9-24-12 Joint EC_OSRC Mtg AgendaAGENDA
GOLDEN VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION,
AND
OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION
Joint Meeting
Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road
Council Conference Room, Monday, September 24, 2012
7:00 PM
Joint Meefing
1. U of M Student Project — Natural Resource Management
2. Adjourn to individual commission meetings
ESPM 4041W Golden Valley Project Descriptions 2012
Problem Definition:
Golden Valley needs a sustainable natural resource management plan for the next 20 years. The
City has an inventory, but their current maintenance practices and policies have not been
evaluated for sustainability. Like other communities, Golden Valley is experiencing increasing
pressure to maintain its resources and address threats to the health of the resources.
The Capacity
of the
Community
and its
Resources
PROJECT
The
Importance of
the Resources
to the
Community
PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS:
The Current
and Projected
Maintenance
Requirements
of the
Resources
The Emerging
Issues
and
Recommendations
Sustainable Storm Water Management
1. Assessing the sustainability potential for storm water ponds (representative ponds from 30
possible). This task would include developing a protocol for ranking the sustainability potential
for these ponds. This protocol could include: weighted ranking of public benefits, size of
watershed, etc.
• Inventory factors that influence nutrient loading, water levels, pond efficiency,
herbaceous perennials in shallow ponds, and safety.
• Develop criteria for assessing the sustainability status of storm pond typologies,
• Design a monitoring strategies for each pond typology,
• Review current programs for working with landowners on storm water
management and make recommendations for modifications.
• Project deliverables: a protocol for sustainability ranking for ponds, monitoring
plan, and one project description for strategic investment in storm water pond
management.
2. Assessment of vegetation management on storm water pond sites. In particular, develop a
protocol for management of plant populations, invasive plants, and native species with the intent
to address sustainable management of these areas as part of Golden Valley's storm water and
open areas management plan.
• Inventory factors that influence plant populations, native and invasive plants,
vegetation and infrastructure conflicts,
• Develop criteria for assessing the status of vegetation at these sites,
• Design a monitoring strategy for vegetation,
• Develop criteria for sustainable vegetation management with a proposed
monitoring strategy.
Project deliverables: a protocol for sustainability vegetation management on
storm water pond sites, monitoring plan, and one project description for strategic
investment in storm water pond vegetation management.
3. Public perceptions and Outreach strategies for Storm Water Management in Golden Valley.
Storm water management is a little understood yet critical aspect of the City charge. This project
will provide a formalized outreach plan, a marketing plan of sorts for the community. Included
would be public education on sustainable storm water management, private property initiatives,
and public involvement in storm water pond monitoring.
• Review existing survey data, information about residents, and current programs,
• Assess public perception issues related to storm water pond management,
• Identify target audiences for wetlands/pond conservation programs,
• Develop a community assessment protocol regarding resident perceptions of the
ponds,
• Develop a community volunteer program for storm water pond monitoring,
• Develop example outreach programming for storm water pond best management
practices,
• Provide recommendations for specific communication programs and tools with
refined messages about best management practices for homeowners adjacent to
wetlands/ponds, (Outreach content, to include information collected by the other
projects as appropriate),
• Project deliverables: Outreach and citizen volunteer program recommendations,
and one project description for strategic investment in public outreach programs.
Sustainable Vegetation Management: Parks, Right of Ways, Open spaces, and Golf Courses
4. A Sustainable Vegetation Management Plan for Golden Valley parks, in particular, the
reduction of high maintenance turf areas, the use of alternative vegetation covers and the overall
reduction of consumed energy and labor hours to maintain the same areas.
• Review inventory of vegetation areas for current practices, frequency of
maintenance. and elimination of high maintenance tasks,
• Assess the potential for alternative, low -maintenance vegetation as a sustainable
program and vegetation management practice,
• Protocol for conversion and ongoing monitoring of invasive threats,
• Project deliverables: a protocol for deciding on alternative vegetation covers,
monitoring plan, and one project description for strategic investment in vegetation
conversion.
5. A Sustainable Management Plan for Golden Valley's Open Space Parcels/Unimproved Right
of Ways, in particular, management of invasive plants, assessment of current and future uses, and
recommendations for sustainable maintenance activities.
• Inventory City Open Space Parcels and Unimproved Right of Ways for current
uses, vegetation issues, and surrounding land use,
• Assess potential influence of Right of Way parcels on native and invasive plant
populations and surrounding land uses.
• Develop criteria and timeline for monitoring the status of these sites as part of the
City natural resource management plan,
• Develop criteria for sustainable vegetation management with a proposed
monitoring strategy,
• Project deliverables: a protocol for sustainable management of City Open Space
Parcels and Unimproved Right of Way sites, monitoring plan, and one project
description for strategic investment in Right of Way management.
6. A Sustainable Vegetation Management Plan for Brookview Golf Course. This task would
include the development of a set of priorities for managing vegetated areas at the golf course,
dependent on usage levels and the character of the usage. A goal would be to have the golf
course and surrounding park area viewed as a visible outreach site for sustainable storm water
and vegetation management in Golden Valley.
