Westside Bluffs phaseI

For More Information …
Preserve Natural Resources
For more information please
contact:
West Side Citizens Organization
(WSCO)
Address
Telephone #
Fax #
E-mail
Web Site Address
City of Saint Paul
Division of Parks and Recreation
Address
Telephone #
Fax #
E-mail
Great River Greening
Address
Telephone #
Fax #
E-mail
Acknowledgements
• West Side Citizens Organization Board
• West Side Citizens Organization Environment Committee
• St. Paul Division of Parks and Recreation
(special thanks to Patricia Freeman and all of the Parks and Recreation
Managers)
• Great River Greening
(special thanks to Jason Huspeth, Caroline Carr and Dan Shaw)
• Additional stakeholders
(DNR, Fish and Wildlife, and who else?)
• Bluff Task Force general membership whose participation, patience and
hard work etc.
• And last, but not least, the Bluff Task Force 'Core Planning Team' (and in
particular the Charter Members who got this thing off the ground) continuity, tenacity etc. etc. brought this Plan to
• Nalco Printing
• Close Landscape Architecture
Closing remarks Leadership
Communication
Patience
Restore Historic Views
Support Recreational Use
The West Side Bluff
M a n a g e m e n t A c t i o n P l a n - Phase I
Prepared by: The West Side Bluff Task Force
in Partnership with the West Side Citizens Organization
September 2002
28
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Summary
Study Area - Phase 1
Downtown St. Paul
The Management Action Plan focuses
on the top edge, face and toe of the
bluff from Annapolis on the west to the
intersection of Wabasha and Isabel
Avenues on the east. It represents the
first phase of an overall plan for the
entire bluff that will eventually cover a
study area from Annapolis on the west
to Annapolis on the east.
Components of the
Management Action Plan
Table of Contents
Summary
page 2
History of the Bluff
page 3
The Bluff Task Force
page 4
Current Events
page 5
The Vegetation Inventory
page 6
Community Process
page 7
Issues and Challenges
page 8
Overall Recommendations
page 9
The Master Plan
page 10 - 11
Segment 1 Recommendations
page 12 - 15
Segment 2 Recommendations
page 16 - 19
Segment 3/4 Recommendations
page 20 - 23
Action Steps
page 24
The Management Agreement
page 25
For More Information . . .
page 26
Note: Individual Project Sheets in back pocket
This plan is a working document,
intended to evolve as issues and
priorities change over time. Success
will be measured by the ongoing
initiative, commitment and collaboration
of all participants, seeking long-term,
sustainable management practices to
preserve important resources.
Mississippi River
Robert St.
Bridge
Wabasha
Bridge
Harriet Island
Park
Airport
High Bridge
Highway 52
Phase 1
Study Area
Location Map
Overview
This is an action plan for managing the ecology and use of the bluff on
St. Paul's West Side. implementing the plan will rely on continued collaboration
between the City of St. Paul (in particular, the St. Paul Division of Parks and
Recreation), the West Side Citizens Organization, Great River Greening,
neighborhood residents and business owners, and other interested groups or
individuals. The Management Action Plan (MAP) identifies critical aspects of
appropriate bluff use, including access, education, erosion control, fund raising,
interpretation, litter control, pathways, structures, vegetation, views, volunteer
participation, and wildlife habitat. It was developed over three years by residents
of the West Side in numerous meetings organized by the West Side Bluff Task
Force (WSBTF), a subcommittee of the Environment Committee of the West Side
Citizens Organization. This MAP recommends that vegetation-related actions
be taken in accordance with Great River Greening's study (“Ecological Inventory
and Vegetation Management Plan”, June 2001) for the western portion of the
bluff. Their cocument is considered a basic reference for information
contained in this report and for future activities..
Pocket for other sheets
Participants in the planning process sought to identify ways to define long-term
bluff maintenance options, define priority projects that need immediate attention,
and improve communications among stakeholders, both present and future. As
a result, the following BTF policy statements were adopted to
help define ongoing bluff projects and activities, including:
• commit to clear and timely communication, including
West Side Bluff
ongoing resident education efforts
• establish funding strategies/sources before removing and
replanting vegetation
• encourage appropriate development along the top and base
of the bluff that protects and improves the views to downtown
and the river valley
• protect the interests, property values and safety of property
owners and bluff users
• build partnerships among residents, area businesses and
Looking west down the Mississippi River from the Wabasha Avenue bridge to the
organizations to share responsibility for keeping the bluff clean
High Bridge (Smith Ave. Bridge).
