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NRMP Survey Results Natural Resources Management Plan Survey P &9 0-0" Results U Vl-ee�1 Which of the following nature areas in Golden Valley have you visited? You may check more than one. Choices Percentage Count Bassett Ceek Nature Area (2) 55.81% 24 General Mills Nature Preserve (near Hwy 169 and Betty Crocker Drive) 46.51% 20 (4) Mary Hills Nature Area (8) 46.51% 20 General Mills Research Nature Area (north of James Ford Bell Tech 41.86% 18 Center)(5) Laurel Avenue Greenbelt (7) 37.21% 16 Pennsylvania Woods (9) 30.23% 13 Rice Lake Nature Area (10) 30.23% 13 Other Briarwood Nature Area (3) 25.58% 11 Other 20.93% 9 Adeline Nature Area (1) 18.60% 8 Western Avenue Marsh (11) 16.28% 7 Golden Ridge Nature Area (6) 11.63% 5 Total Entries 43 Unanswered 1 If "Other," please describe. 1 - 13 of 13 42 Luce Line Trail 7:11pm•2014-10- 28 37 There is a paved walking and bike path that goes from Wesley Drive 3:37pm• 2014-10- to Plymouth Ave. that has a wooded area on the west side of the path 17 that we consider"natural" but it is in desperate need of Buckthorn removal and this could be improved. 35 Bassett Creek itself. 10:35pm•2014- 10-16 29 Wesley Park wooded areas Bike/walking path along RR tracks 8:56am•2014-10- between Winnetka and Boone 14 22 Wesley Park woodland. 8:50am•2014-10- 06 21 all of the GV Parks 10:05am•2014- 10-05 20 Janalyn Pond 8:16am•2014-10- 05 12 Theo Wirth park and walking, biking trails. 5:41pm• 2014-10- 03 9 My home backs on the railroad and that area is itself a wildlife 9:27pm• 2014-10- corridor and nature area 02 6 One near toledo on sweeney lake 6:55pm• 2014-10- 01 4 Twin Lake trails. 8:57am•2014-10- 01 3 I think laurel ave is the name 6:30pm•2014-09- 30 1 also visited bassett creek in several locations 5:14pm• 2014-09- 22 Total 13 Unanswered ! 30 Which nature area is your favorite and why? 1 - 32 of 32 # Content.. > Qatreg 43 Briarwood...within walking distance of home, beautiful, and connects 12:07am•2014- to park in Crystal. 11-01 42 Luce Line Trail because its part of a very long and interesting trail 7:11pm•2014-10 28 41 I like Mary Hills in part because it is within easy walking distance of 1:39pm•2014-10- my residence, as is Sochacki Park, though I know Sochacki is in 26 Robbinsdale. I understand an initiative is on the table for combining resources with Three Rivers for these two parks and Rice Lake as well. I plan to visit other nature areas in GV and am happy you have included the list above including the map. 40 Bassett Creek because it is located near my home. 6:55pm• 2014-10- 20 39 Mary hills - peaceful, natural forest 4:16pm•2014-10- 18 38 Mary Hills and Rice Lake,they are close to our house and we enjoy 10:11pm•2014- Sohaki too. 10-17 37 The General Mills areas are our favorite because it is so quiet and 3:37pm• 2014-10- there have been attempts to plant native plants there, plus bird 17 houses.We love that it has open areas of grassy and then more wooded areas, plus a pond to observe animal and bird life. 35 Bassett Creek, for kayaking 10:35pm•2014- 10-16 I 34 Probably Mary Hills -very tucked away and private, with lots of 2:08pm•2014-10- wildlife. And fairly big. General Mills is Research is pretty special also. 16 33 I enjoy the mix of habitats in the Rice lake -will miss the quiet post 12:58pm•2014- Botti neau. 10-16 32 Mary Hills. Private, quiet, within walking distance of my home. 12:00pm•2014- 10-16 31 10, it is an uninproved wild nature area, I dont consider it a park, but 9:36am•2014-10- an escape. It has dense trees, mushrooms, wild vegitation,wildlife, 16 birds, owls, etc. The paths are narrow and wander all over the place. It is not over crowded. It is a great place for kids and adults to ride their off road bicycles with user built chalange courses.JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! Dont"fix it". 30 Pennsylvania woods because it is near our home &we enjoy biking 7:39am•2014-10- I there and letting our dog swim in the pond 16 29 General Mills Research Nature Area: it is close to my home and is 8:56am•2014-10- large enough to support diverse flora and fauna. 14 28 General Mills research...close to home, paths easy to walk on... 5:47pm• 2014-10- 13 26 Like them both for the wildlife that can be seen and the feeling of 11:36pm•2014- being out of a city. 10-08 25 The Mary Hills/Rice Lake/Sochacki Park area is my favorite nature 6:34pm•2014-10- area, because it is usually quiet(few people) and it still feels very wild 08 (undeveloped). 24 Haven't explored them all yet.Always looking for good birding areas. 