,000 acorns collected by youth, supplementing the local seeds purchased commercially. Greening seeded also with other species, emphasizing those predicted to do well in a warming climate.

Volunteer Involvement

Million Acorn Challenge engaged almost 1,000 area youth who collected over 300,000 acorns.
1,978 volunteers participated in our planting and restoration events including 1248 youth (63%).
45 volunteer supervisors were trained to lead community events and neighborhood projects.
Volunteers removed 101 acres of invasive species, planted 16,262 trees and shrubs, installed 35,936 forbs and grasses(increased 4% from 2007), and collected 135 lbs. of prairie seed.
21,334 volunteers have planted 58,161 trees and shrubs since Greening began in 1995.
Volunteer Supervisor, Susan Edseth awarded the “Be the Change” Award from Hands on Twin cities in the Green Spaces category

Management Plans and Publications

Mississippi Riverbank Restoration Guide (partner: Mississippi Watershed Management Organization)
Historic Waters of the Mississippi Water Management Organization (partner: Mississippi Watershed Management Organization)
Dodge Nature Center Rachel Lilly Property Natural Resource Management Plan
Meeker Dam volunteer event video (partner: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area)

Ecological Designs

McColl Pond Environmental Learning Center stormwater management and landscape plan
Sustainable Landscape for Affordable Housing: two case studies at Emerson and Park Avenues (partner: Urban Homeworks)
35 West Water Street: Redesigned as a formalized rain garden
Boat Launch Evaluation: solutions for erosion and degradation on sites along the St. Croix River
College Drive Apartments, Brainerd, MN (Partner: Minnesota Brokerage Group).

Research and Workshops

Two day Healthy Waters Fair at William O’Brien State Park attended by 4,000 visitors (Partners: Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed District, Chisago SWCD, Millstream Association, MN DNR, Trout Unlimited, Washington Conservation District, William O’Brien State Park, Xcel Energy Bird Cam and Peregrine Falcon Program)
Go Green: Renovate and Innovate, Green Policy and Building Trends Breakfast, 170 people (Partners: Anchor Bank, Egan Company, and Loucks Associates)
Tour of BMP sites, St. Croix Healthy Waters Campaign, 25 watershed district professionals
Landowner training held at Hamlet on Sunfish Lake homeowners association
Sustainable Landscape Design presentation, Green By Design conference

2007 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships and Initiatives

Million Acorn Campaign: development of 42 projects, including a 200 person community volunteer event at Meeker Dam in Saint Paul where over 2,000 trees, shrubs and native plants were installed. A major gift from the Allianz Foundation of North America empowers youth to take leadership in the Campaign and the first Million Acorn Challenge engaged youth to collect over 100,000 acorns.
Healthy Waters Initiative: Development of seven projects including Orleans Homes a 124 acre affordable housing development addressing stormwater infiltration along with aesthetics and recreational use of shared open space. Other 2007 projects addressed bank stabilization, stormwater mitigation, and habitat restoration in the St Croix corridor.
Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC): over 13 projects completed including a 100 person fall planting for oak savanna and prairie reconstruction at Pilot Knob, Mendota Heights, conducted as part of an ongoing effort that incorporated a spring prescribed burn.
For the Birds: a large direct hardwood seeding effort and Tanglewood Preserve savanna restoration. These projects are designed to improve and enlarge habitat for Minnesota’s bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need, a list of wildlife species recently developed by the Minnesota DNR.

Volunteer Involvement

Million Acorn Challenge engaged over 700 area youth to participate in an acorn drive.
2,188 volunteers participated in our planting and restoration events including 1189 youth (54%).
205 volunteer supervisors were trained to lead community events and neighborhood projects.
Volunteers removed 145 acres of invasive species, planted 3,292 trees and shrubs, installed 34,637 forbs and grasses(increased 50% from 2006), and collected 135 lbs. of prairie seed.
19,356 volunteers have planted 54,258 trees and shrubs since Greening began in 1995.