2
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
27
Roles & Responsibilities
Project sheets will be used to define
specific actions, proposed projects
and other activities related to bluff
improvements and also to clarify
ongoing roles and responsibilities of
the Bluff Task Force and other
stakeholders, for example:
Administrative Issues
(perhaps shared with WSCO)
• Staffing Needs
• Identifying and/or securing project
funding
• Grant writing
Proposed Projects
(wide range of proposed projects)
• See list of projects for each
Segment
Planned Activities
• Planting events
• Invasive plant removal programs
• Maintenance and operations
Project sheets will include
the following information:
• Target goal and objective(s)
• Overview description
• Outcome we seek
• Budget / funding source(s)
• Action steps
• Schedule
• Stakeholders involved
• Roles and responsibilities
History of the Bluff
Preparing the West Side Bluff Management Action Plan document has already
accomplished two important aspects of the Task Force planning process.
First, it serves as a Community Organizing Tool . . . it says a little bit
about who we are and, perhaps more importantly, it expresses the passion
and commitment we feel about the issues and challenges outlined in these
pages.
Second, it provides a Neighborhood Vision for the West Side Bluff . . .
sending a clear message about what improvements we want and where we
think they should occur.
But, there is a third piece, an outcome we seek, critical to the ultimate success
of this Plan. Simply stated, the Management Action Plan must also serve as
the Delivery System . . . the means by which we can all agree on the
specific steps needed to determine how and when projects will be implemented.
At the core of this Delivery System is the "Maintenance and Management
Agreement", the instrument that will clearly define ongoing roles and
responsibilities for each of the primary stakeholders already at the table
including the West Side Citizens Organization, the Bluff Task Force, Great
River Greening and the City. (at least so far)
The structure and application of this Agreement should be based on
our ability, together, to discuss and resolve the following checklist:
The type and location of proposed projects or activities.
The detailed design or specific outcomes for proposed projects or
activities.
Who will pay for proposed projects or activities (public money, private
money, or a partnership involving both).
Historic Highlights
Citizens of St. Paul's West Side value the Mississippi River bluff for its
breathtaking views of downtown St. Paul and the river valley, rare
plant communities and wildlife habitat, diverse recreational opportunities and the many important remnants of decades of the city's
history. The following brief list of 'historic highlights' gives us some
understanding of the level of commitment shown by the City and this
neighborhood in the past and suggests a renewed commitment to
preserve and protect this valuable resource for future generations.
1901 - Saint Paul begins "acquiring the slopes of the bluffs from
South Wabasha Street westward to the city limits"
1904 - "Land was acquired (by the city) along the bluff east of the
High Bridge for a distance of about sixteen hundred feet"
1905 - The Park Board "ordered the condemnation of a strip of land
along and including the bluff on the west side of the river between
the High Bridge and about fifteen hundred feet west thereof"
including "part of a beautiful grove some five acres in extent"
1914 - Additional 67.63 acres acquired for Cherokee Park, "offering the
finest panoramic prospects of the city and magnificent details of the
river valley"
1920s - Construction of Cherokee Boulevard, "affording an excellent variety
of picturesque scenery . . . and to make its charms available to
people in vehicles."
It is safe to say that Cherokee Park, Prospect Park and the entire bluff landscape
that provides the 'front porch' for the West Side neighborhood, has been a
cherished resource and public gathering place for many years. Our ability to
preserve and enhance the historic value, environmental health and cultural
significance of the bluff is central to the recommendations outlined in this
Management Action Plan.
Who will implement or construct proposed projects or activities.
Best maintenance and management practices (and responsibilities) for
proposed projects and activities.
The schedule/time frame for proposed projects and activities.
Implementation
Implementation
Implementation
Segment 2 Streetlights
Segment 1 Erosion
Segment 3/4 Views
Ariel view.
26
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
The High Bridge in an early painting.
We could not have said it better . . .
"This west side bluff is a dominant
note in the landscape harmonies
of St. Paul, for it stands out in the
open, the most conspicuous and
familiar of the natural features
within the daily vision of the people
from all the many points of view
which look out upon the Mississippi
valley from the river front or from
the heights which encircle the city.
