About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Ownership |
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Links |
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Overview |
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The northernmost part of the SNA is in the Mississippi River floodplain. It contains a silver maple floodplain forest and two shallow lakes. South of the lakes, at the western edge of the SNA, trees and shrubs have been removed to re-establish a rock outcrop prairie. South of the floodplain forest is a mature basswood-bur oak forest and a sliver of dry, rock outcrop prairie. The three islands in the River Warren are now knobs of bedrock outcrop in this section. The knobs contain unique rock types and rare plant species. The lower, middle section of the SNA is mostly mesic prairie and a very small rock outcrop prairie. The south section is more basswood bur-oak forest. Wabasha Creek separates this section from 320th Street on the south border of the SNA. |
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History |
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During the last ice age eleven thousand years ago the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered all of what is now Minnesota except for the driftless area in the southeast and the inner coteau in the southwest. As the glacier retreated, meltwater flowing off of the Des Moines Lobe formed Glacial Lake Agassiz. The lake drained to the southeast through Glacial River Warren. Where it flowed through this part of Redwood County the river was over 1½ miles wide and covered almost all of this SNA. Only three tiny islands remained above water. On March 15, 2005, 317 acres of prairie, oak woodland, and floodplain forest in Redwood County was designated Cedar Mountain Scientific and Natural Area. |
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Management |
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A 1938 aerial photo shows that the northwest section of this site was open prairie. Fire suppression over the following eight decades allowed woody species to encroach to the extent that a 2012 aerial photo (Google Earth) shows the same area mostly forested. In 2013 the Minnesota Biological Survey labeled the area basswood - bur oak - (green ash) forest. In order to re-establish a prairie on the site, returning it to its pre-settlement condition, most of the trees and shrubs in this area have been removed. At the south end of the SNA there are small prairie openings on the south-facing slopes. The Minnesota DNR is considering “some tree cutting and reintroduction of fire to bring them back to a more natural state.” |
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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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317 acres |
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Parking |
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Parking lot |
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Driving Directions |
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Redwood County | ||||||
Southwest Minnesota | ||||||
Activities |
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Hiking Trails |
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No maintained trails |
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Hunting |
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Deer only, by archery. See Hunting and Trapping Regulations (MN DNR) for details. |
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Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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Ecological Province | Prairie Parkland Province |
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Ecological Section | North Central Glaciated Plains |
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Ecological Subsection | Minnesota River Prairie |
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Land Type Association | Milan Alluvial Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop (Prairie): Minnesota River Subtype Mesic Prairie (Southern) Rock Outcrop - Dry Prairie Complex Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest Spikerush - Bur Reed Marsh (Prairie) Wet Prairie (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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Slideshows |
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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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Clearing Cedar Rock SNA Dale Bohlke |
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About
This video shows the intense labor needed to restore land to its original vegetation after decades of fire suppression. Cedar removal is just one step in a process that will take years to complete. In undiisturbed soil prairie plants have been dormant and will slowly rejuvenate. One might say this is an example of "tough love" |
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