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I first became acquainted with Minnesota DNR Scientific and Natural Areas (”SNA’s”) I drove along Highway 61 from Duluth. There are two SNA’s showing up on signs as you drive by: Ionas Beach in Lake County and Sugarloaf Point in Cook County.
When I was ready to sell my 22.95-acre Mississippi River Island, river milepost 1160, SE of Grand Rapids in Itasca County, I contacted the Nature Conservancy. They in turn contacted the DNR’s SNA folks, and very soon my island become the centerpiece of the Oxbow SNA. More about that later.
What we don’t know from highway signs is the number of other SNAs in our area. You can create SNA tours of your own. Consider this list:
–Myhr Creek Ridge, 4 acres near Hovland.
–Spring Beauty Northern Hardwoods, 115 acres near the Flute Reed River.
–Butterwort Cliffs in Cascade State Park.
–Lutsen: 720 acres north of the ski area and golf course.
–Moose Mountain: 177 acres in St. Louis County.
–Minnesota Pine Forest at the end of Minnesota Point, Duluth.
–Sand Lake Peatland in Finland Forest; and a bunch more in the Arrowhead
Purvis Lake-Ober Foundation SNA, Kawishiwi Pines, Lost Lake Peatland, Eagles Nest Island No. 4, and Burntside Islands.
Before you read further, if you want the info from the horse’s mouth, just internet search the name plus SNA. Alternatively, there is a map of Arrowhead SNAs: Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas | Find by Map | Minnesota DNR (state. mn.us). Click on the teardrop and voila, full information appears.
Why does our state government bother with SNA’s? Here is what the State DNR says: “Scientific and Natural Areas are exceptional places where native plants and animals flourish; where rare species are protected; and where we can know, and study, Minnesota’s fascinating natural features. They protect natural features of exceptional scientific or educational value including: native plant communities, populations of rare species, and geological features. They may also contain: successional processes, relict flora or fauna, natural formations, fossil evidence, habitat for concentrations of animals, or vantage points for observing migration routes or other animal concentrations.”
Grand Rapids is at the southern extremity of the Iron Range and not to close to Highway 61. But the 25 years we owned the island left indelible memories of the place and the people who came there. So, I will use the Oxbow SNA to show more detail about why we conserve these places.
From the Oxbow SNA web page: “Mississippi Oxbow SNA is located south of the unincorporated community of Blackberry in Itasca County, where the river takes a serpentine route, looping in tight meanders known as oxbows. The island site is both a recent addition to the SNA roster and a relatively recent island, geologically speaking. According to early accounts, the 23 acres were separated from the west bank in 1911 when the river created a short cut, slicing a new channel that bypassed an earlier loop.
Only a small, (~1.5- acre) knob at the western tip of the island remains reliably high and dry, supporting an upland forest with a canopy of white pine, red pine, white spruce, and paper birch. Here, one finds a diverse understory of blueberry, beaked hazelnut, prickly gooseberry, ground pine and balsam fir. (We tented on that high ground. We were told by prior owners that about 5 acres total remained dry during spring flood season. The rest of the ground cover dies and is reborn each year.)
Why protect a relatively small site in such a dynamic environment? It’s important to see this SNA in a landscape context, for the contribution it makes to the health of the larger floodplain system. The high quality, undisturbed terrace and floodplain forests here are part of a stretch of riverway ranked as “outstanding” by Minnesota Biological Survey ecologists, containing the best example of a floodplain forest complex in the Tamarack Lowlands Subsection. Nearby lands with conservation value include 134 acres of state land to the east with designated old-growth lowland hardwood forest, and an 89-acre private parcel to the west protected by an Aquatic Management Area (AMA) easement. To the north of the SNA, land on both sides of the river is part of a designated Itasca County wildflower sanctuary and recreation area. Collectively, these provide critical habitat for rare, state-listed species, including Northern goshawk (special concern) and Blanding’s turtle (threatened), both documented within two miles of the SNA.
Or make the steep climb up to the island’s western edge for a dry vantage point from which to consider the meandering Mississippi, minute by minute remaking its route.” When the trek to the high ground with camping supplies and food became too onerous, it was time for my nearly 80-year-old legs to admit that others should get that chance. That could be you.
But remember, no camping overnight and access is by canoe from 5 and 8 river miles upstream or perhaps other ways that have been created recently. The state says that getting there is: From US Hwy 2 near Blackberry 4.8 miles S (right) on Co Rd 72 (Happy Hollow Rd), then 0.3 miles W (right) to boat access on Mississippi River and park. (Canoe and small boat access only.) Site is 5.5 river miles S on the Mississippi River. SNA is on E (left) riverbank. Accessible by boat.”
An alternative water access is to go to Herb Beers Landing on the west side of the river, 8 miles upstream. There is a concrete boat ramp there. In either case, best to get a canoe map for that part of the river, stop at milepost 1160.
If you go, let me know of your experience and what you found.
Steve Aldrich is a retired Hennepin County lawyer, judge, and mediator, serving as judge from 1997-2010. He and his wife moved here in 2016. He likes to remember that he was a Minnesota Super Family Lawyer before being elected to the bench. Now he is among the most vulnerable to viruses. Steve really enjoys doing weddings, the one thing a retired judge can do without appointment by the Chief Justice. Bouquets and brickbats to the editor or stevealdrich41@gmail.com. Copyright Stephen C. Aldrich and News Herald, 2022
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