No more important duty devolves
upon the board than the preservation
and improvement for public use
and enjoyment of these commanding
features of the picturesque river
frontage of St. Paul."
Excerpted from a 'Report of the
Board of Park Commissioners,
City of St. Paul, 1905'
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
3
The Bluff Task Force
Coalition Roles
Mission Statement
To establish a West Side Bluff Management Plan in partnership with public
and private participants based on a balance of ecological restoration, resource
preservation and recreational use.
Members of the West Side Bluff Task Force,
shown at a summer, 2001 meeting, in the annex
of the Baker Community Center
The WSBTF values the ongoing partnership and collaboration with the City
of St. Paul, Great River Greening,
WSCO and other stakeholders.
The West Side Bluff Task Force formed in the spring of 1999 in
response to an array of concerns brought to the attention of the
WSCO Environment Committee. Summer storms and street reconstruction
along Cherokee Avenue and Prospect Boulevard in 1997 - 1998
resulted in a significant loss of trees along the bluff. Some residents
wanted the trees replaced, others did not - some residents wanted
more trees removed, others did not. Many issues, including severe
erosion, trash dumping, unsanctioned/unlit trails, no published
maintenance plan or clear communication between the West Side
community and the city, and a growing concern for the overall
condition and future management of the West Side Bluff, all became
hot topics for discussion. Most of these issues were not new however,
in 1999 WSCO had identified several strategies related to the bluff in its
five-year community plan, including:
Summary Matrix
• Improve access to and appearance of the bluffs while protecting natural features.
• Foster a major, ongoing neighborhood beautification project that
coordinates activities and resources, and uses landscape and public art
projects to foster intergenerational activity and leadership development.
• Develop an inventory of West Side natural areas (including plant and
animal species) and take steps to protect and enhance these important assets.
• Create and maintain neighborhood gateways that reflect the identities
of our community and its connection to the river.
Recognizing the diversity and complexity of these bluff-related concerns, a
small group of local residents and
Environment Committee members
West Side Citizens
Great River Greening
banded together to form the West Side
Organization (WSCO)
(GRG)
District Council for the West
Bluff Task Force with the purpose of
Plant and ecology experts
Side Neighborhood
involving citizens in organizing a
community-wide process that would
identify bluff issues and develop a longWest Side Bluff Task
term mangement plan to address them.
Force
The Management Action Plan
(WSBTF)
contained in this document brings these
Community organizers and
diverse values and ideas together into
planners
a common vision for the future of the
City of St. Paul
Division of Parks &
Recreation
Owns & maintains bluff
4
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Other Stakeholders
Public Works
Minnesota DNR
Friends of Lilydale
REDA, NEDA
Wildlife Foreever
bluff. Collaboration and partnerships
between neighborhood residents,
business owners, the City of St. Paul,
Great River Greening, WSCO and
other stakeholders are now making this
vision a reality.
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
25
The “Management Agreement”
Overview
Authority to Act
In 2003 the Bluff Task Force completed a Bluff Management Plan for the river
bluff overlooking the Mississippi Riverfront along St. Paul’s West Side. The plan
is a comprehensive framework for the restoration and preservation of a
valuable environmental resource in St. Paul. In order to effectively implement
the recommendations of the Bluff Management Plan in the Bluff Task Force,
the West Side Citizens Organization, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and
Great River Greening agreed to enter into a joint agreement for managing
the implementation of the Bluff Management Plan. The following document
outlines the details of the joint agreement.
In 1999, Bluff Task Force members met with city officials to review and refine the
proposed community-based planning process and the steps needed to develop
a plan for managing the bluff. Encouraged to see citizens working together
toward a common vision, the City not only supported the process, but also
assigned a liaison from Parks and Recreation to attend and participate in Task
Force meetings and other events. The City also agreed to inform the Task Force
of any future bluff activities with the understanding that ongoing maintenance and
management operations would be integrated with recommendations contained
in the completed Bluff Task Force Plan.
Bluff Management Plan Coalition
The following organizations make up the West Side Bluff Management Plan
Coalition (BMPC)
• The West Side Bluff Task Force
• Great River Greening
• Saint Paul PArks and Recreation
• The West Side Citizens Organization
Terms of Agreement
The terms of agreement are as follows:
• The agreement is annually approved by all coalition partners.
