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Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan
Felton Prairie Stewardship Committee
The Felton Prairie Stewardship Committee was organized in 1997 as an outcome of the Clay County Beach Ridges Forum. Development of the stewardship plan was funded by the Minnesota Legislature as recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) in 1999. The plan addresses land use for approximately 3,000 acres of public land in northern Clay County, east of Felton, Minnesota. The LCMR grant also funded an aggregate resource evaluation completed in 2000 and reclamation of an abandoned gravel mine known as the Zillmer site. Signs interpreting the prairie, gravel mining and reclamation process have been installed at a public parking area and overlook developed at the Zillmer reclamation site.
Origin of the Plan
The need for this plan arose from land use conflicts. The origin of these conflicts results from the co-location of valuable and scarce resources: native prairie and concrete-grade aggregate. Beneath portions of the prairie where endangered species breed and fulfill their life cycles lies high quality aggregate. The Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan addresses how the resources, both mineral and biological, can be managed or balanced for the long-term benefit of citizens in Clay County and the State of Minnesota.
Additional Ownership Options
If you would like to obtain the Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan on a CD, email Clay County Planning and Zoning or call at 218-299-5005.
Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan File Table of Contents
| ZIP | Section | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSPCover (PDF) | FSPCover (PDF) | Cover Page | N/A |
| FSPExec (PDF) | FSPExec (PDF) | Executive Summary | i-v |
| FSP1t4 (PDF) | FSP1t4 (PDF) | Introduction - Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan | 1 |
| FSP5t9 (PDF) | FSP5t9 (PDF) | Challenges and Opportunities | 1 |
| Clay County Beach Ridges Forum and The Planning Process | 4 | ||
| Background | 5 | ||
| History of Felton Prairie Conservation Activities | 6 | ||
| Issues | 8 | ||
| FSP10t12 (PDF) | FSP10t12 (PDF) | Prairie Resource Considerations | 10 |
| N/A | N/A | Prairie Resources Inventory | 10 |
| FSP13t14 (PDF) | FSP13t14 (PDF) | Dry Prairie | 13 |
| Mesic Prairie | 13 | ||
| Wet Prairie | 14 | ||
| Calcareous Seepage Fens | 14 | ||
| Shrub Swamp | 14 | ||
| FSP15 (PDF) FSP16 (PDF) FSP17 (PDF) | FSP15 (PDF) FSP16 (PDF) FSP17 (PDF) | Rare Species Inventory | 15 |
| N/A | N/A | Butterflies | 15 |
| FSP18t19 (PDF) | FSP18t19 (PDF) | Birds | 18 |
| FSP20t22 (PDF) | FSP20t22 (PDF) | Small Mammals | 20 |
| Reptiles | 21 | ||
| Plants | 21 | ||
| FSP22t23 (PDF) | FSP22t23 (PDF) | Fragmentation | 22 |
| FSP24t25 (PDF) | FSP24t25 (PDF) | Calcareous Fen Study | 24 |
| FSP26t27 | FSP26t27 | Aggregate Resource Considerations | 26 |
| Regional Consumption | 26 | ||
| Clay and Cass County Consumption | 26 | ||
| FSP28t31 (PDF) | FSP28t31 (PDF) | Felton Prairie Aggregate Resources | 28 |
| Summary of the Division of Lands and Minerals Study | 28 | ||
| Resistivity Study of Bicentennial Prairie | 30 | ||
| FSP32t35 (PDF) | FSP32t35 (PDF) | Impacts of Fen Study on Gravel Mining | 32 |
| General Assessment of Aggregate Resources | 34 | ||
| Northern Clay County Aggregate Needs | 34 | ||
| FSP36t45 (PDF) | FSP36t45 (PDF) | Mining Alternatives for the Clay County Mine | 36 |
| Alt. 1: Continue to Mine for County Use | 36 | ||
| Alt. 2: County Use Lease to Industry Sooner | 40 | ||
| Alt. 3: Continue Surface Mining | 42 | ||
| Alt. 4: Lease to Industry | 42 | ||
| Assessment of Mining Alternatives | 43 | ||
| Mining Recommendations | 44 | ||
| Current County Mine Management | 44 | ||
| Management of County Lands Beyond Footprint | 44 | ||
| FSP46t47 (PDF) | FSP46t47 (PDF) | Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan | 46 |
| Prairie - Aggregate Conflicts | 46 | ||
| Fen - Aggregate Conflicts | 46 | ||
| FSP48t49 (PDF) | FSP48t49 (PDF) | Planning Criteria | 48 |
| FSP50 (PDF) | FSP50 (PDF) | Parcel Recommendations | 50 |
| FSP51 (PDF) FSP52t54 (PDF) FSP55t56 (PDF) FSP57t58 (PDF) FSP59t60 (PDF) | FSP51 (PDF) FSP52t54 (PDF) FSP55t56 (PDF) FSP57t58 (PDF) FSP59t60 (PDF) | Mine and Reclaim | 51 |
| FSP61 (PDF) FSP62t63 (PDF) FSP64t65 (PDF) FSP66t68 (PDF) | FSP61 (PDF) FSP62t63 (PDF) FSP64t65 (PDF) FSP66t68 (PDF) | Restore | 61 |
| FSP69 (PDF) FSP70t71 (PDF) FSP72t73 (PDF) FSP74t75 (PDF) FSP76t77 (PDF) FSP78t79 (PDF) FSP80t81 (PDF) FSP82t83 (PDF) FSP84t85 (PDF) FSP86t88 (PDF) | FSP69 (PDF) FSP70t71 (PDF) FSP72t73 (PDF) FSP74t75 (PDF) FSP76t77 (PDF) FSP78t79 (PDF) FSP80t81 (PDF) FSP82t83 (PDF) FSP84t85 (PDF) FSP86t88 (PDF) | Preserve and/or Transfer | 69 |
| N/A | N/A | General Resource Management Recommendations | 88 |
| FSP89t92 (PDF) | FSP89t92 (PDF) | Implementation Recommendations | 89 |
| Management Coordination | 89 | ||
| Alternate Aggregate Resources | 89 | ||
| Education and Research | 89 | ||
| Passive Recreation | 89 | ||
| Conclusion | 90 | ||
| Bibliography | 91 |