Dakota County

256 acres (reported)

North Unit: 114 acres

South Unit: 202 acres

Maps with GPS coordinates

Complete

North Unit

South Unit

N44 47.293, W93 1.887

Mississippi River Regional Trail (paved) passes through the site

No hunting

Province

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

Section

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

Subsection(s)

Oak Savanna
St. Paul-Baldwin Plains

Land Type Association(s)

Minnesota DNR

Friends of the Mississippi River

Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area

This relatively new SNA was dedicated in May of 2004. In the spring of 2006 the Friends of the Mississippi River sowed little bluestem seed on recently-cleared prairie north of the small pond. North of the SNA is an area of private property owned by Flint Hills Resources. North of that is the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area.

Bike Trail
In 2012, construction began on the Pine Bend Bluffs segment of the Mississippi River Regional Trail (MRRT), which passes through the SNA. The MMRT is a paved bike trail that will eventually connect Hastings and South St. Paul. Construction should be complete by the summer of 2013.

Click on a visitor name below (if any) to view that visitor’s observations.

Click on the button to share your own observations.

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

Three plant species with protected status in Minnesota are found here:

Endangered – James’ polanisia (Polanisia jamesii), pale green orchid (Platanthera flava var. herbiola)

Threatened – kitten-tails (Besseya bullii)

University of Minnesota Herbarium Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Black Ash - (Red Maple) Seepage Swamp WFs57a

Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) UPs13b

Red Oak - White Oak Forest MHs37a

White Pine - Oak Woodland (Sand) FDs27b