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Fertile Sand Hills Master Plan a Planning Framework for the Fertile Sand Hills

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Fertile Sand Hills Master Plan a Planning Framework for the Fertile Sand Hills FERTILE SAND HILLS MASTER PLAN A PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR THE FERTILE SAND HILLS CITY OF FERTILE October 2019 FERTILE SAND HILLS MASTER PLAN 1 PLANNING TEAM Wayne Goeken, NRSDP Natural Resources Work Group member Dan Wilkens, Mayor of Fertile; AELC Board Member Danielle Spiten, Agassiz ELC Education Program Director Wendell Johnson, Agassiz ELC Board member Lisa Liden - City Administrator Craig Engelstad, Agassiz ELC Board member Stanton Wang, Agassiz ELC Board member Reid Jesrud, Agassiz ELC Board member Nicole Bernd, District Manager for West Polk SWCD, Agassiz ELC Board member Kirsten Fagerlund, Polk County Public Health Gary Kiefert, Agassiz ELC Board member Al Pierson, Agassiz ELC Board member Laurie Fairchild, Agassiz ELC Board member Linda Kingery, Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership Executive Director Jacob Mans, Assistant Professor School of Architecture Thomas Fisher, Director of Minnesota Design Center Alejandra Cervantes Enriquez, Master of Science in Architecture - Research Practices candidate ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project is supported in part through student research assistance provided by the Community Assistantship Program (CAP), a program of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). Funding for this project also includes the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. The planning team would like to thank Agassiz ELC Board and staff, as well community members from in and around the City of Fertile who participated in this planning project. 2 FERTILE SAND HILLS MASTER PLAN Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 Part 1 - INTRODUCTION 7 PART 2 - PROPOSER AND IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES 13 PART 3 - SETTING AND REGIONAL CONTEXT 15 PART 4 - SITE INFORMATION 21 PART 5 - VISION, TRENDS, AND PUBLIC VALUES 23 PART 6 - REGIONAL SIGNIFIGANCE STATEMENT 25 PART 7 - PUBLIC INPUT AND PARTICIPATION 27 PART 8 - DESIGN 37 PART 9 - MANAGEMENT, OPERATIONS & ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION 59 APPENDIX A - ACCESSIBLITY REPORT BY OPTIONS GROUP 3 Master Plan Project List 13 11 projects not indicated on the map are spread throughout the entire Fertile Sand Hills Property** 16 12 14 *Upper Campus Site and the RV/Camp Site are both Future 5 recommended but require more detailed design* Upper Campus 2 Signage 1 - Wayfinding 8 2 - AELC Campus Signage 3 - Interpreta�ve Signage 1 4 - Interpreta�ve Signage 2 Future Accessibility 6 RV/Camp 5 - River Trail Outdoor Recrea�onal Access Route Site 6 - Sand Hills Outdoor Recrea�onal Access Route 7 7 - Improved Van Access along Perimeter 8 - Accessible River Access 15 9 - Informa�on Plan 10 - Motorized Vehicle Access Policy Facility and Grounds Improvements 11 - The Deck 12 - Exis�ng Visitor Center Phase 1 13 - The Bridge 14 - Exis�ng Visitor Center Phase 2 15 - Remote Support Buildings 16 - Camper Cabins 17 - Property Maintenance Maintenance and Management 18 - Sand Dune Management Plan 19 - Prairie Management Plan 20 - Sand Hill River Management Plan 21 - Buckthorn Management Plan 22 - Bike Area Restora�on Plan 23 - Regula�ons Enforcement Policy Figure 1: Master Plan Project for Fertile Sands Hills 4 FERTILE SAND HILLS MASTER PLAN Executive Summary The design of the phyiscal Master Plan for In pursuit of its mission, the AELC: the Fertile Sand Hills focuses on increasing access to this unique ecological resource and 1. Provides hands-on, engaging education pro- providing improvements that connect all users grams for all ages with emphasis on youth. to this environment. The design sets out to • To this end, the master plan includes im- develop a vision that will help transform the provements to the AELC facility indoors and Fertile Sand Hills strategically into a world- outdoors to support the educational pro- class park system. The plan carefully balances gram. the Agassiz Environmental Learning Center’s • The visitor/education center is accessible mission to foster a greater awareness of the • Partnerships with schools and communities interrelationships between humans and nature are strengthened with the City of Fertile’s continued commitment to conserve this landscape for long-time use by 2. Emphasizes protection of the rare ecosystems local, regional, and global communities. found at the Fertile Sand Hills • The master plan describes management for open sand areas, oak savannahs, prairies, Mission river and riparian forests. To foster a greater understanding of the interre- • Partnership with UMC, DNR and TNC provide lationships between humans and nature. management expertise. Vision 3. Provide a space for mental and physical The Agassiz Environmental Learning Center wellness through a variety of recreational provides high quality environmental education opportunities programs and premier recreation experiences • Signage for wayfinding and facility informa- utilizing the diverse and unique ecosystems of tion is improved throughout. the scenic Fertile Sand Hills. • Trails and river access is accessible • Remote support structures offer shelter and creative space. Goals The Fertile Sand Hills property is designated as a park of regional significance by the Greater Min- nesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. 