Management Plans and Publications

Natural Treasures of the Saint Croix, online resource describing critical treasures with locator maps
Blaine Open Space Management Plan, city wide restoration of prairie, oak savanna, and wet meadow
Indian Mounds Park Management Plan, restoration of oak savanna and oak woodland
Pilot Knob Phase II Management Plan, reconstruction of oak savanna and prairie
Becker/Xcel Energy Great River Woodland Stewardship Plan, restoration and exotic species removal

Ecological Designs

Wind in the Pines, hiking trail best management practices.
Longfellow Shasta, restoration of land used by railroad.
Homestead Hills, prairie road buffer, rain gardens around storm water inlets, native upland and aquatic plants for a storm water pond, and spillways at storm water outlets
Geyen Riverbank, bluff stabilization on the St. Croix River.
Blue Construction Inc., permeable paver filtration system for runoff.
Arneson Residence, riverbank restoration on the St. Croix River.
Orlean’s Homes, sustainable landscape plan for an affordable housing community.
Chisago County Government Center, comprehensive alternative storm water plan.

Research and Workshops

Completion of first Landowner training focusing on Best Management Practices at Wild River State Park-hands-on training for invasive species removal, turf conversion, erosion control methods, demonstration raingarden planting and prairie care. Funding provided by the Bush and Carolyn Foundations.
Collaborating with Hannah Texler from the Minnesota DNR, Greening now has the updated species lists for Southern Floodplain Forest, Dry Barrens Oak Savannah and Prairie, Dry Sand-Gravel Prairie (Southern), Northern Bulrush-Spikerush Marsh, Northern Mixed Cattail Marsh, Northern Rich Alder Swamp, Southern Dry-Mesic Oak (Maple). Visit Greening’s website to view the complete listings.

2006 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships and Initiatives

Million Acorn Campaign: development of 22 projects, including oak savanna reconstruction at Pilot Knob, Mendota Heights, one of the most historically significant locales in the state as the site of the 1851 treaty-signing. A major gift from the Allianz Foundation of North America will help empower youth to take leadership in the Campaign.
Healthy Waters Initiative: new stream-bank restoration techniques in Carnelian Creek watershed, the awarding of over $400,000 for best management practices in the St. Croix Basin at large and completion of the first case study of sustainable landscape design for affordable housing, funded by Home Depot and Xcel Foundation.
Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC): over ten projects, including a 275-person volunteer event at Indian Mounds Park, Saint Paul, restoring five acres of oak savanna with buckthorn removal and native planting; a 35-acre fall burn at Pioneer Park, Blaine, as part of the on-going wetland restoration with six state-listed species; and 28 acres of Saint Paul’s Crosby Park floodplain/terrace forest restoration, which included an Admission Possible event engaging 373 talented, motivated and economically disadvantaged high school seniors.

Volunteer Involvement

Engaged 1,728 volunteers in planting and restoration events including 682 youth (40%).
Engaged 212 volunteer supervisors (nearly three times the number of 2005), trained by Greening to take leadership at events and neighborhood projects.
Volunteers removed 118 acres of invasive species, planted 8,080 trees and shrubs, installed 22,318 forbs and grasses and collected 50 lbs. of prairie seed.
17,168 volunteers have planted 50,966 trees and shrubs since Greening began in 1995.
Diversity of volunteers: 38 % African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American.
In partnership with Department of Natural Resources’ Scientific and Natural Areas, completed service learning program for underserved youth

Management Plans and Publications

Arcola Millls Natural Resource Plan and Management Brief, historic retreat and natural area
Engaging Young Hunters in Restoration: An Introduction for Large Landowners
Conserving Your Blufflands: A Management Guide for St. Croix River Property Owners(pdf) (sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources)
Prairie Stewardship Plans for two private landowners whose property hosts high quality prairie remnants
Plymouth Land Cover Inventory and Mapping, which led to the definition of natural resource greenway corridors
Andover High School Restoration Plan, wetland on Coon Creekmodel of educational landscape
Cargill Salt Resource Management Plan, located in the wildlife corridor of the Minnesota River

Ecological Designs

Victoria Park Phase I, landscape plan for new residential redevelopment along the Mississippi River corridor.
Midtown Greenway Entrance and Swale, native planting in old industrial corridor
Maple Hills Pond, a model of higher standards for retention pond
Rita Johnson Landscape Concept, wetland restoration in conjunction with conservation development
Barker Residence, residential design example, based on plant community concept
West Side Bluffs Caves Design, revegetation of bluff following caves closure.
Dale Street Entry design, formal native garden for business center
St. Croix Slope Stabilization, erosion control design along the St. Croix River
Cherokee Park Rain Garden, demonstration rain garden design in Cherokee Park, Saint Paul
Sam Morgan Trail Design, interpretive garden plan along Sam Morgan Trail
Green Institute Entry, entry planting utilizing native plants

