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.

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Butterfly and Flower

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


PDFZIPSectionPage
FSPCover (PDF)FSPCover (PDF)Cover PageN/A
FSPExec (PDF)FSPExec (PDF)Executive Summaryi-v
FSP1t4 (PDF)FSP1t4 (PDF)Introduction - Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan1
FSP5t9 (PDF)FSP5t9 (PDF)Challenges and Opportunities1
Clay County Beach Ridges Forum and The Planning Process4
Background5
History of Felton Prairie Conservation Activities6
Issues8
FSP10t12 (PDF)FSP10t12 (PDF)Prairie Resource Considerations10
N/AN/APrairie Resources Inventory10
FSP13t14 (PDF)FSP13t14 (PDF)Dry Prairie13
Mesic Prairie13
Wet Prairie14
Calcareous Seepage Fens14
Shrub Swamp14
FSP15 (PDF) FSP16 (PDF) FSP17 (PDF)FSP15 (PDF) FSP16 (PDF) FSP17 (PDF)Rare Species Inventory15
N/AN/AButterflies15
FSP18t19 (PDF)FSP18t19 (PDF)Birds18
FSP20t22 (PDF)FSP20t22 (PDF)Small Mammals20
Reptiles21
Plants21
FSP22t23 (PDF)FSP22t23 (PDF)Fragmentation22
FSP24t25 (PDF)FSP24t25 (PDF)Calcareous Fen Study24
FSP26t27FSP26t27Aggregate Resource Considerations26
Regional Consumption26
Clay and Cass County Consumption26
FSP28t31 (PDF)FSP28t31 (PDF)Felton Prairie Aggregate Resources28
Summary of the Division of Lands and Minerals Study28
Resistivity Study of Bicentennial Prairie30
FSP32t35 (PDF)FSP32t35 (PDF)Impacts of Fen Study on Gravel Mining32
General Assessment of Aggregate Resources34
Northern Clay County Aggregate Needs34
FSP36t45 (PDF)FSP36t45 (PDF)Mining Alternatives for the Clay County Mine36
Alt. 1: Continue to Mine for County Use36
Alt. 2: County Use Lease to Industry Sooner40
Alt. 3: Continue Surface Mining42
Alt. 4: Lease to Industry42
Assessment of Mining Alternatives43
Mining Recommendations44
Current County Mine Management44
Management of County Lands Beyond Footprint44
FSP46t47 (PDF)FSP46t47 (PDF)Felton Prairie Stewardship Plan46
Prairie - Aggregate Conflicts46
Fen - Aggregate Conflicts46
FSP48t49 (PDF)FSP48t49 (PDF)Planning Criteria48
FSP50 (PDF)FSP50 (PDF)Parcel Recommendations50
FSP51 (PDF) FSP52t54 (PDF) FSP55t56 (PDF) FSP57t58 (PDF) FSP59t60 (PDF)FSP51 (PDF) FSP52t54 (PDF) FSP55t56 (PDF) FSP57t58 (PDF) FSP59t60 (PDF)Mine and Reclaim51
FSP61 (PDF) FSP62t63 (PDF) FSP64t65 (PDF) FSP66t68 (PDF)FSP61 (PDF) FSP62t63 (PDF) FSP64t65 (PDF) FSP66t68 (PDF)Restore61
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 Transfer69
N/AN/AGeneral Resource Management Recommendations88
FSP89t92 (PDF)FSP89t92 (PDF)Implementation Recommendations89
Management Coordination89
Alternate Aggregate Resources89
Education and Research89
Passive Recreation89
Conclusion90
Bibliography91