2022 Friends Group Habitat Restoration Grants Recap

Friends of Blue Mounds State Park

Replacing shade trees in the campground/use areas with hardy native species.

• 12 volunteer hours
• 10 trees planted

Friends of the Casey Jones State Trail

Worked with volunteers to collect native prairie seeds along the trail for a spring seeding.

• 32.5 volunteer hours
• $149.25 local cash match

Frontenac State Park Association

Planted 23 trees of various species to replace ash trees decimated by the emerald ash borer.

• 23 trees planted
• 42 volunteer hours
• $560 financial match

Friends of Indian Heights

Establishment of a deer exclosure fence around 8 acres of prairie.*

*This project is currently on hold due to adverse weather conditions. Work will be completed in spring of 2023.

• $3,035 financial match

Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park

Planting oak seedlings, oak saplings, and a variety of native forbs/grasses/sedges on park land cleared of buckthorn as part of a long-term habitat restoration project.

• 355 trees planted
• 105 pounds of native seed mix spread
• $1,010 financial match
• 538 volunteer hours

Back Country Horsemen of Minnesota (Zumbro Bottoms Chapter)

Restoring the natural trail surface on Paddy’s Trail in the Zumbro Bottoms Forest Recreation Unit and planting red osier dogwoods along a stretch of damaged trail.*

*This project is still in progress. Check back in early summer 2023 for updates!

• $2,770 financial match