Transcript hilloway park analysis

HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
City of Minnetonka Parks Renewal Project
Sustainable Design
Aquatic & Terrestrial Restoration
Ecological Stormwater Management
Natural Areas Management
Soil Bioengineering
Landscape Architecture
The Kestrel Design Group, Inc.
5136 Hankerson Ave. Suite 1
Minneapolis, MN 55436
Ph. 952 928-9600 Fax 952 928-1939
www.kestreldesigngroup.com
[email protected]
Introduction
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
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
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
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
MAYFLOWER
PARK
1 Mile
• Nearby Mayflower Park currently provides
playground equipment and other recreational
activities
Introduction
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
Land Development History
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:
• 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
Historical Assessment
T117 R22 S2
,.-
3 94
,.-
494
T117 R22 S10
T117 R22 S11
#
Presettlement Vegetation
Big Woods - Hardwoods
T117 R22 S12










/(
169
T117 R22 S14
Lakes (open water)
Oak Openings and Barrens
Wet Prairie
Section Boundary
1000 0 1000 Feet
N
-This portion of Minnesota was survey in 1854
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Land Development History
Summary of PLS Notes:
Witness Trees
•Primarily Red Oak and White Oaks,
5 to 10 inch diameter, with a few
aspens, 8 inches in diameter
Historical Assessment
31
32
33
34
35
36
6
5
4
3
2
1
7
8
9
10
11
12
18
17
16
15
14
13
19
20
21
22
23
24
30
29
28
27
26
25
31
32
33
34
35
36
M
Timber Oak Openings.
Undergrowth Oak and
Hazle.
11
Timber Oak Openings.
Undergrowth Oak + Hazle.
Section line summaries around
section 11
•Timber oak openings
•Undergrowth oak and aspen, oak
and hazel
Graphic Representation of Public Land Survey Notes
for T117NR22W 5th P.M. Section 11
Timber Oak
Openings.
Undergrowth Oak
and Hazle.
Section was surveyed on November
11-20, 1854 By Hiram Fellows,
Deputy Surveyor
Timber Oak Openings.
Undergrowth Oak +
Hazle.
KEY
Surveyor intersected Oak Opening
Surveyor intersected Marsh
Surveyor intersected road
XX
Section Number
Section Line (1 section = 80 chains =
1 mile)
20 Chain (= 1320') Grid
0
80 chains
1 mile
5 Chain (= 330') Grid
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.
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
Land Development History
Historic Aerial Photo: 1946
• 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
Present Day
Hilloway Park
Boundary
Historical Assessment
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
Land Development History
Historic Aerial Photo: 1953
• Cultivated land has
become fallow/pasture
• Growth of shrubs and
woodlands
Hilloway Road
• Additional roads have
developed, including
Hilloway Road
wetlands
• Pine plantations planted
in the early 1950’s
Historical Assessment
Present Day
Hilloway Park
Boundary
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Land Development History
Historic Aerial Photo: 1962
• Growth of shrubs and
trees around wet areas
• Pine trees becoming
dominate in the
landscape
Pine plantings
• Large fallow field in the
southern 1/3 of park
Fallow field
Present Day
Hilloway Park
Boundary
Historical Assessment
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Land Development History
Historic Aerial Photo: 1971
• 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
Pine plantings
Successional
Shrubs and
trees
• Site in a fallow
condition; pre-invasion
of exotic species
Current
Hilloway Park
Boundary
Historical Assessment
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
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
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?
1971
Historical Assessment
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
Current Land Cover
Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS)
- November 2002
21112
32300
MLCCS
Code
21113
93000
21113
21114
42130
32110
32160
61480
42130
61480
61220
32160
93000
61320
61820
42130
32160
100
0
100 Feet
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
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
21112
32170
Description
10.66
N
Natural Resources Inventory
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Hydrology
NWI WETLANDS
PEMC - [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
Natural Resources Inventory
National Wetland Inventory
(NWI) identified wetland
Potential wetland (not
identified by the NWI)
Surface Watershed Delineation
A
PEMC
B
C
PEMB
24”
Stormsewer
D
30”
Stormsewer
24”
Stormsewer
100
0
100 Feet
N
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Geomorphology
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
Soils Information
Hillowa y P ark
Hen nep in Co unt y S oil S urvey
Nessel loam
marsh
King sley com plex
Heyde r sand y loa m
Heyde r com ple x
Hayde n loam
Ham el loam
Gra ys ve ry f in e sa ndy loa m
Erin clay loam
Bu rn sville san dy lo am
Natural Resources Inventory
Hillowa y P ark
Hen nep in Co unt y S oil S urvey
Nessel loam
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Sense of Place
C
A
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.
F
B
D
E
100
0
100 Feet
N
Perception
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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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
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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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
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
26 November 2002
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
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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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
HILLOWAY PARK ANALYSIS
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Synthesis - Opportunities and Constraints
Constraints
• 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
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