7:34am•2014-10 07 22 General Mills Research Nature Area is safe for dogs, large enough for 8:50am •2014-10- a"real walk", and contains multiple habitats--far enough away from 06 traffic, unlike so many"slivers"of land Golden Valley calls natural areas. 21 We love St Louis Park's Westwood Hills Nature Center because the 10:05am•2014- path around the pond is so natural and so beautiful. 10-05 18 General Mills Research Nature Area- It is closest to where I live so 10:37pm•2014- easy to get to, it has a variety of trails, topography and vegetation 10-04 and it is large enough to have a good distance walk. 16 Mary Hills is just a block away from our house, great dog walking& 10:30am•2014- biking 10-04 12 Mary hills. Peaceful. 5:41pm•2014-10- 03 11 GM Research Nature Area(5)Close to home and wide variety of birds 1:57pm•2014-10- and other wildlife 03 10 james ford bell nature area 10:37am•2014- 10-03 8 Rice Lake and Mary Hills - close to my house but a wonderful secret 6:00pm•2014-10- getaway from the noise. Perfect for running, biking, walking the 02 dogs,or skiing! 7 General mills nature preserve. because I live right by it and walk it a 2:35pm•2014-10- lot. 02 6 Mary Hills,we love the lake and the long dock. Also mice walking 6:55pm•2014-10- paths. 01 4 Each area has its benefits throughout the seasons. I enjoy them all 8:57am •2014-10- and wish we had more of them along with the addition of community 01 vegetable/edible gardens. I � 3 Laurel ave between Xenia and jersey. I walk there year round!!! 6:30pm•2014-09- 30 2 Laurel Ave Greenbelt. It's nice to have these areas near residential 1:24pm • 2014-09- neighborhoods. They're not too big, have paths, and some water. 30 1 briarwood - because of the creek restoration improvements, trails, 5:14pm•2014-09- and wildlife viewing 22 Total 32 Unanswered 11 Why do you generally visit nature area in Golden Valley? Check all that apply. Choices Percentage Count Exercise 95.35% 41 Viewing nature or wildlife 83.72% 36 Relaxation 65,12% 28 Other t 9:4,4 13.95% 6 Education 6.98% 3 Total Entries 43 If"Other," please describe. Content Date 43 Walk dog. 12.07am•2014 11 01 32 walking the dog. running, biking, etc 12:00pm•2014 10 16 25 Exercising my dog 6:34pm•2014 10 08 10 beats driving one or two hours up north to see the same thing I can see here. 10:37am•2014 10 03 6 Biking,walking the dog 6:55pm•2014 10 01 5 Dog walking. 12:38pm•2014 10-01 4 Education only applies when there are placards with information. Have also found some 8.57am• 2014 10 01 wild medicinal herbs which is fun to use books to learn more about. Other would be for dog training and physical therapy both mental and physical. Total 7 Unanswered 36 How satisfied are you with the quality of Golden Valley's natuer areas and open spaces? Choices Percentage Count Satisfied 67.44% 29 Dissatisfied _ 16.28% 7 Indifferent 6.98% 3 Very Satisfied 6.98% 3 Very Dissatisfied 2.33% 1 Total 43 Please explain your answer. 1 - 31 of 31 # € content ,, .$ M ;..Dam 41 I'm generally satisfied but am eager to see the City improve the green 1:39pm•2014-10- spaces. 26 38 I do not feel there is enough effort/funding in protecting our natural 10:11pm•2014- areas from invasive species and other issues that impact the quality 10-17 of the natural resources Golden Valley is charged with preserving and maintaining. For example, Rice Lake has declined every year in the past 5 years at least, to the point where it is virtually unusable during the summer months. Areas are covered in purple loosestrife and several nature areas are over-populated with buckthorn and other invasive species, with the Parks Department completely invisible in handling the problems. 37 The very fact that we have so many in the City is the biggest factor, 3:37pm•2014-10- all of the open spaces, including the Brookview park with it's ponds is 17 so lovely for all kinds of use. 35 Nice to have these amenities in a city so close to downtown 10:35pm•2014- Minneapolis. 10-16 34 As true with everything, could be better. I am very concerned about 2:08pm•2014-10- future of Mary Hills with light rail coming through. 16 33 In my 28 years in the City I have noticed that we've just about 12:58pm•2014- "improved"the nature out of the nature areas.. 10-16 32 The spaces are beautiful.Was unaware of how many there are in GV12:00pm•2014- until I saw the list. 10-16 1 31 #10 provides an alternative to the other parks which are fine, but 9:36am •2014-10- they are alike with paved paths, kids climbing gym's, basket ball and 16 tennis courts, and large grassy areas.#10 gives the alternative that makes the whole package great. 