2024 Southeast Regional Landscape Committee Meeting

The Southeast Regional Landscape Committee's next quarterly meeting will be on September 10 from 9:30am-12:30pm in St. Charles, MN.  There will be an outside portion at the St. Charles School Forest.  They were awarded a DNR Conservation Partners Legacy grant in 2023 to conduct invasive species control, forest stand improvements and prairie plantings.  We will be meeting with the project coordinator, the private vendors (forestry mulching, site prep for seeding, prescribed burning) and partners (USFWS, volunteers, teachers, CCM, retired DNR staff) who have assisted with the project with lots of coordination and collaboration and discuss future management plans.  We will share observations of conducting FSI work during drought conditions and what the outcomes look like vs anticipated post drought.   After that we will reconvene at the Community Center at 830 Whitewater Ave for a presentation from Ryan Toot, Watershed Forester with the USFS.  General member updates will follow and we will wrap up with lunch (provided).

   8/27/24 Update from Jen Wahls:

Just a reminder ahead of the holiday weekend about our next quarterly meeting on Tuesday, September 10th from 9:30am-12:30pm in St. Charles.  Please complete the lunch order form  whether you are or are not attending the meeting to help with the head count and planning.  We will be ordering food from Cabin Coffee in St. Charles.  There is a selection noting that you will not need a lunch provided.  Please respond no later than 9am on Friday, September 6th.   I have noted a few of you that reached out to say you aren't able to attend.  Thank you!  I added a column to reflect that option to attend or not.  I corrected the "complete by date." Thanks to those who brought that to my attention!  

Please note the change in the parking/meeting location (click on "St. Charles School Forest" below).  We will be meeting at a parking area that dead ends off of Hillcrest Drive.  There are about 12 designated parking areas as well as parking in the residential area.  Please be cognizant of driveways, mailboxes and trash cans.  

There will be an outside portion at the St. Charles School Forest.  They were awarded a DNR Conservation Partners Legacy grant in 2023 to conduct invasive species control, forest stand improvements and prairie plantings.  We will be meeting with the project coordinator, the private vendors doing the work (forestry mulching, site prep, prescribed burning) and partners (USFWS, volunteers, teachers, retired DNR staff) who have assisted with the project through lots of coordination and collaboration and discuss future management plans.  We will share the scope of work, what management has been done, what the outcomes are vs anticipated and how that has affected management decisions.    

After that we will reconvene at the St. Charles Community Center at 830 Whitewater Avenue for a presentation from Ryan Toot, Watershed Forester with the USFS.  General committee member updates will follow and we will wrap up with lunch (provided).

We will be providing 3 CEUs for plan writers and loggers in attendance.