• The coalition agrees to convene quarterly to address the business of the
coalition.
• The roles of each coalition partner are articulated in the attached “West
Side Stakeholder Roles” document. These roles are open to revision by the
Coalition as part of the annual approval of the joint agreement.
• The purpose of the coalition is not to centralize implementation of the
management plan but to coordinate activities among the participating
organizations.
• Rules for the governance of the coalition will be operationally defined as
part of the business of the quarterly coalition meetings.
Joint Agreement Statement
WSCO
WSBTF
24
SPDPR
GRG
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Current Events - A Call to Action
We, the representatives of the undersigned organizations, agree to be
members of the West Side Bluff Management Plan Coalition. As members of
the coalition we agree to the terms of the joint agreement and
to assume the responsibilities outlined for our organization in
the “West Side Stakeholder Roles” document. We understand
that this agreement is annually approved by each of the
member organizations.
Outcomes
As the Task Force gained momentum and increased its membership, several
organizational issues required clarification as well. The 'authority' to make
detailed recommendations and request specific actions related to the bluff was
officially endorsed in a letter from WSCO to the City (dated June 2001)
emphasized the following four points:
Success Stories
Already!
In response to a mutual agreement
between the West Side Bluff Task
Force and the Cherokee Heights
Vista Preservation Project to
re-establish historic views from the
bluff, the City of St. Paul, Great River
Greening and several hundred
volunteers from the neighborhood
and around the Twin Cities came
together for a planting event in the
spring of 2002.
1) The WSCO Board recognizes and supports the WSBTF study process.
2) The WSCO Board expects that WSBTF will keep it informed of its work in
progress through active involvement and regular reports and presentations
leading to Board approval of plan conclusions and recommendations
contained in the Bluff Management Plan.
3) The WSCO Board will actively participate in implementing the
recommendations of the Bluff Management Plan.
4) The Board requests that proposals to the City for projects be forwarded to
the WSBTF, which will invite residents and organizations requesting projects
to participate in the ongoing planning process.
This letter verified that the WSBTF was now officially sanctioned by WSCO as a
subcommittee of the WSCO Environment Committee, and in this official status
could move forward with community planning activities.
Community volunteers have become
Eco Partners with the City and have
volunteered over 500 hours to
maintain the replanted areas of
the bluff.
Together, the West Side Bluff
Task Force, City of St. Paul and
Great River Greening obtained
grants from the Minnesota
Department of Natural
Resources and the National Fish
and Wildlife Federation to
restore the prairie and oak
forest remnants, both valuable
and unique plant communities
on the bluff.
Many things to celebrate, but
still a long way to go!
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
5
GRG and the Vegetation Inventory
In 2000, the Bluff Task Force obtained a grant from the Big Rivers
Partnership to conduct a vegetation inventory along the western half of the
bluff. Completed in 2001 by Great River Greening, the inventory identified
rare plant communities on the bluff and recommended best management
practices for three high priority viewing sites along the bluff. The rare plant
communities included a prairie remnant in Cherokee Park threatened by
invasive species, severe erosion and trampling by park visitors, and an oak
forest remnant nearby also threatened by encroachment of invasive plants.
Limited Resources - Defining
Priorities
The GRG Vegetation Management
Plan considered a variety of
potential project sites as part
of their inventory and evaluation.
Those sites emerging as the
highest priority, represented two
very distinct, but integrated
categories:
The GRG Plan "suggests that the bluff's natural resources be managed
both on an ecological and social basis. This approach acknowledges that
people are part of the natural system and that maintaining a healthy and
diverse ecosystem is the best way to meet the needs of park users and all
the organisms living on the site. Ecosystem management integrates current
scientific knowledge and human values with the underlying goal of protecting the health of the ecosystem for the long term.” The following list of
principles guided the development of their recommendations:
1 - Management efforts should protect or enhance the health of the
bluffland ecosystem and the native biological diversity of its habitats.
2 - Planning should recognize that species are interdependent.
3 - Planning should acknowledge that people are part of nature.
4 - Planning should be based on ecological, not political, boundaries and
on extended time frames.
5 - Management should be based on accurate information and monitoring.