29 I generally like these areas, but they are overrun with buckthorn 8:56am •2014-10- 14 28 j There could be more benches available along paths. Grateful to have 5:47pm • 2014-10- nature areas in our city. 13 E i i E 27 Too much buckthorn that closes in the area and makes it unsafe. 9:48pm•2014-10- Please cut down bushes between pond and path. 12 I i r , 26 Wish there were more but like what we have. 11:36pm • 2014- 10-08 25 I want Mary Hills/Rice Lake/Sochacki Park area to remain like it is. I'm 6:34pm•2014-10- worried about it being more developed and losing its great natural 08 feel. I also like that it is a hidden gem. I prefer not to be around � I crowds of people when I'm trying to enjoy nature. 24 GV does pretty well for a first ring suburb. Would like to see some 7:34am • 2014-10- larger areas. So locations are quite small. 07 23 Having all this wild and green space close at hand is a wonderful 10:23am•2014- plus. 10-06 22 Poorly maintained--sporadic snow removal on trails, alien invasives 8:50am•2014-10- continue to spread with very little attempt at removal. Entire 06 ecosystems have been over-run with garlic mustard and buckthorn. 21 I like the wildflower areas around the ponds and water runoff pools. 10:05am•2014- If you look at them in the last half of the summer, you can see for 10-05 yourself the phosphorus pollution GV generates by the huge algae growth on the ponds.We need to stop using lawn chemicals in GV. Pesticides and herbicides kill and harm bees. And we all are aware that it is rare to even see a butterfly these days. 18 Quite a variety of topography, animals and vegetation but sometimes 10:37pm•2014- trail maintenance or other maintenance hasn't been kept up well. 10-04 16 So happy to have wild spaces close to home right in the city 10:30am•2014- 10-04 13 1 I would like the areas to be larger, and feel/look increasingly 7:52pm•2014-10- separated from roads and traffic. 03 12 We love the trails, trees,wildlife and open soaces 5:41pm•2014-10- 03 11 I appreciate the walking trails and the ponds where I can watch birds. 1:57pm•2014-10- I also appreciate having benches along the trails so that I can relax, 03 view wildlife, or just sit and talk to my kids without the modern life distractions. I j 10 I have taken care of the trail since it opened in 1976 (adopt a park 10:37am•2014- started in 1994) In the early years both General Mills and the city 10-03 were response to problems. Since Ron Hammer retired that has not been the case.The city seems reluctant to do much whn it comes to snow removal or keeping the path clear. I used to do all of that, but those days are over.The city will not even come out and plow the ridge left after the street is plowed. I could be done in about two minutes with a plow. I cant do it any more. Many people use the path in the winter but hate climbing over the mountain at the enterance. I have talked to Al Nuness (sp) several times and he isnot inclined to do anything about clearing the ridge or the path. The GM resea rch area is probably the best keep secret in GV. 9 These are all resources that need to be protected 9:27pm • 2014-10- 02 8 One of the many reasons I live in Golden Valley is that green space is 6:00pm •2014-10- honored and well-taken care of. 02 6 I am glad we have so many little spaces of green in our city. 6:55pm•2014-10- 01 5 My answer actually falls between dissatisfied and satisfied, but not 12:38pm• 2014- indifferent.We love that we have what we have, however some of the 10-01 trails need restoration with more waste/recyclable containers for a start.Would like to see some of our large & small open spaces converted into native prairies versus mowing or allowing weeds.And both nature and open spaces needs help with invasive species. A big dissatisfaction is the city's emphasis on planting lilacs which are not native versus native trees, prairie plants, etc. 4 If open spaces includes ball fields...Would like to see zero chemicals 8:57am•2014-10- applied to the earth.We are here to care take, not poison just so it 01 looks good and makes peoples egos happy at the sacrifice of generations to come. Other than that, the parks are part of the reason I moved here over ten years ago. The more natural/native land, the better for everyone. Makes GV more desirable, brings in more nature, and helps to bring balance to all the destruction we cause. 3 Need more trails6:30pm-2014-09- 30 2 They provide diversification to asphalt and commercial space. 1:24pm •2014-09- 30 1 they need some improvement 5:14pm•2014-09- 22 Total 31 Unanswered 12 What would you change to improve Golden Valley's nature areas and open spaces? 