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 ...
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