6 - Exotic plant species should be excluded or carefully controlled.
7 - Management should be based on cooperative efforts.
The GRG inventory and their recommendations serve as the foundation for
the Bluff Management Plan and is central to many of the specific objectives
and detailed actions outlined for each segment of the plan.
6
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
GOAL III: A beautiful bluff.
Objectives:
1. Form partnerships among residents and area businesses to
share responsibility for keeping the bluff clean.
2. Keep trash under control.
3. Provide basic maintenance for all vegetation.
4. Educate the community about bluff maintenance.
5. Improve signage on the bluff.
6. Remove billboards on bluff areas.
GOAL IV: Wildlife habitat on the bluff.
Objectives:
1. Create and/or restore and maintain adequate and appropriate
types of vegetation and placement to sustain a variety of
healthy populations of local and migratory wildlife.
2. Use the inventories to develop restoration criteria, estimate
costs, identify potential partner groups, andformulate
recommendations to the WSCO environment committee, etc.
Below: View of the cliff above ___ Avenue below
Isabel.
GOAL V: Structures along bluff harmonize with the environment
and needs of residents.
Objectives:
1. Provide a safe, visually pleasing, low, stone wall at bluff top
along Prospect Blvd. arrangements for long-term maintenance
of bluff structures.
2: Provide stairways leading from blufftop to blufftoe.
3. Assess the concrete retaining wall near the Channel
(Green) Stairs
4. Provide structures that enhance leisure
activities.
GOAL VI: Recreational opportunities in public
bluff areas.
1. Provide appropriate equipment and access to
areas.
2. Designate recreational areas with signage.
Sites with the highest ecological
value - restoration, preservation of
significant plant communities
based on sound
ecological practices.
Sites with the highest social
impact - response to
community use of public gathering
spaces and activity areas along the
bluff edge.
Below: The bridge connecting the top of the bluff
at Hall Avenue to the Green Stairs.
Examples of site inventory and
evaluation maps contained in the
GRG Plan.
Looking toward the
Robert Street bridge
from the Prospect
Boulevard wall at the
front of Bidwell.
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
23
Segment 3/4 - Goals and Objectives
Community Process - Why a Master Plan?
Overview
Beginning in 1999, the Bluff Task Force established a 'core
planning team,’ consisting of 8-12 people responsible for
overall coordination of the planning process, assigning specific
tasks and responsibilities, facilitating Task Force meetings and
general oversight of Bluff Task Force progress and activities.
This core team defined an inclusive, consensus-driven process
to engage residents and other stakeholders in creating a longterm bluff management plan. The planning process encouraged
equal participation by all interested participants in exploring
solutions to a variety of bluff issues and challenges.
In addition to the core planning team, working groups (Segment
Study Teams) of residents formulated goals, objectives and
specific recommendations for each segment of the bluff. Review
and critique of work-in-progress including study
conclusions, proposed projects and potential actions were
reviewed in a series of community-wide workshops, presentations
to WSCO and meetings with the City of St. Paul.
Guiding Principles
Goals and Objectives
GOAL I: An ecologically healthy bluff.
Objectives:
1: Improve vegetation on bluff.
GOAL II: Recognition of bluffviews as city treasures.
Objectives:
1. Obtain specific acknowledgement from key persons and organizations.
2. Provide appropriate viewing areas.
3. Get commitment by the city to work with residents to maintain the
viewing areas.
Left: A view of the sidewalk around the north edge of
Prospect Park. Summer, 2001.
The Task Force acknowledged the need to build on existing
strengths and assets as a foundation for our work, while at the
same time recognizing the tough issues and challenges that get
in the way of success. Toward that end, the Task Force spent
considerable time and energy refining a list of guiding principles, or commonly held values, from which we could base our
selection of priority projects and evaluate ongoing bluff activities.
Evaluation Criteria:
It is crucial that each project or activity successfully address the following
questions:
Absolutes:
1 - Is it safe?
2 - Does it add to overall bluff aesthetics?
3 - Does it maintain ecological health?
4 - Does it take history into account?
5 - Is it maintainable and sustainable?
Additional Things to Consider:
6 - What does it cost?
7 - Does it impact adjacent land uses?
8 - Does it provide recreational opportunities?
9 - Does it build community?