1 - 30 of 30 Content a i n x 43 Remove all buckthorn and regenerate woods. Provide garbage/poop 12:07am • 2014- bins at entrances or exits. Complete loops to other walkways or 11-01 streets. 41 I believe we need greater attention placed on habitat for wildlife. I 1:39pm 2014-10- have noticed various dead trees that appear to be marked for 26 removal. I hope they are not removed because these trees are habitat for woodpeckers and other wildlife. If the trees are diseased or a hazard, of course they need to be removed.We need to redouble efforts to remove invasive species primarily,buckthorn and garlic mustard. Once the invaders are removed the native species have a greater chance of returning. I understand the soil has been used as a dumping ground in years past but soil can be improved for native species.The soil would benefit if all the leaves that citizens place at the curb in the fall were instead dumped in the green spaces. It takes time to compost but results can be obtained in just 3-4 years.The leaves are FREE compost! I see so much open space where pollinator plants could be added to the landscape.Edible landscaping is another great idea. Planting of low maintenance fruit trees is truly cutting edge and could benefit so many people. 39 More protected spaces, no light rail cutting through them 4:16pm•2014-10- 18 38 Increase partnerships with Three Rivers, invest in nature areas in a 10:11pm•2014- meaningful way, and develop features (splash pad) and preservation ( 10-17 (work on protecting our natural areas and mitigating impacts of invasive species). I 1 37 The open spaces should have more native plants planted, especially 3:37pm• 2014-10- those that help the butterflies and the bees. Brookview has some, but 17 could even use more. In the long run, less grass mowing and more native plantings cuts cost and helps our native insects, birds and animals. We think that the City has barely touched the surface on educating the citizens on how to recognize Buckthorn on their properties, how to remove it and why they should.We thought there could be a volunteer program where folks who are knowledgeable could go through neighborhoods with some simple tags, like the nurseries use to tag their trees and shrubs, that could be attached to branches of Buckthorn. These tags could have simple explanation of what that tree actually is ( buckthorn ) and why it is harmful and how it spreads and then how to remove it or spray it to kill it. I know that there is the issue of city right of way property and people's private property, but we have to start the education of this somewhere. People I know don't read the City bulletin and so they are unaware, or they just don't do it or can't identify the Buckthorn themselves. But we need to brainstorm some more proactive, creative ways to help { citizens easily identify the Buckthorn. We look out our front window every day and see the stand of Buckthorn in our neighbor's yard across the street getting fuller and more mature. It is growing under his dying pine tree and he is clueless.Then we spend time pulling Buckthorn seedlings out of our yard. Do I go and tell him what that is?He's not so social.There was an article in the STAR in Around the Metro section on Sept 12 about how Burnsville received several, not just one, but several state grants to remove Buckthorn. Last year they disposed of 41 truck loads of Buckthorn, according to the article. i Where has Golden Valley been in applying for these grants? Let's get in one this! The other issue that may not directly affect the open spaces, but contributes to taking care of nature is the use of lawn pesticides, herbicides that can harm insects, birds, animals. Let's be aggressive in directing people to alternatives for lawn care. Then the air polllution from too many so-called recreation fires is another problem.We see and we know of folks who don't follow the rules and burn slash, green wood, and use these pits for that and not a social time around the fire now and then. 36 Market them better 11:57pm•2014- 10-16 35 Make Bassett Creek more accessible with "put in" spots along the 10:35pm • 2014- creek and remove weirs, put in more trails along Bassett Creek, 10-16 partner with Three Rivers Park to put in zip lines & high ropes at Mary Hills, create couple of dog parks and community gardens. 34 Not sure 2:08pm•2014-10- 16 33 Make sure we continue with native plantings and the upkeep of those 12:58pm •2014- areas (controlled burns, replanting) 10-16 32 Market them. Have an icon identifying the areas as,a nature 12:00pm•2014- preserve/open space that are open to all &what people can do once 10-16 inside.Ex:walking trails?Bike paths?What's available to do?Often they can look like private property. 