HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS 26 November 2002 City of Minnetonka Parks Renewal Project The Kestrel Design...

HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS26 November 2002

City of Minnetonka Parks Renewal Project

The Kestrel Design Group, Inc.5136 Hankerson Ave. Suite 1Minneapolis, MN 55436Ph. 952 928-9600 Fax 952 [email protected]

HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS

Sustainable DesignAquatic & Terrestrial Restoration

Ecological Stormwater ManagementNatural Areas Management

Soil BioengineeringLandscape Architecture

Introduction


Introduction

WHO ARE WE?

The Kestrel Design Group, Inc - An Environmental Design, Planning and Consulting Firm

WHY ARE WE HERE?

To get feedback from the users and neighbors of Hilloway Park about your concerns, interests and desires for the Park

WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE?

Based on the response from the citizens and the city of Minnetonka a plan will be created to address the “improvement” of Hilloway Park

Introduction


Context

Neighborhood Park Context

• Three parks within 1 mile of Hilloway Park (Meadow, Mayflower and Big Willow)

• Designated trail connections to nearby Big Willow Park and Meadow Park - other natural areas based parks

• Nearby Mayflower Park currently provides playground equipment and other recreational activities

MAYFLOWER PARK

1 Mile

Introduction


United States Public Land Survey

The United States Government required that a Public Land Survey be completed before public sale of lands in the western territory. The survey notes provide valuable information about plant communities before European settlement. This survey is based on a subdivision of the land into six-mile square townships each divided into 36 sections of one square mile. Information surveyors recorded along each of the section lines at the time of the General Land Office Survey includes:

Land Development History

• Witness trees: species and size of 4 trees at each section corner

• Other trees along the section line• Points where the section line intersects with

surface water (eg. lakes, marshes, springs, streams, rivers)

• Points where the section line intersects a change in landuse, vegetation, or a settler’s claim

• A summary of the topography, soils, vegetation, and undergrowth along each section line

.-,494

.-,394

#

T117 R22 S2T117 R22 S2

T117 R22 S12T117 R22 S12T117 R22 S11T117 R22 S11T117 R22 S10T117 R22 S10

T117 R22 S14T117 R22 S14

(/169

N

1000 0 1000 Feet

Presettlement Vegetation

Big Woods - Hardwoods

Lakes (open water)

Oak Openings and Barrens

Wet Prairie

Section Boundary

.-,494

.-,394

#

T117 R22 S2T117 R22 S2

T117 R22 S12T117 R22 S12T117 R22 S11T117 R22 S11T117 R22 S10T117 R22 S10

T117 R22 S14T117 R22 S14

(/169

N

1000 0 1000 Feet

Presettlement Vegetation

Big Woods - Hardwoods

Lakes (open water)

Oak Openings and Barrens

Wet Prairie

Section Boundary

-This portion of Minnesota was survey in 1854

Historical Assessment



Summary of PLS Notes:

Section was surveyed on November 11-20, 1854 By Hiram Fellows, Deputy Surveyor

Section line summaries around section 11•Timber oak openings•Undergrowth oak and aspen, oak and hazel Witness Trees•Primarily Red Oak and White Oaks, 5 to 10 inch diameter, with a few aspens, 8 inches in diameter

11

Tim

ber

Oak

Ope

ning

s.

Und

ergr

owth

Oak

+ H

azle

.

Timber Oak Openings. Undergrowth Oak + Hazle.

Tim

ber

Oak

O

peni

ngs.

U

nder

grow

th O

ak

and

Haz

le.

Timber Oak Openings. Undergrowth Oak and Hazle.

01 mile 80 chains

Graphic Representation of Public Land Survey Notes for T117NR22W 5th P.M. Section 11

Surveyor intersected road

KEYSurveyor intersected Oak Opening

Surveyor intersected Marsh

Section Number

Section Line (1 section = 80 chains = 1 mile)

20 Chain (= 1320') Grid

5 Chain (= 330') Grid

XX

M

31 32 33

19

30

18

6

7

20

29

17

21

28

16

5

8

4

9

34 35 36

22

27

15

23

26

14

3

10

2

11

25

24

13

1

12

31 32 33 34 35 36

Sources:1. Map based on public land survey notes by Hiram Fellows November 1854.2. Text above section lines represents surveyor's notes along section line.3. Text under section lines represents surveyor's summary of soil, topography and plant community at section line.4. Heavy colored lines along section lines represent vegetation recorded by surveyor along section line.5. See report text for township general description.

11

Tim

ber

Oak

Ope

ning

s.

Und

ergr

owth

Oak

+ H

azle

.

Timber Oak Openings. Undergrowth Oak + Hazle.