Note:
For detailed project information see project
sheets in the back pocket of this report.
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West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Basic Components of
the Process
• Design and Development
Program - defining what we
want
• Inventory and Evaluation understanding what we have
• Strategic Planning Piece - setting
the framework of issues and
objectives
• Physical Planning Piece - selecting
specific projects and activities
• Implementation and Action phasing, funding, roles and
responsibilities
This work represents a strong vision
joined with a shared community
and political will to make things
happen!
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
7
Issues and Challenges
Inventory and Evaluation What do we have to work
with?
Site Inventory Map
Left: Peering through dense
vegitation across the river,
____.
All of this input and information
was eloquently summarized by
Task Force member Jim Smith
when he wrote:
"In short, people want to get around
and up and down the bluff safely and
without stepping in something
objectionable or tripping on someone's
trash; they want to be able to enjoy
the unique vistas of river and city, but
not if the living, walking, resting and
riding are experienced on a treeless,
windswept 'Mount Baldy' or in the
midst of a disorderly profusion of
scavenger vegetation; they are willing
to work with people they have not yet
met and work out as many ways as
possible to help the bluff flourish and
to learn, teach and socialize."
8
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Other interesting historic highlights include: The Yoerg Brewery, Minnesota's
first, began operation in 1848 at St. Paul's Uppertown and moved to the West
Side in 1871, located on the corner of the now-vacated Ethel Street and Ohio
Street. "Yoerg and his men excavated a huge system of caverns behind the
brewery" The caves are under present-day Prospect Park. Prospect Park was
established in 1953 when the City of St. Paul bought the property from William
The Bluff Task Force coordinated a series of
mailings, questionnaires, site walks, strategy
sessions, community workshops and other meetings
necessary to gather background information,
community input and stakeholder concerns related
to the bluff. This information was then evaluated
and organized into the following general
categories (not prioritized) as the basis for
detailed discussion and management plan
recommendations:
and Ethel Lindberg. On the bluffs above the Brewery, Anthony Yoerg built a home for
his family in 1876. This French Second Empire style mansion (located at 215 Isabel
Street) is one of eight structures on the West Side to be included on the National
Register of Historic Places.
• Natural resources and the environment
(geology, vegetation, wildlife)
• Views and vistas
• Access and circulation
• Operations and maintenance
• Adjacent land use
• Recreational use (parks, open space,
informal/formal, active/passive, etc.)
• Culture and history
• Safety and security
• Education and interpretation
• Financial issues (cost, grants, funding)
• Utilities and infrastructure
• Trash and dumping
The low wall along Prospect Boulevard, in four sections from Bidwell to the Green Stairs,
was built in 1938 by the city's public works department. Wall materials and construction
are very similar to structures in Cherokee Park and the Segment 2 stairs, suggesting
that all of this work was part of a WPA project. The Green Stairs, tower connecting the
top of the bluff at the intersection of Hall and Prospect, known earlier as the "Channel
Stairs" because of its connection with Channel Barge Road below, was built later.
Caves, in fact, are a prominent featuer of the face of the entire West Side Bluff. Among
the several just above Wabasha Street and near the Green Stairs are the famous
Wabasha Street Cafes, used in the 1800’s by French immegrants to grow mushrooms.
In the 1930s, it was converted to The Castle Royal, a lively night club that numbered
gangsters such as Ma Barker and John Dillinger amoung its guests. It is now a
12,000-square-foot, 250-seat multi-purpose facility for year-round banquets, receptions
and historic tours.
A great windstorm came down the river valley from the west in June, 1998, and did
enormous damage to Highland Park, West 7th Street and to the West Side bluff.
Numerous trees along the bluff were uprooted and many others whose root systems
were lifted from the ground had to be cut down. Later that same year the city's road
and gas improvement program came to Segments 3 and 4 and in the course of
grading along Prospect, several more trees were removed. This area of the bluff, and
especially along Prospect, has looked very different after these two events, these
changes led to the first meetings of the Bluff Task Force.
Right: Looking east along
Prospect Boulevard at the
foot of Nidwell Street,
showing an area of cut
burdock in fall, 2000.
Left: ?
Right: Looking at the north face of the West Side
bluff from Wabasha and Plato. The Green Stairs can
be seen to the left and Group Health to the right.