30 More of them 7:39am •2014-10- 16 29 Buckthorn removal and ongoing management thereafter. 8:56am •2014-10- 14 25 Leave it the way it is 6:34pm•2014-10- I 08 24 I am a birder. I value uncrowded natural areas with paths and bird- 7:34am •2014-10- friendly habitat. Benches are nice for you overlooks.Toilet facilities 07 are helpful in parking lots. 23 Attempt to take out as much of the European buckthorn as possible. 10:23am • 2014- ALSO, try to manage the deer population better(they're pretty, BUT 10-06 they've eaten up so many of my expensive plants). There are days in the winter when I have as many as 8 deer in my yard at one time. ALSO, try to find out what has led to the far-fewer frogs and toads. When I first moved here in 1997, they showed up every summer. Now, I hardly ever see any. 22 1) Discontinue maintenance of unused baseball fields and restore 8:50am•2014-10- them to their origins--woodland, prairie, or wetland--or at the very` 06 least plant decorative trees and shrubs. 2)Make them accessible year round with a predictable snow plowing schedule 3)Do something about garlic mustard and glossy buckthorn that have completely destroyed woodland habitats and eliminated wildflowers on the forest floor.This cannot be accomplished with occasional summer work crews who never follow-up with a"Roundup" stump treatment. 4) §§ Eliminate inert, unused large tracts of park land that contain nothing but bluegrass and have no function for recreation, don't even have benches, walking paths or even ornamental trees and shrubs. 21 1} Use no chemicals at all in the city-- no chem-lawn!!! Stop all 10:05am • 2014- pesticides and herbicides !!! E 10-05 20 Retain dead trees to provide habitat for wildlife 8:16am •2014-10- 05 18 Have a mixture of paved and more natural trails, additional benches 10:37pm•2014- plus informational signage.Would like mileage signs on all trails and 10-04 park maps at trail entryways and parking lots showing the trails, mileage of each and points of interest/topographic information for each area. 16 Add mulch or rock to non-paved trails to help keep them less muddy 10:30am•2014- during rain & snow 10-04 � t 13 ` Prairie restoration and expansion Native planting Butterfly gardens 7:52pm•2014-10- Community gardens Bee keeping Buffering from traffic I 03 12 Nothing. Please leave them alone for residents to enjoy. 5:41pm•2014-10- 03 11 Enforce the leash and dog waste pick-up law for dogs.Too many 1:57pm• 2014-10- people run their dogs off-leash in the GM Research Nature Area(5) j 03 and don't pick up the dog waste. It's almost unwalkable in the spring due to the volume of dog waste left from winter. I would also like to see an attempt at invasive species removal from the nature areas. There is a huge amount of buckthorn, garlic mustard, and reed canary grass that needs to be managed. 10 See about. People will and should be able to use this nature area year 10:37am•2014- around.The city will plow the fire hydrant S0 feet to the south, but 10-03 will not spend a couple minutes on the entrance to the path while they have the equipment right here. Or as the street department told me a couple of years ago" clearing the entrance is not our,job)Great response eh? 1 9 Recognize them as primary amenities and plan accordingly. Minimize 9:27pm •2014-10- impacts of Bottineau Transitway 02 8 I really love the cross-city park plan for Sochacki, Mary Hills, and Rice 6:00pm•2014-10- Lake.An interpretive center would be a huge added bonus and a way 02 to bring the community together. 5 Work on preserving what we have, i.e. do not let the light rail through 12:38pm • 2014- our nature areas. 10-01 4 Zero tolerance of chemical use. Go old school and have it hand 8:57am•2014-10- weeded or use spot treatments with fire instead of chemicals.The 01 sports teams that use the fields could be charged a maintenance fee to pay for the hard labor vs haphazardly driving and spraying toxic chemicals into the earth.We all know it is bad, there are no positives other than it is a quick application and uniform green color. Unfortunately like most quick solutions it is bad for the long term. Would also make it illegal to use chemical fertilizers on yards 1 connecting to any form of water. People will be upset no matter what changes are made. You can't make everyone happy. So instead of trying to make people happy do what is right for the earth and the generations to come. No more quick