Tim

ber

Oak

O

peni

ngs.

U

nder

grow

th O

ak

and

Haz

le.

Timber Oak Openings. Undergrowth Oak and Hazle.

01 mile 80 chains

Graphic Representation of Public Land Survey Notes for T117NR22W 5th P.M. Section 11

Surveyor intersected road

KEYSurveyor intersected Oak Opening

Surveyor intersected Marsh

Section Number

Section Line (1 section = 80 chains = 1 mile)

20 Chain (= 1320') Grid

5 Chain (= 330') Grid

XX

M

31 32 33

19

30

18

6

7

20

29

17

21

28

16

5

8

4

9

34 35 36

22

27

15

23

26

14

3

10

2

11

25

24

13

1

12

31 32 33 34 35 36

Sources:1. Map based on public land survey notes by Hiram Fellows November 1854.2. Text above section lines represents surveyor's notes along section line.3. Text under section lines represents surveyor's summary of soil, topography and plant community at section line.4. Heavy colored lines along section lines represent vegetation recorded by surveyor along section line.5. See report text for township general description.



• Entire section is a mosaic of agriculture, forest, and wetlands

• Land of present day Hilloway Park has been cleared for cultivation and grazing

• No forests exist on the site

• Plymouth Road is the only road in the section

Land Development HistoryHistoric Aerial Photo: 1946

Present DayHilloway Park Boundary



• Cultivated land has become fallow/pasture

• Growth of shrubs and woodlands

• Additional roads have developed, including Hilloway Road

wetlands

Hilloway Road

Historic Aerial Photo: 1953


• Pine plantations planted in the early 1950’s Present Day

Hilloway Park Boundary



• Growth of shrubs and trees around wet areas

• Pine trees becoming dominate in the landscape

• Large fallow field in the southern 1/3 of park

Pine plantings

Fallow field

Present DayHilloway Park Boundary





• Pine plantings have grown into dense stands

• Pine stands starting to fill in between themselves as they mature

• Growth of shrubs and deciduous tress at center of park

• Suburban development accelerates

• Site in a fallow condition; pre-invasion of exotic species

Pine plantings

SuccessionalShrubs and trees


CurrentHilloway Park Boundary




• Successional pattern of landcover

• After a century of being intensively maintained by humans, the land is now passively use and maintained

• What if any thing needs to be done?

• What is next? - What is desired? What is fitting or appropriate?

Review of Land Development History• Vegetation has undergone a dramatic change over

the last 150 years:

Presettlement - Oak Barrens and Openings

Settlement - agriculture

Agriculture Abandonment - fallow grassland

Current condition - planted and pioneering forest

1946

1962

1971



Current Land Cover

MLCCS

Code

Description Acres

21112 Upland soils with planted, maintained, or cultivated White Pine trees

5.43

21113 Upland soils with planted, maintained, or cultivated Red Pine trees

1.87

21114 Upland soils with planted, maintained, or cultivated Jack Pine trees

2.37

32110 Oak forest 0.94

32160 Aspen forest 2.47

32170 Boxelder/Green Ash disturbed native forest 0.49

32300 Saturated deciduous forest 0.16

42130 Disturbed deciduous woodland 10.66

61220 Medium/tall grass non-native dominated grassland

0.77

61320 Wet meadow – temporarily flooded soils 0.14

61480 Saturated non-native dominated graminoid vegetation

0.30

61820 Mixed emergent marsh – permanently flooded

2.02

93000 Open water wetland (palustrine) 0.66

Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS)- November 2002

Natural Resources Inventory


HydrologyNWI WETLANDSPEMC - [P] Palustrine, [EM] Emergent, [C] Seasonally Flooded• Entire watershed is contained within Hilloway Park• Improperly classified - it is not seasonal rather it is most likely

semi-permanently or permanently flooded

PEMB - [P] Palustrine, [EM] Emergent, [B] Saturated• Large marsh with very little open water - bog like• Some stands of high quality emergent vegetation (sedges)

with a large cattail colony• Although this wetland does receive stormwater from the

surrounding community the volume appears to be low, subsequently the negative associated impacts of stormwater should be minimal

• Current open water surrounding perimeter may have been dredged.

