Cedar Mountain SNA

Minnesota DNR

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.

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.

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.”

317 acres

Parking lot
N44 30.434, W94 53.450

No maintained trails

Deer only, by archery. See Hunting and Trapping Regulations (MN DNR) for details.

Parking

Cedar Mountain WMA is adjacent to the site.

Wood Routed Sign

Wabasha Creek

Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest

Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop

Rock Outcrop - Dry Prairie Complex

Mesic Prairie (Southern)

Woodland species were removed and a prairie was being re-established (2015) on the northeast section.

Shallow Lake

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

eBird Field Checklist

Minnesota Bee Atlas

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Mammals List

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List