solutions...lets think long term. Regardless of what stubborn, ill informed people say and object too, be a leader as a city and show how we should be treating the earth and the nature we share it with. All city owned vacant residential lots could be converted into organic community gardens. Payed for by the users.Whether that food is distributed among its users or donated to local homeless/hungry people it would be a positive impact. ( 3 More trails 6:30pm • 2014-09- 30 1 blah blah blah... i 5:14pm• 2014-09- 22 Total 30 1 Unanswered 13 i__ If"Other," please describe. Content Date Total 0 Unanswered 43 Protecting Natural Resources How effective are the following in protecting Golden Valley's natural resources. Rank 1-5. Education Choices (score) Percentage Count Fifth Choice (5) 11.63% 5 Fourth Choice (4) - 9.30% 4 Third Choice (3) 16.28% 7 Second Choice (2) 25.58% 11 First Choice (11 37.21% 16 Total 43 Avg Score 2.3 Laws and Regulations Choices (score) Percentage Count Fifth Choice (5) -_ 27.91% 12 Fourth Choice (4) 11.63% 5 Third Choice (3) 11.63% 5 Second Choice (2) 23.26% 10 First Choice (1) 25.58% 11 Total 43 Avg Score 2.9 Volunteer Conservation/Protection Choices (score) Percentage Count Fifth Choice(5) ' 2.33% 1. Fourth Choice (4) 20.93% 9 Third Choice (3) 23.26% 10 Second Choice (2) 34.88% 15 First Choice (1) 18.60% 8 Total 43 Avg Score 2.5 Financial or Other Incentives Choices (Score) Percentage Count Fifth Choice (5) 32.56% 14 Fourth Choice (4) 20.93% 9 Third Choice (3) 18.60% 8 Second Choice (2) SE 11.63% 5 First Choice (1l 16.28% 7 Total 43 Avg Score 3.4 Aquisition of Land or Easements Choices (Score) Percentage Count Fifth Choice (5) - 9.52% 4 Fourth Choice (4) 26.19% 11 Third Choice (3) 14.29% 6 Second Choice (2) 10 4.76% 2 First Choice (1) 45.24% 19 Total 42 Avg Score 2.5 oi,... ov rlloiw %1 I r .31.+r.aror Please explain your answer. 1 - 23 of 23 'Conteh tt ate 43 Choices need more explanation. 12:07am•2014- 11-01 41 Citizens need to understand the importance of good conservation-- 1:39pm•2014-10- many do, but still more can be done.We have laws and regulations so 26 I'm not sure where they need to be modified to greater effect. If you can encourage citizens to volunteer it gives them a stake in our environment and community. Financial incentives work wonders-- again composting leaves is a cheap sustainable practice. I'm not familiar with the process for acquisition of land or easements but if that is possible it certainly may have some merit to increase and improve open spaces. 39 Need to protect the land from slow degradation 4:16pm•2014-10- 18 38 What would be most helpful is if the city would invest in a meaningful 10:11pm • 2014- way in our parks and natural areas and partner with other 10-17 organizations. It seems like there is no foresight in what our community wants/needs and what the true struggles are for preservation, and even when there is foresight there is no or limited funding.We pay very high taxes relative to surrounding suburban communities with far less investment(ongoing and one-time) in our parks and natural areas. 37 I put laws and regulations first because we need that authority to 3:37pm•2014-10- show citizens that it is important to help preserve our environmental 17 integrity and to get them to pay attention when necessary.These all are important and one would have to consider it in a discussion to better decide. 33 Having natural areas in City ownership gives permanence, using 12:58pm•2014- volunteers ( adopt a park) gets folks directly involved. 10-16 32 See above - market the area so residents are aware of them. 12:00pm•2014- 10-16 29 1. Volunteers are essential because the city cannot afford to maintain 8:56am •2014-10- natural areas otherwise. 2 To control invasive species such as C 14 buckthorn, regulations and education are required to address control on private property. 28 ' Some people will always abuse an nature area but most will not if 5:47pm•2014-10- they know/understand the purpose and appreciate it 13 23 I Without"ordinary citizen involvement" and on-going education of 10:23am • 2014- f younger generations, the best plans in the world will not protect 10-06 natural resources. 22 I have seen over the years many parcels of land adjoining existing 8:50am'•2014-10- park land sold for housing development with no regard for the 06 impact on park land--it's aesthetic appeal,wildlife population, and habitat damage. 