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
21
Segment 3/4 - Background Information
Description
Note: The findings and recommendations of
the Great River Greening vegetation study
treat Segments 3 and 4 separately, but the
logistics of our planning process suggested
that we combine the two into a single
planning unit.
Segments 3 and 4 include both public land
and private properties from Ohio Street on
the west extending past the 'Green Stairs' at
Hall and Prospect Streets, continuing to
Terrace Park between Delos and Isabel
Streets on the east.
Primary Focus Areas:
• Improving the vegetation on the
bluff
• Defining desired viewing areas and
what is needed to maintain them
• Forming partnerships among
residents and area businesses
• Controlling trash
• Improving signage and removing
billboards
• Ensuring structures such as walls
and steps are safe and visually
pleasing
• Seeking official delineation
between public and private property
• Provide and improve recreational
facilities as appropriate
History
Early photographs and written descriptions of the Segment 3 and 4 area
indicate the beginnings of a city plan to acquire bluff property for both public use and protection of the bluff landscape as an important city resource.
For example, as published in the Annual Report of the Board of Park
Commissioners (1901): "Steps should be promptly taken to carry out the
long delayed project of acquiring the slopes of the bluffs from South
Wabasha Street westward to the city limits, and as far as possible a strip of
land along their summits for a boulevard. Early action is necessary in order
to put a stop to the destruction by timber thieves of the trees which adorn
these bluff slopes and render them one of the most attractive features in the
scenic beauty of the picturesque valley of the Mississippi embraced within
the limits of St. Paul."
And from a 1905 report of the same Board: "This land would further the
long cherished dream of a boulevard embracing the crest and slopes of the
bluff from South Wabasha Street to Mendota and beyond". The 1905 report
continues, "The first attempt to start this west side boulevard was made a
number of years ago when the city undertook to secure a narrow roadway
on the edge of the bluff between South Wabasha and Ohio Streets. It was
defeated by the short sighted greed of some of the property owners."
The boulevard was eventually constructed for much of the proposed length,
with a few exceptions along the way. Prospect Boulevard now runs from Hall
west to Bidwell, stops, then continues west after one block as a shared street
with Delos, ending at Prospect Park. The unique shared street means that
properties on the north side are on Prospect Boulevard, while the properties
on the south side are on Delos.
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West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Overall Strategies and Recommendations
Overview
It was important for the Bluff Task Force, and for the whole neighborhood,
to recognize that the west side bluff is just one small part of several much
broader areas for consideration, with unique issues and specific challenges
to each one. For example the bluff is part of the Mississippi River valley
(the regional layer); part of the bluff system lining the river through St.
Paul (the city layer); an important edge to the West Side community (the
neighborhood layer); and an important front door for the people who live
directly adjacent to this wonderful resource (the individual lot layer).
Participants in a series of community planning workshops, numerous Core
Planning Team meetings, Segment Study Group meetings and various
other discussions covering three years and involving over 100 West Side
Citizens and other stakeholders, were dedicated to sorting through each
of these layers as part of the foundation for the Management Action Plan.
The result of this discussion is a shared understanding of overall strategies
and recommendations that not only apply to the entire study area, but also
respond to the detailed goals and objectives outlined for each segment,
and to some extent, also address the regional and city-scale layers as well.
This shared understanding translates into a shared responsibility for each of
the existing stakeholders (WSCO, BTF, GRG, the City), and a guide for
future participants in planning, design and implementation of bluff
improvements.
Overall Strategies (not in order of priority):
• Maintain our commitment to the West Side Bluff Management Action Plan
• Maintain good lines of communication between stakeholders and the
neighborhood
• Educate residents about bluff management activities
• Create a natural, sustainable landscape by replacing invasive vegetation
with native vegetation in accordance with the GRG Plan
• Provide long-term maintenance of bluff vegetation, especially with
respect to re-plantings of native vegetation
• Establish and secure funding for a re-planting strategy prior to removing
any vegetation on the bluff
• Improve bluff habitat for local wildlife and migratory birds using the
Mississippi flyway
• Selectively encourage development projects that protect and improve
views from the top of the bluffs to downtown and the river
• Ensure that vegetation management and improvements protect the
interests, property values, safety and other concerns of property owners
and bluff users
• Acknowledge bluff views as city treasures
• Prohibit billboards on the bluff
• Seek opportunities for volunteer participation in bluff maintenance and
management
• Promote education/interpretation of the bluff
• Identify potential funding sources for bluff improvement
• Create partnerships between residents, organizations and area businesses
to share responsibility for bluff clean-up and beautification
• Ensure that future projects meet agreed upon strategies in this document
Overall Recommendations
(not prioritized)
The following recommendations
describe actions and activities that
apply to all segments of the bluff.
