what a shame we can't do better.

along

the

way

while

reading

interpretive

signs.

Visit

often

to

find

out

what’s

new

and

to

explore

the

wetlands

as

they

develop.

Finally,

wetlands

are

living

classrooms

--‐

places

to

learn

about

chemistry,

biology,

and

an

area’

cultural

history

involving

things

like

wild--‐rice,

fishing,

and

canoeing,

just

to

name

a

few

Minnesota

traditions.

1.

Seasonally

flooded

basin

Near

creek,

floods,

but

is

well

drained

2.

Fresh

meadow,

Sedge

meadow,

Wet

mesic

prairie

Mix

of

grasses

and

forbs,

waterlogged

below

surface

3.

Shallow

marsh

Usually

covered

with

shallow

water,

with

grasses,

rushes

4.

Deep

marsh

Water

stands

up

to

3

feet

deep,

with

marsh

grasses,

bulrush,

cattails

5.

Shallow

open

water

Up

to

10

feet

of

water,

with

lilies,

rushes

6.

Shrub

carr

Waterlogged

at

surface,

with

shrubs

7.

Wooded

swamp

Waterlogged

at

surface,

with

trees

One

prominent

site

feature

that

did

not

exist

before

is

the

lake.

Its

creation

represents

a

unique

partnership

between

the

planning/ownership

team

and

Ready--‐Mix,

a

local

concrete

and

aggregates

company.

As

plans

began

to

take

shape

for

restoring

the

wetlands,

the

team

was

approached

by

Ready

Mix,

which

needed

a

new

and

local

source

of

sand

while

it

worked

to

develop

a

new

gravel

pit

site.

After

testing

the

sand

and

gravel

resources

under

the

over--‐grown

pastures

at

Cascade

Meadow,

the

restoration

team

devised

a

plan

that

incorporated

the

sand

and

gravel

mining

operation

into

the

broader

restoration

of

the

site.

The

dredging

removed

200,000

tons

of

sand

and

gravel,

leaving

the

deep--‐water

lake

habitat

and

a

shoreline

shaped

to

include

two

wetland

types

usually

associated

with

lakes

or

ponds

and

not

possible

without

the

lake

on

site.

Restoring

the

wetlands

at

Cascade

Meadow

requires

a

long--‐term

commitment

to

the

maintenance

of

ecological

diversity

and

environmental

quality.

We

already

know

that

invasive

plants

such

as

reed

canary

grass

and

sandbar

willow

will

present

a

challenge

to

the

ongoing

health

of

our

wetlands

and

uplands.

As

such,

our

long--‐term

maintenance

plans

will

include

annual

mowing

and

occasional

controlled

burning

and

selective

wetland--‐appropriate

herbicides

when

deemed

necessary.

Cascade

Meadow’s

website

provides

lots

of

additional

information

about

various

sustainability

technologies.

Visit

www.cascademeadow.org

for

more

details,

and

watch

the

website’s

Events

page

to

learn

about

upcoming

workshops

and

events

that

can

help

answer

your

sustainability

questions.

demonstrate



educate



participate

2900 19th Street NW

.

PO Box 6532

.

Rochester, MN 55903

.

Ph: 507.252.8133

.

Fax: 507.288.2994

www.cascademeadow.org