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The last column introduced faithful readers to Scientific and Natural Areas operated by the state’s Department of Natural Resources in the Arrowhead. Now we look at some detail on the ones nearest Highway 61. Less Wondering may result. Before we do that, consider this already broken news:
WTIP reports that “Cook County is one step closer to having another state recognized Scientific and Natural Area (SNA).
“The newest addition to the SNA designated locations in Cook County will be known as the Icelandite* Coastal Fen, a 25-acre site near Colvill. Located about 10 miles from Grand Marais near Kimball Creek, the site has been under consideration to become an SNA for more than two decades. (*Keep reading. The spelling is not mine, for good reason.)
“Molly Roske, scientific and natural area supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources based in Duluth, presented information on the request of the “state-to-state” transfer of ownership of the parcel during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, Sept. 28.
“Icelandite Coastal Fen is one of only a few existing coastal wetlands along the North Shore and one of two fens immediately adjacent to Lake Superior. The term ‘fen’ is used to describe a class of open, wetland plant communities dominated by sedges, which develop where the ground surface is continuously wet and a layer of dead plant material accumulates to form peat, according to the DNR. The differences in the environmental conditions of bogs, fens, and wet meadows are reflected in the plants that grow in them, Roske said.
“The specific area east of town is located in an area of Icelandite bedrock. The site also contains rare species, including auricled twayblade, a state-endangered orchid known from only nine other locations in the state.
….
“SNAs protect the best of Minnesota’s remaining natural landscapes, according to the DNR. They are managed to perpetuate and enhance these features and are generally open to the public for compatible nature-based recreation, education, and research, according to the DNR. Protection of Icelandite Coastal Fen as an SNA would help Minnesota advance toward the DNR’s goal of protecting adequate representative samples of Minnesota’s habitats.
“Following the county board’s approval on a 4-1 vote, the acquisition would likely close by December or early 2022, Roske said.”
From DNR websites:
—Myhr Creek Ridge is four acres near Hovland. “This remarkable SNA straddles a 4-square mile, east-west oriented ridge of Keweenawan bedrock that rises 439 feet above Lake Superior near Hovland. …. In late 2019, the SNA was expanded with the addition of an adjacent 80-acre parcel. The land adds important elements to the diversity of the SNA, says longtime MBS ecologist Chel Anderson, “providing excellent representation of Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop, Bedrock Shrubland (inland) and the fire-dependent Jack Pine Woodland (Bedrock) communities, as well as high-quality Northern Poor Dry-Mesic Mixed Woodland.”
Spring Beauty Northern Hardwoods is near the Flute Reed River. “It protects a rare, 115-acre stand of old-growth northern hardwoods dominated by sugar maple and upland white cedar forest. Aspenbirch forest occurs on site at comparatively lower elevations, and a small beaver complex is found at the northern edge of the SNA along the Flute Reed River. Two state-listed rare species of sweet cicely have been documented, including a small population of Chilean sweet cicely, (Osmorhiza berteroi) and its relative the blunt-fruited sweet cicely (Osmorhiza depauperata).
The ‘spring beauty’ for which the SNA is named is the Carolina spring-beauty (Claytonia caroliniana), an ephemeral wildflower found in extreme northeastern MN.”
Butterwort Cliffs is in Cascade State Park on the Lake side of Highway 61. “The native plant community occupies the areas of wave-swept rock shore and basalt cliffs. The cool, moist microclimate along the lake provides habitat for an unique assemblage of rare arctic-alpine plants including butterwort and Hudson Bay eyebright, both listed as special concern species in Minnesota. Superior’s north shore is known to host at least 23 of these arctic ‘disjunct’ species, so named because they are separated from their main ranges. As co-authors Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer write in their book, North Shore, these plants are “holdovers from glacial times,’ which became separated in some cases by more than six hundred miles from their main ranges in the Arctic tundra or in the cordilleran, or mountainous, regions of western North America.”
Lutsen is 720 acres north of the ski area and golf course. “This site’s ridges, slopes, cliffs and valleys support one of the largest blocks of essentially undisturbed old-growth northern hardwood forest in Minnesota. At the heart of the SNA is the 240-acre Scherer Conservation Unit, donated to the state for this purpose by local landowner Lloyd Scherer and his family.”
Sand Lake Peatland. “A GPS and detailed topographical maps are advised to visit this site. This site has no maintained trails or other recreational facilities. This site is within Finland State Forest.
“One word: “Outstanding.” That’s the statewide biodiversity ranking for the Headwaters Site, a 38,713-acre area of public and private lands in northeastern Minnesota that includes the Sand Lake Peatland SNA. Four rivers emanate from this remote, relatively undisturbed landscape, including the St. Louis River, a major tributary to Lake Superior.
“Sand Lake Peatland SNA contributes to the diversity of the Headwaters Site with 36 native plant communities. Northern spruce bog and poor fen dominate overall, with good representation of northern rich fen and rich tamarack swamp in association with water tracks.
Remember, you can find any Minnesota SNA at this website: Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas | Find by Map | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us). Just click on an Icon to learn what the DNR tells you about a site.
Now you know the ways to NSAs. Happy hiking and looking.
Psst. [Before today, how many of us had known of Northern Poor Dry-Mesic Mixed Woodland or Osmorhiza depauperate? More STEMs needed.]
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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