St. Croix 360

River stories to inspire stewardship.

  • Share News
  • Event Calendar
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Support

Bird-friendly forest restoration at Riverside Landing

A recent project on the upper St. Croix will hopefully attract migratory songbirds to an area hit by the July 1 blowdown storm.

By Greg Seitz | November 1, 2011 | 4 minute read

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
Volunteers and Park Service staff next to the one of the brush piles they made during the Oct. 14 work day.

Volunteers and Park Service staff next to the one of the brush piles they made during the Oct. 14 work day.

Like the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes, a recent forest restoration project should attract new birds to an area hit by the July 1 blowdown storm along the upper St. Croix.

Riverside Landing, located where the Namekagon joins the St. Croix near Danbury, WI, was flattened by this summer’s storm — which hammered broad swaths in the region, including at St. Croix State Park.

On Friday, October 14, a team of St. Croix National Scenic Riverway staff and citizen volunteers cleared brush and stumps from the area and planted seeds which it is hoped will provide nesting habitat for songbirds that migrate between the region and Costa Rica.

What the area looked like after the July 1 storm.

Before (Riverside Landing after July 1 storm).

Riverside Landing after clean-up and restoration work.

After (Riverside Landing after clean-up and restoration work.)


Setting the stage

Citizen steward Sarah MacDougall (Taylors Falls) clearing debris.

The Park Service’s Robin Maercklein explained in an email that the first phase of the project was stabilizing the soil and preventing erosion with native plants, and then later work to introduce trees:

“Riverside sits just above the floodplain and our goal is to return it to native vegetation found in the adjacent areas.  White pine seem to be seeding in naturally and we have supplemented the ground vegetation with planting of a mix of prairie, savanna and woodland grasses and wildflowers. The latter is in anticipation of the site being eventually a restored forest consisting of red maple, paper birch, red and white oak, white pine, aspen, black cherry and a number of sub-canopy trees and shrubs that will provide food and shelter for wildlife.”

Maercklein also wrote that some 20 trees were also planted among the existing seedlings and saplings, partly to develop a screen from the highway for the group campsite at the landing.

Bird paradise

Golden winged warbler

Golden winged warbler (Photo by Mike Cong, Golden Warbler Working Group)

The birds that it is hoped will be attracted to the new forest are “Neotropical migrants,” which migrate between the St. Croix region and Costa Rica. The new residents might also include Golden-winged warbler, an increasingly rare species, Maercklein explained:

In the early stages of restoration, we expect to see song sparrows as they are the most commonly encountered bird species in the Riverway.  We also hope to see a number of warblers including American redstart, yellow warbler and common yellowthroat.

The golden-winged warbler is also a possibility as suitable habitat is also found adjacent to the site.  This neotropical migrant is currently being evaluated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to see if it should be added to the threatened and endangered species list.  This region of Wisconsin and Minnesota is the best place to find nesting golden-winged warblers.

The area is at the southern edge of the golden-winged warbler’s traditional nesting range, but its population is declining due to habitat loss. Learn more at the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group website.

Park partnerships

Seeds that were sown at Riverside Landing on Oct. 14.

The bird habitat project is the tangible result of a new partnership between the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Osa Conservation, a Costa Rica non-profit that works to preserve the Osa Penninsula, home to Corcovado National Park and many birds which migrate from the St. Croix River area to Central America every winter.

The cost of the native seeds used in the project was funded by a grant from the fund set up by Laurie Allman and Carol Caouette from proceeds from the sale of their CD “River Croix.” Allman presented a check to the Park Service’s Maercklein after his presentation on neotropical migrants at the St. Croix River Association’s fall meeting on Sept. 29.  The fund provided a companion grant to Osa Conservation to help protect habitat for neotropical migrants in Costa Rica.  Laurie presented a check to Emily Angell of Osa Conservation at the Great Rivers Confluence Symposium in Hastings on Oct. 7.

More photos

Thank you to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway’s Chris Stein and Jonathan Moore for supplying the photos for this article and facilitating the coverage, and to the Riverway’s Robin Maercklein for supplying information about the project.

Citizen steward Jim Mallman clearing a stump at Riverside Landing on Friday 10/14.
Citizen steward Jim Mallman (Marine on St. Croix) clearing a stump.
Robin Maercklein, Biologist/Chief of Resource Management for the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, distributes seed into buckets for NPS staff and volunteers to spread at the site.

Citizen stewards spreading native seeds at Riverside Landing on 10/14.
Volunteers spreading native seeds at Riverside Landing on 10/14.

Conservation news on St. Croix 360 is supported by the St. Croix River Association, which works to protect, restore and celebrate the St. Croix River and its watershed.

Related articles:

Comments

  1. Angie Hong says

    November 2, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    What a great story!

Follow

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Features

Two inches and 6,000 gallons: A swollen century on the St. Croix River

Cold comfort

New preserve will let students, community, and anglers experience the Kinnickinnic River

St. Croix 360 is now 100% supported by readers.

Click here to contribute →

 

Latest News

River Falls reservoir drawn down for good after dam damaged by flood

City on lower St. Croix considers housing ordinance in conflict with river rules

St. Croix forestry conference will connect people working for watershed woods

Guided walks will feature Women in Conservation careers

St. Croix Valley Foundation awards more than $47,000 in arts grants

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

About

St. Croix 360 builds support for river stewardship, and connects people and organizations. It is an independent news source produced by Greg Seitz, with past support from the St. Croix River Association.

Donate to St. Croix 360 today »

Story of 360

One of the biggest challenges facing the St. Croix River is harmful blooms of algae in in the lower river, due to excess nutrients in runoff. The goal is to restore the river by reducing phosphorus levels to 360 tons/year. Learn more »

Share Your News

St. Croix 360 is powered by a broad community of St. Croix River-loving people. Please visit our submission page to send tips, press releases, and other news.

Submit an Event

Lower St. Croix: St. Croix 360 partners with online calendar St. Croix Splash.

  • Submit your events to Splash.
  • Share it with St. Croix 360 for promotion.

For events elsewhere in the watershed, contact St. Croix 360 directly.

St. Croix 360 Syndication

To help increase awareness of the St. Croix River, news organizations and other outlets are free to share St. Croix 360 content, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

Republish St. Croix 360 stories »

Partners

  • St. Croix River Association
  • St. Croix Watershed Research Station
  • ArtReach St. Croix
  • You and all St. Croix 360's readers!
Handcrafted in May Township, Minnesota. Please contribute today »
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.