The city of Duluth is in line for a $900,000 Great Lakes restoration grant for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to acquire and manage land along the St. Louis River to keep it undeveloped.
The project, approved by the City Council without much fanfare in March, creates the new, city-designated St. Louis River Natural Area — nine separate tracts totaling 1,230 acres across several of the city’s western neighborhoods.
Many of the tracts are near or even surround where major aquatic restoration projects already have been conducted in the river estuary, such as the land around Radio Tower Bay and Grassy Point. Other tracts would surround ongoing wild rice restoration projects in Rask Bay, North Bay and Mud Lake. Land around the popular Munger Landing and fishing pier is included, as is wild land adjacent to Chambers Grove Park.
So far the city owns about 32% of the natural area. Another 36% is privately owned, nearly all of that at the old U.S. Steel site in Morgan Park. The city is in discussions with the company to acquire the land. Another 27% is tax-forfeited land owned by the state and managed by St. Louis County. About 5% of the land is now in state hands.
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County commissioners last month approved a resolution supporting Duluth’s effort to get the $900,000 federal grant to pay for the land acquisition, setting up the future land deal for the tax-forfeited land. Commissioners of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Pollution Control Agency also strongly support the plan, saying protecting wild land along the St. Louis River estuary is key to restoring fish and wildlife habitat and protecting water quality for western Lake Superior’s largest tributary.
The new natural area “will drive further natural revitalization that will also support economic revitalization" along the city's western riverfront, the state commissioners said in a letter of support.
The natural area is home to a mix of 17 distinct native plant communities and 169 species of birds at various times of year, of which 23 bird species are considered at risk.
“The EPA actually invited us to apply for the grant, and it’s noncompetitive, so we’re very hopeful this is going to happen,’’ said Diane Desotelle, the city’s natural resources coordinator. The city hopes to have the money in hand and begin acquiring the land later this year.
The federal grant, in addition to funding land acquisition, also will be used to help manage the city’s natural areas program and to begin reforestation of some of the parcels.
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Desotelle said that, while most of the parcels weren’t likely candidates for development any time soon, the natural area designation will give permanent protection to the riverside lands to ensure they remain wild.
As part of the ongoing Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the Twin Ports “we’ve started working on cleaning up the legacy problems in the water, which is harder to see, and now we’re moving on to the uplands along the river,’’ she said. “Because we know what happens on this land has an impact on the water.”
The western riverfront project will be the third city natural area following Magney-Snively and, also approved by the City Council in March, the Hartley Natural Area where the city already owns nearly all parcels.
The city’s natural areas program, which was enacted in 2002, allows public use of the natural areas for hiking, fishing, birdwatching, etc. but prohibits any motorized off-road vehicles, camping or fires. Only natural surface trails will be allowed.