Research and Workshops

Ongoing research on direct seeding of acorns, forest ground-layer establishment, basal bark treatment of invasive shrubs and the success of soil stabilization techniques.
Completion of workshops on best management practices for developers and contractors, funded by Office of Environmental Assistance and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District

2005 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships

Continued work with Metro Conservation Corridors (MeCC), a collaboration of nonprofit and government partners working on habitat protection in the Twin Cities region. Greening project sites for 2005 included Hidden Valley Park on the Credit River Valley in Savage, a remnant dry prairie with high diversity; Carver Rapids Wayside near Jordan, a unit of the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area that harbors a concentration of state-listed species; and Crosby Farm Regional Park, one of the largest floodplain forest remnants within the Mississippi National River and Recreation area in Saint Paul.
Continued restoration work on the St. Croix Greenway through Bucks and Buckthorn, a pilot program with the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, St. Croix Watershed Research Station (SCWRS) and Boy Scouts of America linking hunter education and habitat restoration opportunities for youth. The Greenway, from Warner Nature Center to the St. Croix River, contains ecologically diverse and rare prairie and savanna habitat.

Volunteer Involvement

Engaged 1,581 volunteers in planting and restoration events including 587 children and youth.
Volunteers removed 216 acres of invasive species, planted 2,174 trees and shrubs, installed 2,880 prairie plants and collected 201 lbs. of prairie seed.
16,618 volunteers have been engaged in restoration activities since Greening began in 1995.
Tested new small group service-learning outing model for minority urban youth.

Outreach and Awards

Seven Greening events covered by news media including Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, KARE-11, Stillwater Courier, White Bear Press, Villager, South Washington County Bulletin.
Greening selected as Big River magazine’s “Lend a Hand” feature nonprofit for November/December.
National Recreation and Parks Association Great Lakes Region Partnership Award for the River Park project design and restoration, Brooklyn Park.

Management Plans and Publications

Crosby Regional Park Ecological Inventory and Restoration Management Plan. January
Seward Neighborhood Forest Restoration Plan and Study. July
Dahlberg Property Stewardship Plan. August
Lentz Farm Prairie Stewardship Plan. (Yellow Medicine County) October
Pilot Knob Natural Resource Management Plan. (Dakota County) October
Stoppelman Farm Prairie Stewardship Plan. (Scott County) October
Designing with Minnesota Native Plants—Strategies for Project Success. October
West Side Bluff Ecological Plan – Ohio Street to King Street. November

Ecological Designs

Andover High School natural area and educational landscape design
Model designs for townhomes: Crocus Place, Eagles Ridge, Hennepin County Environmental Services
Lake St. Croix Beach model rain garden and wildlife area garden design on the St. Croix River
Midtown Greenway Entry native garden design and rain garden interpretive design
Whitall Street native landscape design at Great Northern Business Center

Technical Research and Analysis

Study of buckthorn control techniques—basal bark chemical treatment and prescribed fire, presented at the St. Croix River Research Rendezvous and submitted to Natural Areas Journal. (collaboration with SCWRS).
Technical report on significant areas for restoration in the St. Croix and Minnesota River valleys within the seven county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Bush Foundation).
Technical evaluations of 15 sites of high statewide significance for biological diversity in the Minnesota River Valley that are proposed for conservation action. Completes set of 30 (MN County Biological Survey).
30 GIS maps of sites recommended for conservation action in the Minnesota River Valley (MCBS).
Technical reports and maps on the Geological History, Pre-Settlement Vegetation and Current Vegetation of 17 counties bordering the Minnesota River (DNR).

2004 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships

Completed the Big Rivers Partnership, one of the first restoration collaboratives in the state. The five-year partnership brought together nonprofits, government agencies and private landowners to restore critical river valley habitat and engage community volunteers in the metro area’s most important natural resource feature—the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers. Funded by the Minnesota Environmental Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR).
Completed River Steward, a five-year program to establish measures for long-term stewardship of the original Greening the Great River Park project. Collaboration of City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Foundation and Greening.
Continued work on Bucks and Buckthorn, a program to restore the St. Croix Greenway linking youth hunters and land stewardship. Partners in the three-year pilot include St. Croix Watershed Research Station, MN Deer Hunters Association and Boy Scouts of America. Funded by the Environmental Trust Fund as recommended by LCMR with a match from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Volunteer Involvement

Engaged 1,531 volunteers in planting and restoration events.
Volunteers donated 4,264 hours of time.
33.5 acres of invasive species were removed by volunteers.
1,129 trees and shrubs were planted by volunteers.
22,048 prairie plants were installed by volunteers.
Since Greening began in 1995, it has engaged 15,037 volunteers in restoration activities.

