Minnesota Seasons - Minnesota Valley NWR, Black Dog Preserve Unit



			Dakota County
			Metro Area

		Driving Directions Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone. Your Address (street address and either city and state or ZIP code)

Size

1505 acres

Maps


Long Meadow Lake and Black Dog Units Trail Map (USFWS)

Printable Maps with GPS coordinates

Complete		West Section

Parking

Cliff Road
Park in the Cliff Fen Park parking lot on the north side of Cliff Road.
N44 47.220, W93 16.540

West Black Dog Road
There is a small parking area by the observation platform on the south side of West Black Dog Road.
N44 48.443, W93 15.989

Hiking Trails

Black Dog Trail
From Cliff Fen Park to near Blackdog Park: 1.62 miles

Hunting

No hunting

Ecological Classification

Province

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

Section

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

Subsection(s)

St. Paul-Baldwin Plains

Land Type Association(s)

Pig’s Eye Alluvial Plain

Wescott Moraine

Native Plant Communities¹

Calcareous Fen (Southeastern)

Mesic Prairie (Southern)

Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland

Seepage Meadow/Carr

Ownership

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Links

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Comments

Former Black Dog Nature Preserve SNA
Black Dog Preserve Scientific and Natural Area was de-designated an SNA on November 9, 2011. In December, 2011, the USFWS acquired an additional 126 acres. The Nature Conservancy donated 95 acres it owned and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources donated or sold an additional 31 acres of state owned land. Together, these two parcels comprised the former Black Dog Nature Preserve SNA. Following the acquisition, the Black Dog Trail was closed until July 25, 2012, while the US Fish & Wildlife Service completed a refuge evaluation.

Wildlife Sanctuary
Until 2012, a very small part of this preserve was a wildlife sanctuary and was accessible only to those with a research permit from the Minnesota DNR. The former(?) sanctuary could be viewed in its entirety from the adjacent raised railroad tracks.

Visits

5/7/2009


Visitor Photos

Share your photo of this destination.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.

Crystal Boyd



MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Mesic Prairie (Southern)

Camera


Slideshows

	Black Dog Nature Preserve SNA Brian

	About Black Dog Nature Preserve Scientific and Natural Area in Savage, Minnesota, just south of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul). For other photos from this site, click here.

slideshow


Visitor Videos

Share your video of this destination.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more videos or YouTube link(s) and, if you like, a caption.


Other Videos

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

Share your sightings, observations, or impressions of this destination.
			This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.

Robert Briggs

Fungi and Lichens	Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus)

Wayne Rasmussen

Birds	Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Crystal Boyd

Plants	blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium sp.) edible valerian (Valeriana edulis var. ciliata) hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum) swamp buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus) yellow star-grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)



MinnesotaSeasons.com Observations

Amphibians	USFWS Wildlife Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units)

Birds	Black Dog Lake is an important stop for migrating waterfowl.

	USFWS Bird Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units)

	American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Fungi and Lichens	Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus)

Insects and Arachnids	Leaf beetles have been released here by the DNR in an effort to control the spread of purple loosestrife.

	USFWS Damselfly and Dragonfly Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units) USFWS Wildlife Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units) (butterflies)

	American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) eastern tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma americanum) eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) sumac flea beetle (Blepharida rhois)

Mammals	USFWS Wildlife Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units)

	eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants	Many rare calcareous fen species once found on this site no longer grow here. Water levels have been reduced due to draw down from urban wells.

	Six plant species with conservation status in Minnesota and one species on the watch list are found here:
	Threatened	edible valerian (Valeriana edulis var. ciliata) hair-like beak-rush (Rhynchospora capillacea) sterile sedge (Carex sterilis) whorled nut-rush (Scleria verticillata)

	Special concern	small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum) smooth sawgrass (Cladium mariscoides)

	Watch list	stiff cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior)

	Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Plant List

	Plants frequently found in: Calcareous Fen (Southeastern) OPp93c Mesic Prairie (Southern) UPs23a Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland FDs37b Seepage Meadow/Carr WMs83a1

	Common Name Scientific Name American black currant (Ribes americanum) American elm (Ulmus americana) American plum (Prunus americana) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) boxelder (Acer negundo) bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus var. nitidus) Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) cleavers (Galium aparine) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) edible valerian (Valeriana edulis var. ciliata) garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) smooth yellow violet (Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula) stinging nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris var. palustris) Acer negundo (boxelder) Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Caltha palustris var. palustris (yellow marsh marigold) Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood) Fragaria virginiana (common strawberry) Galium aparine (cleavers) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Lithospermum canescens (hoary puccoon) Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Prunus americana (American plum) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) Ranunculus hispidus var. nitidus (bristly buttercup) Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) Ribes americanum (American black currant) Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (stinging nettle) Valeriana edulis var. ciliata (edible valerian) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula (smooth yellow violet) Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Reptiles	USFWS Wildlife Checklist (Minnesota Valley NWR, All Units)