• Risk assessment of tree vegetation,
• Maintenance program for risk management of vegetation,
• Plan for monitoring and management of invasive species threats and management
conflicts,
• Project deliverables: Risk management plan for golf course vegetation and one
project description for strategic investment in sustainable golf course
management.
Natural Resource Management Policy for Golden Valley
7. Golden Valley Natural Resource Polices: A long-term policy assessment for natural resource
management plan. This task would take a broader perspective of Golden Valley's resources and
propose natural resource management policy that would better ensure a sustainable system in
light of developing climate change and challenged budgets.
• Review relevant natural resource policies: federal, state, regional, and municipal,
• Identify policy gaps and anticipatory policy needs in Golden Valley,
• Identify the range of municipal policies other communities have used to
encourage sustainable natural resource management and best management
practices for public and private lands,
• Provide a trade-offs analysis of different policy options,
• Recommend the next steps Golden Valley could take in developing sustainable
policies,
• Project deliverables: Five-year plan for evaluating key policy options for Golden
Valley, and one project description for strategic investment in program and policy
development.
August 31, 2012
Kristen C. Nelson, Professor
Department of Forest Resources
115 Green Hall
1530 Cleveland Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55108
Subject: University of Minnesota Student Project —
Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management
Dear Professor Nelson:
The City of Golden Valley supports your efforts to provide your students with
environmental projects that have a real world application and setting. We are pleased
you have chosen the City of Golden Valley as the location of your 2012 fall semester
project. The overall project will be centered on the sustainable management of natural
resources in public areas and will focus on storm water management and vegetation
management in particular. The students will provide a written report and present their
findings to the City upon completion of the project.
During the 2012 fall semester (September -December), we understand that your students
will be visiting public parks, golf courses, ponds, open spaces and rights-of-way, including
easements across private properties. Although this is not a City project, the City has the
authority to grant the students access into these public areas for purposes of completing
their coursework. Enclosed is a right-of-way management permit application for your use.
Please complete this application as a temporary obstruction and submit it to my
attention. In addition, the release forms provided to you previously will need to be
completed by each student before beginning work.
As a condition of the permit, we ask that the students let us know via email
EEckman@goldenvalleymn.gov when and where they plan to visit as they venture into
the community. We also ask that your students act in a courteous and respectful manner
as they navigate these properties, especially in easement areas on private property. For
safety purposes, we recommend that at least one member of each group wear a safety
vest while in the field.
C:\Users\lnesbittWppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\K62B97PO\Letter for
students.docx
763-593-8000 FAx 763-593-8109 TTY 763-593-3968 www.goidenvaileymn.gov
Kristen C. Nelson, Professor
August 31, 2012
Page 2
If your students experience an issue in the field or they need access into a particular area
like Brookview Golf Course, please contact me at 763-593-8030 to discuss. We are excited
to assist you with your project and look forward to learning the results!
Sincerely,
E-u4-v-.
Eric Eckman
Enclosure
C: Tom Burt, City Manager
Stacy Carlson, Chief of Police
Jeannine Clancy, Director of Public Works
Jeff Oliver, City Engineer
Bert Tracy, Public Works Maintenance Manager
Al Lundstrom, Park Maintenance Supervisor
Tim Teynor, Assistant City Forester
Dave Lemke, Utilities Maintenance Supervisor
Rick Jacobson, Director of Parks and Recreation
Greg Spencer, Golf Course Maintenance Supervisor
C:\Users\lnesbittWppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\K62B97PO\Letter for
students.docx
ESPM 4041 W : Department of Forest Resources : College of Food, Agricultural and Natu... Page 1 of 2
UNI'Y1WITY OF IAiNNESM
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
httpJ/www.cfans.umn.edu
ESPM 4041 W
ESPM 4041W/5041 - Problem Solving for Environmental Change
(4.0 cr; Prereq-ESPM sr; A -F only, fall, every year)
Each year students in ESPM 4041 W work with a client to perform "real world" projects involving land use
planning. Students work in groups of four to six people. The group's goal is to gather data relevant to the
client's objectives, analyze the data and, based on the data, make recommendations for future use. Students
will produce a final written report for the client, develop a formal presentation describing the findings, and
present their findings to the client group.
Syllabus (.pdf)
Final Products from Past ESPM 4041 (ESPM 4195) Classes
• 2011 - City of Richfield
• 2010 - City of St. Louis Park
• 2009 - City of Shoreview
• 2008 - City of Maplewood
• 2007 - Rice Creek Water Trail, Anoka County and Ramsey County
• 2006 - Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board
• 2005 - Dayton's Bluff, St. Paul
• 2004 - District 5. Payne -Phalen. St. Paul
• 2003 - Chisago City
• 2002 - Minnetrista
• 2001 - City of Anoka
• 2000 - Woodbury
• 1999 -metro County
® 2010-2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer
Last modified on March 5, 2012
http://www.forestry.umn.edu/Students/Courses/ESPM4041W/ 9/19/2012