Prescribed Burn

On May 12th, Red Rock Fire (a Minnesota Native Landscapes company) conducted a small prescribed burn at Nine Mile Creek Watershed District’s property located at 12800 Gerard Drive in Eden Prairie. The prescribed burn took approximately one hour and burned 0.4 acres of the southeast part of the District’s property. The purpose of the burn was to prepare the area for a native prairie planting. Permits for the burn were issued by Eden Prairie and the Department of Natural Resources.

Habitat Restoration

The prescribed burn is part of ongoing habitat restoration work the District is undertaking at its office site. The District recently finished Phase 3  of the habitat restoration, which began in early April 2021. This final phase of habitat restoration focused on removing the last portion of buckthorn from the 5-acre property. In this phase, the District partnered with the City of Eden Prairie to also remove buckthorn from adjacent city property. Buckthorn removal began on April 1, 2021, and was finished the following week. Minnesota Native Landscapes (MNL), the contractor for the restoration work,  used a forestry mower for most of the buckthorn removal on the District’s and City’s property. After the removal, MNL laid down straw and hydromulch to prevent erosion of the steep slope. They also installed a native seed mix. As the spring continues, they will plant shrubs and trees to complete the restoration.

Watch a short 5 minute video on the Phase 3 habitat restoration work at Discovery Point. Find out more about the project here.