OTHER POTENTIAL WETLANDS• Additional semipermanant or ephemeral wetlands may

exist in four separate locations (A-D) within Hilloway Pk. The potential seems likely with general observation but a delineation would be required to determine wetland status

• The outlet from potential wetland C, which was recently installed appears to have been positioned too low, artificially draining the wetland

• All or the majority of the potential wetland watersheds’ are located within Hilloway Park. This allows for high restoration potential

Surface Watershed Delineation

Potential wetland (not identified by the NWI)

National Wetland Inventory (NWI) identified wetland

N

100 0 100 Feet

Surface Watershed Delineation

Potential wetland (not identified by the NWI)

National Wetland Inventory (NWI) identified wetland

N

100 0 100 Feet

30” Stormsewer

24” Stormsewer

24” Stormsewer

PEMC

PEMB

A

B

C

D



Geomorphology

Hennepin County Soil SurveyNessel loammarshKingsley complexHeyder sandy loamHeyder complexHayden loamHamel loamGrays very f ine sandy loamErin clay loamBurnsville sandy loam

Hilloway Park


Hilloway Park


Hilloway Park


Hilloway Park

Soils Information

Geomorphic Association: Superior Lobe

Glacial phase, ice margin association or age:

St. Croix

General Topographic Expression:

Hummocky. Includes areas of highly variable relief relative to adjacent topography. Typically supraglacial complexes, esker complexes and end moraines (kame-kettle topo).

Sedimentary Association / Rock Type:

Supraglacial Drift Complex

Additional Information or Qualifiers:

Mantled by a veneer of younger drift



Sense of Place

The diverse plant communities and dramatic topography of Hilloway Park create many unique spatial experiences. These unique places provide prospect and refuge for the users of the park. While some of these spaces are desirable, others are a result of a dramatic invasion of exotic species.

N

100 0 100 FeetN

100 0 100 Feet

A

B

C

DE

F

Perception


Sense of Place Con’t

A - “Northern Pine Plantation”• Northern Minnesota feeling• High sense of enclosure provided

by tightly planted coniferous trees

B - “Early Successional Hardwood Forest”

• High sense of enclosure provided by a mixture of invasive shrubs and pioneering trees

• Extremely dense understory with open pockets of grass

C - “Exotic Shrub Enclosure”• Extremely dense understory

(invasive and pioneering species)• Relative dramatic elevation change

Perception


Sense of Place Con’t

D - “Open Meadow”• Open meadow with encroaching

shrub edge• Sense of enclosure provide by

encroaching plant communities and rolling topography

E - “Emergent Wetland”• Non-habitatable human space• Allows for long uninterrupted

views• Bog-like wetland

F - “Primary Trail Corridor”• Maintained recreational corridor• Divides and separates the park• Most actively used portion of the

park• Dense enclosure formed by adjacent

invasive species

Perception


Management Issues

Invasive Species• Entire park is over-run by invasive species • Common and Glossy Buckthorn are the biggest threat; others

include Garlic Mustard, Honeysuckle, Prickly Ash, Sumac and Cattail

• Choking out desirable species• Large portions of Hilloway Park are nearly consumed with

invasive species due to the “open door” of the fallow agriculture

Viability of Pine Stands• The White, Red and Jack Pine plantings are outside of their

native range but are a unique local feature which may be maintained

• Stands are a monoculture of the same age class - need to be diversified

• Growth and health of the pines have subsided in the last couple of decades due to light competition - thinning may be beneficial

• White Pines are naturally regenerating from seed but due to the deer predation they are not allowed to mature

• White Pine Blister apparent in the park and surrounding community

• Duff and downed logs are necessary for germination• Understory and groundlayer is consumed by Common and

Glossy Buckthorn

Synthesis


Management Issues Con’t

Park Abuse• Dumping ground for yard waste• Unleashed dogs and pet waste• Damage to vegetation by youth

Vegetation is in an “early successional state”• Landscape is in “repair” mode after it was cleared and then left

fallow - very slow process (would normally take centuries but with the exotic invasion will take longer)

• The lack of a climax plant community makes the landscape more vulnerable to invasive species

• No local seed source for native climax species• Low wildlife value

Trail Fragmentation• Park has been fragmented into an exhaustive amount of trails• Caused by deer and humans• No hierarchy, confusing• Creates an excessive amount of edge condition (destructive to

valuable plants and animals)

Deer Population• Park is over populated with deer• Causing damage to the desirable plant species (of course the

desirable plant species are the yummy ones)

Synthesis


Synthesis - Opportunities and ConstraintsConstraints• Cost of managing invasive species stronghold• Limited access• Cost and controversy of managing deer herd• Concerns over prescribed burns (necessary

management tool)

Opportunities• Hilloway Park is “set up” for the unique

opportunity to represent all the major plant communities of Minnesota

• Introduction/extension of more passive park elements (seating, trails, interpretive signage, etc.)

• Greater connectivity to Minnetonka Park System

• Attraction of more watchable wildlife• Improved safety of the park landscape

Pine

Hardwoods

Prairie

Pine

Hardwoods

Prairie

Synthesis

HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS 26 November 2002 City of Minnetonka Parks Renewal Project The Kestrel Design...

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