Spring Peeper Meadow The Restoration Process Julia Bohnen

Spring Peeper Meadow The Restoration Process Julia Bohnen and Susan Galatowitsch Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

History of Wetland Drainage in Minnesota • More than 75% of wetlands in the Midwest have been drained • Most drainage occurred 25 -75 years ago • In areas of intense agriculture, less than 5% of wetlands remain Excavated Tile Line

Wetland Mitigation • Federal and state laws require that losses of existing wetlands must be avoided or mitigated • For every 1 acre of lost wetland, 2 acres must be restored • Wetland losses primarily occur in urban areas now Retrorse Sedge

Although much wetland restoration is happening, typically… • Only hydrology is restored • Little management occurs after initial construction • Natural colonization is relied upon to re-populate the plant community • The full complement of wetland types is not restored Marsh Milkweed

Restored wetlands do not resemble the native wetlands they are replacing. They do not exhibit the diversity of species nor the complex structure that natural wetlands would have exhibited. Tree Frog on False White Aster

Even planted wetlands can have low diversity because • Planting density is too low • There is a lack of aftercare • Plants are placed inappropriately Tufted Loosestrife

Why Restore or Preserve Wetlands? • • • Maintain hydrologic function Flood control Improve water quality Habitat Preserve our natural heritage Recreation Interpretive Sign at Spring Peeper Meadow

Spring Peeper Meadow Is a project of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the University of Minnesota that seeks to improve the practice of wetland restoration in the Midwest. Meadow Wildflowers

Spring Peeper Meadow was Funded to Demonstrate Successful Mitigation Practices By Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund through the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR, now LCCMR) And The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) Breaking Tile

Spring Peeper Meadow Landscape Context • Located west of Chanhassen in Carver County • Community context was a mosaic of Big Woods forest and savanna with prairie openings and depressional wetlands • Rolling landscape • Historically the area was a shallow wetland surrounded by Big Woods

The Opportunity A 30 -acre purchase on the east edge of the Arboretum provided an opportunity to restore a shallow marsh with an extensive sedge meadow zone The name “Spring Peeper Meadow” reflects our aspirations to restore a shallow depressional wetland the full complement of species that would thrive in such a wetland.

The Restoration Team Arboretum Director – Peter Olin Ecologist – Dr. Susan Galatowitsch Landscape Ecologist – Fred Rozumalski Horticulturist – Julia Bohnen And many other professionals as needed A Soil Core Sample

Spring Peeper Meadow Restoration Goals 1. Restore a biologically diverse sedge meadow wetland 2. Demonstrate site preparation, re-vegetation, and after-care practices

Spring Peeper Meadow – Pre-Restoration • The land was acquired in 1995 • It had been drained and farmed for more than 80 years • The basin was a monoculture of reed canary grass and corn grew on the uplands

Planning & Information Gathering Watershed Soil Types Historic Plant Community Past Land Use Current Land Use Projected Water Depth Determine Model Plant Community Original Concept Drawing

Steps in the Restoration Process 1. 2. 3. 4. Planted Sedge Meadow Zone Site Preparation Restore Hydrology Re-introduce plants Aftercare

Site Preparation Series of herbicide applications Aug. -Sept. 1995 & May-Sept. 1996 Controlled burn September 1995 Break Tile October 1996

Seed Collection & Plant Production 1995 and 1996 Seed collecting Greenhouse production Nursery production

Experimental Design

Planting the Wetland Dormant seed 115 species Oct. -Nov. 1996 First water on site Spring 1997 Plant over 60, 000 sedges & forbs May-June 1997

Weed Management A reed canary grass plant Spot treatment with Rodeo April-June A treated reed canary grass plant

Restoration Inputs are Carefully Documented Plant species Seedling numbers Seed quantities Labor hours by task Seed collecting Planted sedges Mixing seed

Ongoing Research At Spring Peeper Meadow Vegetation Survey, Large Plot Vegetation Survey, Small Plot Amphibian Survey Breeding Bird Survey Surface Hydrology Seed Bank Assay Seed Longevity Assay Monarch Butterfly Study

Wetland Community in Transition 1998 2000 April 1998 2002 2004

Lessons Learned at Spring Peeper Meadow Seeding (vs. planting) is a cost efficient means of restoring a diverse sedge meadow plant community Seeding allows species to find an appropriate niche Have contingency plans to account for uncertain hydrology Adequate site preparation and aftercare important for plant diversity and community development Reed canary grass is still present in the plant community, but cover was less than 1% in each of 28 survey plots both in 2000 and 2004

Upland Management The integrity of the Spring Peeper Meadow wetland restoration is tied to the landscape around it and to that end, we have restored and continue to manage the uplands around the meadow. Forest Restoration Prairie and Forest Restorations

Invasive Species Management Reed Canary Grass Buckthorn Leafy Spurge Garlic Mustard Birdsfoot Trefoil Crown Vetch Purple Loosestrife Before After Buckthorn Removal Project on the Oak Knoll

Prairie and Savanna Restoration Historically, small pockets of prairie and savanna were common near the Arboretum Our restored prairies and savanna are managed with herbicides and prescribed burns

Forest Restoration Big Woods – 1999 Bare root, dense initial planting strategy, different sized trees, 16 tree and shrub species, Sudan Field – 2004 Direct seeded, local seed source, 12 tree and shrub species Berens – 2006 - 2007 Bare-root, dense initial planting strategy, 11 tree species

Forest Understory Restoration Buckthorn removal and monitoring reduces competition allowing native and salvaged wildflowers to re-establish