DEPARTMENT: Parks
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
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Adoption Of Mississippi River Greenway Natural Resource Management Plan
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RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 17-274 (May 23, 2019), the County Board adopted the Dakota County Natural Resources Management System Plan, which demonstrates a need to develop Natural Resource Management Plans (NRMP) for all County Parks, Greenways, and Conservation Easements; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 20-568 (November 17, 2020), the County Board adopted the Land Conservation Plan, which aims to improve County coordination and collaboration with other agencies and organizations regarding land protection and long-term natural resource management; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 99-526 (September 21, 1999), the County Board adopted the Mississippi River Greenway master plan, which established a 28-mile preferred alignment from St. Paul to downtown Hastings; and
WHEREAS, a consultant was hired to develop the first NRMP for the Mississippi River Greenway; and
WHEREAS, there are plans to potentially extend the greenway southeast along County Road 54 to the Goodhue County border, which would add approximately 9.5 miles of trail; and
WHEREAS, the public lands along the greenway are owned by Dakota County, the Cities of South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and Hastings; and
WHEREAS, a stakeholder meeting was held on October 16, 2024, to solicit input on the NRMP. Participants included staff from the cities of South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and Hastings, as well as staff from Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service; and
WHEREAS, the NRMP addresses the natural resource inventory, future vegetative cover goals, and recommended projects developed in cooperation with landowner partners; and
WHEREAS, Ecologists conducted field work and identified 22 natural area nodes; and
WHEREAS, these nodes were selected because they contain existing natural areas or parks where opportunities exist to increase habitat; and
WHEREAS, trail corridors between these nodes were also surveyed; and
WHEREAS, an estimate of $2,389,000 in projects were identified; and
WHEREAS, $589,000 has been secured, to date, from an Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund Grant and a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant to begin implementing the recommendations in the plan; and
WHEREAS, external grant funding will be used to fund additional restoration projects, and grant match and cost share fiscal impacts will be established and individually brought to the County Board for review in the form of future joint powers agreements between partners prior to project implementation; and
WHEREAS, the draft NRMP was presented to the Dakota County Planning Commission on June 26, 2025, at which time it voted to recommend to the Dakota County Board of Commissioners to release the draft plan for public review; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 25-360 (July 29, 2025), the County Board authorized the Mississippi River Greenway NRMP be released for a 30-day community review period, which occurred from July 29 through August 29, 2025; and
WHEREAS, no comments were received from the public during the comment period; and
WHEREAS, during this time, County staff gave presentations about the NRMP to the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission of Inver Grove Heights (August 13) and to the Rosemount Parks and Natural Resources Commission (August 18).
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the Mississippi River Greenway Natural Resource Management Plan.
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