5 Figure 2: Pasque Flowers 6 FERTILE SAND HILLS MASTER PLAN PART 1 - INTRODUCTION "The Fertile Sand Hills are a unique convergence of ecological biomes including oak savanna, dry A primary goal of this master plan is to help the sand prairie, sand dunes, aspen forest and a riv- FSH achieve designation as a park of regional erine corridor. The 640-acre property is located significance. Further, this master plan provides immediately southwest of the city of Fertile, in a working document that can append to future south central Polk County. The City of Fertile ac- Park & Trail Legacy Funding applications as quired the FSH in 1976, as part of the U.S. Bicen- well as to prioritize development projects and Figure 3 - Student stream survey of the Sand Hill River tennial Celebration. In 1985, a grant established marketing strategies that will help make the formation of the AELC and the recreation area's Fertile Sand Hills financially sustainable. primary trail system and in 1991 the AELC was incorporated as a non-profit entity. The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Strategic Plan outlines specific criteria that parks The Fertile Sand Hills (FSH) is home to the Agas- pursuing a regional significance distinction in siz Environmental Learning Center (AELC), and Greater Minnesota must meet: is located immediately southwest of the city of Fertile, in south central Polk County. The City of Natural resource-based settings and range Fertile and the AELC seek to preserve this sci- of activities offered: The park should provide entifically significant area and offer educational a natural setting and offer outdoor recreation opportunities. Figures 3-5 show students engag- facilities and activities that are primarily natural Figure 4 - Students playing at Death Valley 1 ing the FSH. resource-base. The City of Fertile and the AELC are looking to extend this local asset to the greater Minnesota The FSH offer a unique diversity of ecosystems community by enhancing its physical infrastruc- including: oak savanna, dry sand prairie, sand ture and educational/recreational programming dunes, poplar forest, and a riverine corridor. to attract expanded regional and state visitors. Visitors to the Fertile Sand Hills can make use In the fall of 2017, the City of Fertile partnered of over 12 miles of hiking, horseback riding, with the University of Minnesota’s Northwest snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails, a Regional Sustainable Development Partner- campground, an observation deck overlooking ships and Minnesota Design Center to develop the Sand Hill River, and the AELC, which provides a master plan to assess the assets of the Fertile restroom facilities and a multipurpose space for area and develop planning guidelines for the FSH environmental education and community events. that build on local resources and help meet the Attracting more than the average outdoor en- Figure 5 - Student conducting field survey broader needs of the community. thusiast, the FSH hold tremendous potential to Designation 7 expand natural recreation experiences and envi- • Fertile Conservation Club hosts 3D Archery Polk County and extended regional partners that ronmental educational programs from students Events. include healthcare, public health boards includ- to regional, state-wide and international visitors. • MN Conservation Corps completed river tree ing Norman, Mahnomen, and Polk Counties that snagging to facilitate safe river access for are actively promoting work-life wellness through Regional Use: Evidence that the park serves at paddling and fishing. nature. least a regional clientele; other related factors may include evidence that the facility currently The FHS are a valuable public health asset that Additionally, parks pursuing a regional signifi- or potentially may draw tourists and generate this master plan is seeking to leverage through economic impact from outside the local area. additional partnerships with the City of Fertile, The FSH are open to use which it broadens through several partnerships that bring together neighboring communities through environmental programming, recreational opportunities and early childhood educational programs facilitat- ed by the AELC with the Fertile-Beltrami School district. Some of the existing projects with other partner- ships include: • University of Minnesota Crookston -- Limnol-
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