Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Prairie Restoration and Management for Multiple Goals

Where: Crow-Hassan Park Reserve 12595 Park Drive, Rogers, MN
When: Saturday October 30th, 2021 (10:00 a.m. to 1:00p.m.)
Leader: John Moriarty, Senior Wildlife Manager, Three Rivers Park District

Come join John Moriarty, Senior Wildlife Manager for Three Rivers Park District for a tour of Crow-Hassan Park Reserve. John will discuss work conducted to restore, establish, and manage wildlife habitats, especially prairies, at Crow-Hassan. Prairie now covers 1,200 acres within the 2,600-acre park which has been established through a mix of seeding and burning in pockets around core, existing prairie. Strategic fires are conducted to help clear remaining trees and nonnative grasses, restore nutrients to the soil, and provide a positive reboot for native plant growth. Grasses are established first. Then every year after a burn, the district overseeds with wildflowers, with additional seedings every five years. To date, 20 species of grasses and sedges have been planted at Crow-Hassan, as have 85 species of wildflowers. Wildlife conservation efforts at the Reserve has included reintroductions of Bullsnakes, Plains Hog-nosed Snakes, and Regal Fritillary as well as management for Blanding’s turtles.

Agenda:

• 9:45-10:00 Gather at Parking Area
• 10:00-12:00 Tour Established Prairie Areas up to Prairie Lake
• 12:00 -12:45 Tour Additional Prairie Establishment (optional)
• 12:45-1:00 Wrap-up Q&A and Discussion

This field trip is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 20 registrants.

Items to bring if you need or want to:

• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Water/snacks
• Bug/tick Spray
• Pen or Pencil
• Notebook
• Plant Identification Books
• Hand Lens
• Boots, tick gators, long pants/sleeves (ticks and poison ivy may be present)

To register for this field trip please contact:

Field Trip Coordinator: Jennifer Kamm. For more information, feel free to contact Jennifer at jennifer.kamm@stantec.com or 612-875-0543

Please register by October 28th

Crow-Hassan Park Reserve Location
12595 Park Drive, Rogers, MN 55374
Park at the Crow-Hassan Trail Head on Park Preserve Road

Directions from the Twin Cities area:

Follow I-494 N, use left two lanes to take exit 27 for I-94 W towards St. Cloud (8.4 mi). Take exit 207A-207B toward MN-101 S (0.8 mi). Keep left at the fork to continue on exit 207A, follow signs for MN-101/County Rd 81/Rogers (0.3 mi). Use the 2nd from the left lane to turn left onto MN-101 S (0.2 mi). Continue onto Main Street. Turn right on Main Street (1.1 mi). Turn left onto Territorial Rd (2.3 mi). Turn left onto Hassan Parkway (1.6 mi). Turn right onto Park Drive. Park at the Crow-Hassan Trail head (green pin drop on image below).