Browsing by Subject "Taking Stock - Demographics"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Minnesota's Network of Parks and Trails: An Inventory of Recreation Experience Opportunities in Minnesota: Northeast Region Profile(2010) Davenport, Mae; Schneider, Ingrid; Date, Andrea; Filter, LisaItem Regional, Watershed, and Site-Specific Environmental Influences on Fish Assemblage Structure and Function in Western Lake Superior Tributaries(2005) Brazner, John; Tanner, Danny K; Detenbeck, Naomi E; Batterman, Sharon L; Stark, Stacey L; Jagger, Leslie A; Snarski, Virginia MThis report assesses the impact of human activities and forest fragmentation on fish communities in the western Lake Superior basin. Human-induced activities noted in the report included temperature changes, siltation, erosion, forest cover and forest manipulation, and invasive species. Specific results are reproduced below. “The relative importance of regional, watershed, and in-stream environmental factors on fish assemblage structure and function was investigated in western Lake Superior tributaries. We selected 48 second- and third-order watersheds from two hydrogeomorphic regions to examine fish assemblage response to differences in forest fragmentation, watershed storage, and a number of other watershed, riparian, and in-stream habitat conditions. Although a variety of regional, fragmentation, and storage-related factors had significant influences on the fish assemblages, water temperature appeared to be the single most important environmental factor. We found lower water temperatures and trout–sculpin assemblages at lower fragmentation sites and higher temperatures and minnow–sucker–darter assemblages as storage increased. Factors related to riparian shading and flow separated brook trout streams from brown trout (Salmo trutta) – rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) streams. Functionally, fish assemblages at lower fragmentation sites were dominated by cold-water fishes that had low silt tolerance and preferred moderate current speeds, while fishes with higher silt tolerances, warmer temperature preferences, and weaker sustained swimming capabilities were most common at higher storage sites. Our results suggest that site-specific environmental conditions are highly dependent on regional- and watershed-scale characters and that a combination of these factors operates in concert to influence the structure and function of stream fish assemblages. Key points: This study was completed within 160 km of Duluth, Minnesota, in the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion and within two ecological units, the North Shore Highlands (north shore streams) and the Lake Superior Clay Plain (south shore streams)which provided excellent contrast in hydrogeomorphic types. Functionally, south shore fishes tended to be silt-dwelling, trophic generalists with slow current preferences and a tendency towards nest-guarding spawning behavior. North shore fishes tended to be single-bout spawners with fast current preferences. From a management perspective, our results suggest that both timber management and wetland restoration or degradation decisions will need to be considered by resource managers when fish community health is a concern. For example, increasing percentages of mature forest cover should allow for salmonid–sculpin assemblages to become more prevalent in streams with the potential for cool or cold waters. Similarly, increased wetland cover should allow for a greater predominance of healthy warmwater fish assemblages assuming that other landscape features are not too badly degraded. By understanding the species structure and functional character of an assemblage and its relationship to landscape features, managers should be able to make at least a rough assessment of watershed condition. Lacking fish data, it might be easier to simply characterize forest cover and storage as a first step in identifying which watersheds likely contain streams that are degraded. Our results suggest that although in-stream habitat rehabilitation should continue to be used an important tool to improve biological conditions in streams, restoration efforts will have greater success if the potential interactions with landscape conditions are factored into the decision-making process. In some situations, manipulation of forest cover or watershed storage may have a greater impact on fish assemblage integrity than in-stream habitat improvements.”Item Trends and the Implications for Park and Rec(2009) Duluth, Minnesota Parks and RecreationThis Powerpoint presentation contains numerous images but very limited content related to water resources. The Duluth Parks and Recreation website contains the following executive summary: “For the past 16 months, City staff, Parks Commissioners, and park planning consultants have been working on a master plan to guide the future of Duluth’s parks, recreation, and trails system. Key elements of the Master Plan are to: • improve the quality of existing parks (especially neighborhood parks), • focus on connecting the community through trails and bikeways, • have fewer, but higher quality recreation buildings, • enhance stewardship of natural resources, • expand partnerships with schools for community recreation and gathering, • increase use and recognition of volunteers and volunteer groups, and • create stable and sustainable funding sources to improve the park system. The Plan is based on extensive public input gathered in surveys, meetings, and focus group sessions. Kathy Bergen, Duluth’s Manager of Parks and Recreation said ‘Feedback from the community was overwhelmingly in favor of a high quality parks, recreation, and trails system. We heard from many people who moved to Duluth to be close to nature and close to recreation. Our parks, recreation activities, trails, and natural resources are a huge part of the local economy and attract visitors from across the world. We needed a plan to protect and enhance that resource.’ The Plan does not recommend the addition of many new parks. Park planning consultant Greg Ingraham of HKGi praised Duluth’s park system. ‘Duluth has a great system of park land, but due to budget constraints some parks and recreation buildings are in sad shape and are not meeting resident’s expectations. Improving existing parks and connecting the community with trails and bikeways should be the focus. That will take additional funding and a commitment of the community, but parks and recreation are a vital element of Duluth’s future and deserve the investment.’ The next step in this process is to present the Master Plan to the City Council for their support and adoption. We hope to accomplish this at the December 20th City Council meeting. Implementation of the Action Steps in the Plan will begin in January. The Master Plan is a ‘living plan’ and as such will need to be reviewed and updated periodically to keep pace with our dynamic civic, economic, and natural environment. Action Steps will be prioritized and public involvement will be encouraged for each Action Step. We hope you will get involved in the Actions that interest you or impact your neighborhood. Future information about these opportunities will be provided on this webpage.”