Caledonia Argus

Despite budget cuts, resource management at Beaver Creek continues

Posted: 9/17/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

Despite a decision by the Minnesota DNR to reduce services at state parks in the wake of $13.1 million in budget cuts, resource management efforts at Beaver Creek Valley State Park are, for the most part, proceeding as planned.

The thrust of resource management has focused on the restoration of remnant prairies and the removal of exotic plant species from the park. Much of BCVSP is goat prairieñ rocky, dry terrain that abounds in wildflowers and prairie grasses. An influx of non-native species in recent years has plagued the indigenous plant species, and park staff have undertaken a wholesale removal of the invaders.

The primary non-native plant targeted for removal is buckthorn, a highly invasive species that tends to form solid thickets. When buckthorn moves into an area like the goat prairie at BCVSP, few native plants can compete.

Buckthorn removal is essential for maintaining the natural landscape at BCVSP. By cutting away the brush, spraying the stumps with herbicide, performing controlled burns across the remaining vegetation, and reseeding the terrain, staff have begun restoring the park in a way that brings it closer to its original condition.

ìWeíre trying to restore the parks so we can show people what was there 150 years ago,î said Rick Remington, a DNR resource specialist who assists with management at eight state parks in southeast Minnesota.

The prairie restoration is concomitant with another project park staff have undertakenñ preservation of timber rattlesnake habitat.

ìTimber rattlesnakes are relatively harmless if left unprovoked,î Remington said. ìBy maintaining their habitats, we can help the species.î

Since it is not feasible to stock and breed rattlesnakes, the best way of preserving them is to provide an environment suitable for their survival. By keeping trails and roads away from the habitats, the rattlesnakes receive the proper amount of shade and light.

Efforts to restore the prairie have directly bolstered the push toward rattlesnake preservation. Through brush removal and controlled burns, the prairie returns more and more to its original condition, which is the environment in which the rattlesnakes thrive.

In addition to prairie restoration and exotic species control, park staff are also planning to revamp the creek crossings in the park.

ìEvery time a vehicle crosses the creek, silt moves into the crossings,î Remington said. ìWe want to minimize this going into the creek. Youíve heard the phrase, ëpeople are loving our parks to deathíñ we need to mitigate the impact of traffic and install a different type of crossing in the next year or two.î

Though BCVSP staff are continuing to undertake conservation projects within the park, the budget cutbacks have not gone unnoticed.

ìThe cutbacks have pretty much hit everybody,î Remington noted. ìWeíve had to cut back on staff and curtail management. Most of the management weíre able to do is funded primarily through sales at the gift stores. Even though there were budget cuts, we still have money from t-shirt sales, book sales, and anything sold in the gift store.î

Remingtonís statement reveals the basic dilemma faced by park management in light of the budget cutbacks. The camping season was shortened this year, ending on Labor Day. Though the park will remain open year-round, attendance has dwindled in recent weeks, park staff have observed. If park attendance drops, then sales at the park gift shop will drop, too, meaning resource management at BCVSP gets the short-end of the funding stick twice over.

Albeit underfunded, resource management will continue. But just as with the prairie ecosystems within the park, each facet of park managementñ conservation, commerce, educationñ are interconnected with all the other parts. When one suffers, the others will suffer as well.

Top of Page