Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Overview |
At 846 acres, Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve is the second largest park in the Wright County park system. It consists of two units separated by Endicott Avenue NW. A recent land acquisition has connected the two units. The larger West Unit consists of hilly oak woodland, one mile of wooded shoreline around Mary Lake, a small unnamed lake surrounded by marsh, and a second small marsh. The East Unit includes a prairie restoration on a hill, a wetland, and a hardwood plantation. The plantation is mostly red oak and elm. Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve is adjacent to the 245-acre Maple Lake Wildlife Management Area. There are more than 10 miles of natural surface hiking trails. |
History |
In August of 1970 Albert Ney arranged to have land deeded to Wright County upon his death along with a trust fund. That land became Robert Ney Memorial Park. The trust fund was used to purchase additional lands, and the park grew to 360 acres by 1991. A small chapel was erected in 1973 to honor Albert’s son Robert, who died in World War II. The Environmental Education Center, now called Ney Nature Center, was constructed in 1996. By 2011, the park had expanded to 866 acres, and it was renamed Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve. |
Management |
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Location |
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Size |
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846 acres East Unit: 395 acres West Unit: 451 acres |
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Parking |
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5212 73rd St. NW West Unit East Unit |
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6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. |
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No fee |
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Maps |
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Activities |
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Hiking Trail running Biking Mountain biking Horseback riding Picnicking Camping Swimming Boating Canoeing Birding Nature photography Horseshoes Volleyball Geocaching Cross country skiing Skate-skiing Winter hiking Snowshoeing Snowmobiling |
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Trails |
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Hunting and Fishing |
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Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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| Ecological Province |  |
Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province |
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Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal |
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Big Woods |
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| Land Type Association | Maple Plain Moraine |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Prairie) |
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| * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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West Unit |
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Information kiosk | |
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Robert E. Ney Memorial Chapel |
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Ney Nature Center |
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Silver Creek |
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Silver Creek Trail |
Drop-Tine Trail | |
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Pond Trail |
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Unnamed lake |
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Unnamed trail to Mary Lake |
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Unmapped bridge on unnamed trail from Mary Lake |
Prairie | |
East Unit |
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Prairie and wetland | |
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| Large pond and wetland | Small pond and cattail marsh |
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Trails |
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Slideshows |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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October 27 2013 Trumpeter Swan Rescue |
About
Published on Oct 27, 2013 Swan rescue at the Robert E Ney Nature Reserve in Wright county Minnesota near Maple Lake. The swan was transported to the Wildlife Rehab Center in Roseville, MN for a evaluation of it's wing injury. |
My Granddaughters First Dogsled Ride |
About
Published on Feb 23, 2013 Running with my Siberian Huskies at Robert Ney Memorial Park, Minnesota |
Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
2/15/2016 6/8/2016 |
Amphibians |
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Ameroasian treefrogs (Dryophytes spp.) |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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Insects and Arachnids |
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bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) bee-mimic robber flies (Laphria spp.) black cherry finger gall mite (Eriophyes cerasicrumena) black giant ichneumonid wasp (Megarhyssa atrata) clouded sulphur (Colias philodice) common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) common green darner (Anax junius) common whitetail (Plathemis lydia) dot-tailed whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta) eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis) eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) four-spotted skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) hackberry nipplegall maker (Pachypsylla celtidismamma) ironwood leaf gall maker (Eriophyes sp.) linden looper (Erannis tiliaria) maple bladdergall mite (Vasates quadripedes) multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta) plum finger gall mite (Eriophyes emarginatae) red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) river jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis) twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) western honey bee (Apis mellifera) western thatching ant (Formica obscuripes) |
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Mammals |
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American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) |
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Plants |
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Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List |
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Plants frequently found in: |
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alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa) Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum) American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana) American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) American elm (Ulmus americana) American gromwell (Lithospermum latifolium) American groundnut (Apios americana) American highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) American vetch (Vicia americana ssp. americana) American woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca ssp. americana) annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus) balsam fir (Abies balsamea var. balsamea) Bell’s honeysuckle (Lonicera × bella) big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black maple (Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Blue Ridge carrionflower (Smilax lasioneura) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense) Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis) Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) clustered black snakeroot (Sanicula odorata) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common chickweed (Stellaria media) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata) downy Parlin’s pussytoes (Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax) downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens) early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) eastern star sedge (Carex radiata) eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus) Lindley’s aster (Symphyotrichum ciliolatum) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard (Crepis tectorum) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica) oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) paper birch (Betula papyrifera) Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus) pineapple-weed (Matricaria discoidea) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa) red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) sandbar willow (Salix interior) sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) shining bedstraw (Galium concinnum) Siberian peashrub (Caragana arborescens) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) silvery cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea) slender willow (Salix petiolaris) smooth rose (Rosa blanda var. blanda) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) southern blue flag (Iris virginica var. shrevei) starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum) stiff cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) tall blue lettuce (Lactuca biennis) touch-me-not (Impatiens sp.) upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white rattlesnake root (Nabalus albus) white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius)
Abies balsamea var. balsamea (balsam fir) Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum (black maple) Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple) Actaea rubra ssp. rubra (red baneberry) Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot) Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut) Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem) Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone) Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax (downy Parlin’s pussytoes) Apios americana (American groundnut) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Betula papyrifera (paper birch) Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) Caragana arborescens (Siberian peashrub) Carex radiata (eastern star sedge) Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory) Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet) Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry) Chenopodium album (common lambsquarters) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood) Crepis tectorum (narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard) Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort) Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover) Enemion biternatum (eastern false rue anemone) Equisetum arvense (field horsetail) Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane) Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane) Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (American woodland strawberry) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium concinnum (shining bedstraw) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed) Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian’s sunflower) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Impatiens sp. (touch-me-not) Iris virginica var. shrevei (southern blue flag) Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar) Lactuca biennis (tall blue lettuce) Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle) Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort) Leucanthemum vulgare (oxeye daisy) Lithospermum latifolium (American gromwell) Lonicera × bella (Bell’s honeysuckle) Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal) Matricaria discoidea (pineapple-weed) Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (ostrich fern) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa) Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed) Nabalus albus (white rattlesnake root) Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam) Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) Oxypolis rigidior (stiff cowbane) Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine) Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Ribes missouriense (Missouri gooseberry) Rosa blanda var. blanda (smooth rose) Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry) Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata (cut-leaved coneflower) Salix interior (sandbar willow) Salix petiolaris (slender willow) Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry) Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) Sanicula odorata (clustered black snakeroot) Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort) Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion) Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower) Smilax lasioneura (Blue Ridge carrionflower) Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade) Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod) Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod) Stellaria media ssp. media (common chickweed) Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry) Symphyotrichum ciliolatum (Lindley’s aster) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue) Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue) Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone) Thuja occidentalis (northern white cedar) Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard) Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Viburnum opulus var. americanum (American highbush cranberry) Vicia americana ssp. americana (American vetch) Viola pubescens (downy yellow violet) |
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