HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 10-18 Endangered bird, bee found on Maplewood development sites STAR TRIBUNE10/18/21, 12:40 PM
Endangered bird, bee found on Maplewood development sites - StarTribune.com
EAST METRO
Endangered bird, bee found on
Maplewood development sites
Environmental groups say the results are proof Ramsey County, the
property owner, should rethink possible plans to redevelop the
shuttered 88-acre Ponds at Battle Creek golf course and a second 77-
acre grassland site.
By Shannon Prather (https://www.startribune.com/shannon-prather/6370507/) Star Tribune
OCTOBER 15, 2021 — 7:41PM
Wildlife researchers and a gardener spotted the endangered rusty -patched bumblebee,
Henslow's sparrow and nine threatened grassland bird species on two swaths of
Maplewood land, posing new challenges to potential county plans to build on the
property.
Environmental groups say the results of an independent natural resources report
released this week are proof Ramsey County, the property owner, should rethink
possible plans to redevelop the shuttered 88-acre Ponds at Battle Creek golf course and a
second 77-acre grassland site north of the county correctional facility. "It basically
reinforces what we have been saying all along, that this grassland has some unique
natural value," said John Zakelj, president of Friends of Maplewood Nature and a
member of the St. Paul Audubon Society. "The report makes the point there is nothing
else like this in Ramsey County or perhaps the entire metro area."
Ramsey County has been studying possible redevelopment of the properties, less than a
mile apart on Century Avenue, for the past year with an eye toward much -needed
affordable housing.
But even before the discovery of the federally endangered bumblebee and the sparrow,
which is on Minnesota's endangered species list, the two sites had become the latest
battleground between environmentalists and development interests.
The St. Paul Audubon Society, joined by the nonprofit Friends of the Mississippi River
and the Legacy of Nature Alliance, have asked county leaders to save the grassland site
and incorporate it into adjacent Battle Creek Regional Park. Members of the Friends of
the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County have expressed interest in
preserving both sites.
County leaders hired Midwest Natural Resources to survey the birds, bees and plants on
both properties. Before it was complete, the county issued a request
f https://www.startribune.com/ramsey-county-asks-developers-for-proposals-for-
maplewood-sites-upsetting-environmental-groups/600090972/) for development
interest on the two parcels, calling it a "prime development opportunity" and frustrating
groups trying to preserve them. Three developers submitted proposals for the golf
course; none were received for the grassland.
RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER -STAR TRIBUNE FILE
A rusty patched bumblebee on Joe Pye weed.
Pictures are from Susan Damon's pollinator
friendly bee garden in St. Paul in 2014.
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10/18/21, 12:40 PM Endangered bird, bee found on Maplewood development sites - StarTribune.com
County leaders have said no decisions have been made about the future of the
properties.
"This is one piece of information we solicited to help inform future decisionmaking,"
said Ramsey County spokesman John Siqveland.
The county is now reviewing the proposals for the golf course behind closed doors.
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Colleen O'Connor Toberman, river corridor program director with Friends of the
Mississippi River, said the results of the natural resources report make one thing clear:
The county needs to slow down.
"This report is just a first step in what clearly needs to be studied more," she said. "We
don't know anything about the potential impacts of the redevelopment of these sites on
these species. We do know many of these bird species are sensitive to habitat size."
Toberman said there's concern that the county may attempt to develop part of the site,
inadvertently destroying the habitat's benefits.
According to the natural resources report, 53 bird species were discovered on the
grassland site, including the endangered Henslow's sparrow. Seven of the species are in
greatest conservation need, including the bobolink and Eastern meadowlark. The site is
monitored by corrections staff and is not accessible by the public.
Scientists found 39 bird species on the golf course, including two in greatest
conservation need. They also determined the rusty -patched bumblebee has been spotted
and photographed at the golf course by a gardener. The gardener's sightings were
submitted to and confirmed by Bumble Bee Watch, a community science project that
track bees in North America.
Maplewood Mayor Marylee Abrams, who has said she supports keeping the golf course,
said she has been eagerly awaiting the natural resources report. The city has zoning
authority over the two properties.
"This report confirms the environmental importance of these two parcels to the city of
Maplewood and our residents," Abrams said.
Sightings of state and federal endangered species on a property doesn't automatically
preclude development, experts say.
The rusty -patched bumblebee was listed as endangered in 2017, said Georgia Parham, a
spokeswoman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Parham said she can't speak to this particular project, but explained that "what the
Endangered Species Act does is it prohibits take — which is killing, harming or harassing.
If there is an issue with a listed species, we work with the folks who are working on the
project. What we are focused on is preserving habitat and food sources for rusty -patched
bumblebees and other pollinators."
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10/18/21, 12:40 PM Endangered bird, bee found on Maplewood development sites - StarTribune.com
In the case of the Henslow's sparrow, which was added to the state endangered list in
1996, developers are precluded from disturbing nesting birds but can start construction
when the birds leave for the season.
Entomologist Elaine Evans, a bee researcher and extension educator at the University of
Minnesota, said a pipeline construction project in Virginia was halted after the discovery
of rusty -patched bumblebees in the area. Last year, Minnetonka — under the threat of a
lawsuit https://www.startribune.com/minnetonka-settles-dispute-over-mountain-bike-
trail-through-endangered-bee-haven/572496741/?refresh=true) from the nonprofit Center
for Biological Diversity — agreed to plant wildflowers and native grasses to settle a
dispute over a new mountain bike trail that cut through the bees' habitat.
"I would like to see more protections for [rusty -patched bumblebees] where they do
exist," Evans said.
Evans said she doesn't know enough specifics to discuss the Ramsey County sites but
said scientists haven't yet uncovered the secrets of the species' life cycle. The nature of
the species also makes protecting it a challenge.
"Bees are very mobile. They are tiny and people don't notice them," Evans said.
Collette Adkins, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity and lead in
the Minnetonka case, said it's often groups like hers that demand enforcement of the
Endangered Species Act.
According to the U.S. Supreme Court, the law should be "interpreted very broadly,"
which includes the impacts of development, she said.
"It is quite a big deal to have an endangered species on land slated for development," she
said. "Ramsey County needs to be working closely with U.S. Fish & Wildlife to make sure
the bee isn't harmed."
Shannon Prather covers Ramsey County for the Star Tribune. Previously, she covered philanthropy
and nonprofits. Prather has two decades of experience reporting for newspapers in Minnesota,
California, Idaho, Wisconsin and North Dakota. She has covered a variety of topics including the legal
system, law enforcement, education, municipal government and slice -of -life community news.
Shannon.Prather@startribune.com 612-673-4804 ShannonMPrather
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