19 I am not sure what you mean by"financial or other incentives". Does 6:57am•2014-10- that mean that GV would put more money toward emulating a more 05 native setting of natural resources and would add an amount to owners property taxes?Not sure where this direction is going.Too ambiguous. I completed the ranking, however, would most likely change it based on what is meant by"financial or other incentives". 18 Education,including exposure to nature, is the key to developing 10:37pm•2014- interest in people for these areas and for ensuring continued usage 10-04 of parks and nature areas plus encouraging volunteers to work in them. 16 Work hard to keep wild spaces wild &as large as possible. I support 10:30am•2014- development of our light rail system infrastructure, but hope all 10-04 efforts are being made to minimize Impact& reduction in the size of our treasured wild spaces. 13 = I think there is ample opportunity for the city to purchase private land 7:52pm•2014-10- in the city for green and open spaces. I'm discouraged by the recent 03 inundation of multi-unit housing! 12 Many are unaware of the nature areas. A marketing campaign would 5:41pm •2014-10- be nice. Organize tours of the nature areas. 03 11 Laws and regulations need to be in place so that the efforts of 1:57pm 2014-10- s, education`and conservation/protection have some teeth. I ranked 03 education and volunteer conservation/protection as equal because they need togo hand in hand.The volunteers need to be armed with education in order to change people's minds about protecting our natural resources. 10 There is no more open land in GV for parks or nature areas. Getting 10:37am•2014- people involved is great but only a handful ever volunteer for 10-03 anything. Laws and regulations are in place but need to be tweeked from time to time. 9 Without planning and protection of natural areas, they will become 9:27pm•2014-10- expendable 02 6 Upkeep and protection of green spaces shows the city cares. It is a 6:55pm•2014-10- priorty of the city and its residents. 01 4 What is most effective now and what could be most effective are 8:57am •2014-10- entirely different.Will answer what is currently most effective and 01 explain the other version.... Acquisition of land came in first because it forces the land to be saved for park use. Second was incentives because unfortunately often people won't just do what is right unless { they benefit from it directly. 3 and 4 were a tie....both have minimal impact except on those already interested in making a change or positive difference. Laws and regulations came in last due to the cities anti native plants law. Making one get a permit to plant native plant garden and not needing one to plant an invasive species garden makes no sense other than it is done out of laziness. It is a permit not needed by anyone and it disgusts me.Native plants don't need a permit to live where they belong. They way it could work: 1: Acquisition of land. The more we preserve now the more we have to work with and make a positive difference in the future. 2 would be laws. If there were laws assessing fines to people who choose to use toxic chemicals to fertilize their yards, plant invasive species, not compost, etc...there would be a lot of people making smarter choices. 3. Incentives... if a tax incentive was offered to the people who made earth friendly choices like not spraying the yard with toxic chemicals, composting food scraps, leaves, and grass clippings, that could work too.When making the new laws and incentives you could educate why you are doing it(linking in education to both 2 and 3. Last would be Volunteer conservation....so many people would make changes in their own yards the impact would be amazing.The education would come from the laws and incentives forcing people to be on the same page....which will help making find volunteers much easier. It's a lot like recycling.When we were first told we needed to recycle people were upset and resistant. Now we find it ridiculous that people wouldn't do such a thing and are irritated by the complete opposite prior to recycling. Same would go with forced preservation lead by a great city.We have a chance to stand out as as city, and make a positive difference for generations to come....don't waste it out of inconvenience. 3 Not sure i 6:30pm• 2014-09- 30 2 Remind residents what's available and why it's important. Most E 1:24pm• 2014-09- rational people will do their best to act smartly and use/enjoy the 30 resources wisely. Total 23 Unanswered 20 Demographics Age Gender 36-64 Female 19-35 65 Male Residence Number of years in Golden Valley 0-10 Golden Valley Other 20 11-20 Interested in volunteer opportunities to maintain and enhance GV natural areas? No ue9 Maybe;Jeaeid