Management Plans

Dodge Nature Center Main and Marie Units Restoration Plan
Crosby Park Bluff Trail Project: Design Strategies for an Ecologically Sustainable Bluff Trail
Vonloh Prairie Stewardship Plan
Desnoyer Seep Native Plant Community Inventory and Management Recommendations

Ecological Designs

Emerson Process Management shoreline and woodland restoration design
Great Northern Business Center landscape design, Saint Paul Port Authority
Westminster Junction stormwater design, Saint Paul Port Authority
Bachman residence, Farmington
Mississippi River Gorge – Longfellow restoration design
South St. Paul Levee – Wildflower Levee Park design
South St. Paul DNR Boat Launch design
North Mississippi Regional Park restoration design
Sparc community development organization landscape design
River Steward designs including Mercury Office Supply, Levee Woods, Grumpy Steve’s, Harriet Island Regional Park, Greening’s office at 35 W. Water St.
Ecological consulting for the Saint Paul Port Authority on polluted and underutilized urban lands

Outreach

“Going Native” by Deborah Karasov and “Rain Checks” by Dan Shaw, March/April issue Architecture Minnesota.
Greening’s work included in the books Nature-Friendly Communities: Habitat Protection and Land Use, published by Clarion Associates, and Ecological Riverfront Design: Restoring Rivers, Connecting Communities, published by American Rivers and the American Planning Association
Eight Greening events covered by media including Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, WCCO-TV, FOX-9, Minneapolis Television Network, Southwest Review, Asian Pages, Sun Post-Brooklyn Park and Villager.

Awards
Greening landscape ecologist Dan Shaw’s book Plants for Stormwater Design was one of three finalists in the environmental education category for the 2004 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award.

2003 Accomplishment Highlights

Partnerships

Secured funding from the State of Minnesota as recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) for the Metro Wildlife Corridors (MWC), a ten-year collaboration of nonprofit and government partners. The MWC project will acquire and restore a habitat network in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area to protect and improve the health of native vegetation, fish, and wildlife species.
Continued our partnership in the Embrace Open Space campaign coordinated by The McKnight Foundation. This campaign is a joint effort among 11 organizations concerned about protecting open spaces in the Twin Cities region.
Secured funding from the State of Minnesota as recommended by the LCMR for Bucks and Buckthorn, a pilot program with the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, and the Boy Scouts of America. The goal of this program is to have young hunters connect to the land on which they are hunting by participating in restoration and education events on that same land. Matching funds have come from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Volunteer Involvement and Events

Engaged more than 1,160 volunteers in 11 planting and restoration events.
In 2003, Great River Greening volunteers:
donated 3,820 hours of time
removed 18 acres of invasive species
planted 1,332 trees and shrubs, and
installed 8,891 prairie plants
Involved a running total of 13,000 volunteers in restoration activities since the spring of 1995.
Targeted volunteer recruiting efforts from within the African American and Hmong communities.

Training

Successfully created a partnership with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation to test a pilot of Greening’s Stewardship Program. The pilot utilized resident stewards (called “eco-partners”) to monitor the health of designated Saint Paul natural areas and to educate local communities about those areas. The pilot will be refined for other partners.
Trained 100 supervisors this year.
Developed training for Saint Paul Parks and Recreation operations staff on the “Management of Native Ecosystems.”

Awards

Received the Significant Contribution to Conservation Award from the Garden Club of America for restoration of natural areas of the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix river valleys and their watersheds.
Received the Marion Thompson Fuller Brown Conservation Award from the Garden Club of America Zone XI for outstanding Conservation Exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Ecological Work

Conducted a vegetation and hydrology analysis of stormwater systems in Twin Cities areas. This analysis was used in the book Plants for Stormwater Design: Species Selection for the Upper Midwest by Daniel Shaw, Greening Landscape Ecologist and Rusty Schmidt, independent designer.
Completed four major management plans for high quality, natural area remnants, including a native prairie, which contains one of the largest Minnesota populations of the rare plant, kitten-tails.
Completed eight landscape designs focused on ecological goals such as biodiversity, stormwater infiltration, and sustainability.