St. Croix Savanna SNA
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Ownership |
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Links |
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Overview |
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This 148-acre Scientific and Natural Area offers a diversity of habitats just minutes away from the Twin Cities. On the south part of the site there is a high quality oak savanna on a steep, southwest facing hillside. An oak woodland bordering an intermittent stream forms the southwest boundary. On the west, an upland prairie is undergoing restoration on a former gravel pit. The isolated north sections are on an oak forested river bluff. |
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History |
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Management |
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In 2005 the Minnesota DNR began reestablishing prairie larkspur on the site. The effort has proved successful. In 2013 volunteers participated in a day of buckthorn removal. In June 2014, and again in June 2020, leafy spurge was was treated with herbicide. |
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Comments |
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Location |
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Maps |
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Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates |
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Size |
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154 acres |
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Parking |
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There are two designated parking locations for this SNA. The first is a hard-packed area at the end of Prairie Way S. near the northwest boundary (north parking). North parking (Prairie Way S.) The second parking spot is the shoulder of MN Hwy 95 near the southeast boundary (south parking). MN Hwy 95 is a busy highway. The guard rail that had prevented vehicles from pulling off of the pavement has been removed. Nevertheless, parking on MN Hwy 95 is not recommended. South parking (paved shoulder of MN Hwy. 95) |
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Driving Directions |
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Activities |
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Hiking Trails |
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No maintained trails. There is an access road, basically two worn tire tracks in the grass, that leads from the north parking area, around the prairie reconstruction (see the Detail map [MN DNR] above), and through the oak woodlands, to the bluff near the southeast corner of the SNA. In June 2020 this road appeared to have been mowed (see photos below). The “road” skirts the west side of the prairie reconstruction, and a well-worn footpath skirts the east side, providing a loop around this part of the SNA. |
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Hunting |
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No hunting |
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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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| Ecological Section | Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal |
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| Ecological Subsection | St. Paul-Baldwin Plains and Moraines |
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| Land Type Association | Stillwater Alluvial Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Dry Sand - Gravel Oak Savanna (Southern) |
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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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Share your photo of this destination. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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North parking |
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Wood routed sign, north parking This photo was taken in 2014. In 2020 the sign is hidden by a dense stand of smooth simac. |
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Interpretive sign, north parking |
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South parking |
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Wood routed sign, south parking |
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Former gravel pit |
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Prairie reconstruction on former agricultral field |
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Oak woodland |
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Dry Sand - Gravel Oak Savanna (Southern) |
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Bluff prairie |
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Slideshows |
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| St. Croix Savanna SNA minnesota_snas |
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About
The St. Croix Savanna occurs along the top and side of a south-facing bluff, with views of the St. Croix River. Its slopes of loamy sand have eroded extensively, their soils now supporting an alluvial forest along the bottom. Scattered bur oak and pin oak on the open gravel prairie become increasingly dense toward the northeast and northwest, forming first oak woodland and then oak forest. |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this destination. |
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| This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
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Other Videos |
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| St Croix Savanna SNA Washington Conservation District |
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About
May 20, 2020 Enjoy the sounds and sights of St. Croix Savanna Scientific and Natural Area. This hidden gem is conveniently located along Hwy. 95, just south of Bayport, Minnesota. Join water educator Angie Hong as she hikes through hill prairie and oak savanna, sharing wildflowers in bloom along the way |
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| St Croix Savanna Scientific and Natural Area Virtual Hike Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
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About
Jun 11, 2020 Just south of Stillwater, St. Croix Savanna Scientific and Natural Area sits high above the St. Croix River. Raptors soaring overhead along the river valley is a common site here! This is one of the best remaining examples of hill prairie and oak savanna in the state. Though you may not visit this SNA in person, it is rewarding to know that we, as Minnesotans, have together protected this important habitat for the rare and wild in Minnesota. mndnr.gov/snas/sna01061 |
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_02.jpg "bur oak")
_04.jpg "stiff sunflower (ssp. subrhomboideus)")
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