• Explore opportunities for
educational/interpretive signage
• Explore opportunities for public
art and community planting projects
• Re-examine mowing practices keep mowers away from bluff edge
• Reduce stormwater run-off
contributing to erosion and pollution
• Define criteria and create a
process through which area
residents may establish
Designated Viewing Areas
• Collaborate with the West Side
Safe Neighborhood Council and
other stakeholders to discourage
trash dumping and other illegal
activities
• Re-examine disposal/dumping
practices - remove park waste,
clippings, branches instead of
dumping down the bluff
• Expand education efforts and
clean-up programs to increase
public awareness and neighborhood
ownership of the bluff landscape
• Re-examine snow removal
practices - reduce damage to
adjacent vegetation from plowing
or application of salt, sand or
other materials
• Re-examine maintenance of
playgrounds and playground
equipment practices
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
9
The Master Plan
Segment 1
Intro Text
GOAL I: Establish and protect views of downtown St.
Paul and the river valley from the top of the bluff.
Objectives:
1. Establish the segment from Smith to Ohio as a
Designated Viewing Area (DVA).
2. Work with the City of St. Paul Planning and Economic
Development Department to ensure development along
the crest of the bluff improves and protects the view.
3. Ensure that vegetation management steps and other
proposed bluff improvements also protect the interests,
property values, safety and other concerns of property
owners at the top and the base of the bluff.
GOAL II: Ensure that appropriate vegetation is planted
and maintained on the bluff.
Objectives:
1. Move ahead with recommendations in the GRG
Vegetation Management Plan in accordance with the
Bluff Task Force's agreement as to appropriate crest
plantings.
2. Work with St. Paul Parks and Recreation on an ongoing
maintenance and management plan.
GOAL III: Provide a variety of recreational amenities on
the bluff.
Objectives:
1. Provide additional sitting areas along the bluff,
including benches and trash receptacles.
2. Explore opportunities for public art.
3. Explore opportunities for additional amenities including
gardens, arbors and lighting.
4. Restore WPA stone steps.
GOAL IV: Seek opportunities for volunteer participation in
bluff management.
Objectives:
1. Help with the planting design and maintenance plan.
2. Help with the removal of existing invasive or
undesirable plant species.
3. Help with planting and maintaining new vegetation.
4. Help promote education/interpretation of the bluff
(docents).
5. Help identify potential funding sources for bluff
improvement.
Replace existing with
lantern style lights.
Note:
For detailed project information see project sheets in the back pocket
of this report.
10 West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
19
Segment 2 - Goals and Objectives
High
Bridge
Restore and Maintain
Historic Views
Neighborhood
Gateway
Pedestrian
Promenade
Neighborhood
Gateway
The Segment Study Groups a more detailed look at each segment of the study area
A brief explanation of why we split into segments
And then an explanation about how the information is presented in
the rest of the report, for example, each segment discussion
includes the following information:
• A location map
• Brief segment description
• Brief segment history
• List of priority focus areas
• Goals and objectives
• Summary of priority projects
18
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
11
Segment 1 - Background Information
Primary Focus Areas
1. Restoring and sustaining the
natural ecology of the bluff
2. Enhancing the natural setting
and beauty of the bluff
3. Restoring the bluffs' viewing
areas in an environmentally
sensitive manner
4. Improving the vertical and
horizontal connections from the
top of the bluff to the bottom
5. Creating and improving
environmentally sensitive
recreational opportunities on
and around the bluff
Description
Segment 1 extends from the intersection of
Highway 13 and Annapolis Street to the
western corner of the High Bridge, at the
intersection of Smith and Cherokee
avenues. It includes all of Cherokee Park
and its bluffs, which extend down to Lilydale
Park. Unlike the other segments of the
bluff, Segment 1 is characterized by healthy
and diverse native plant communities,
including dry-grass prairie, oak savannah,
oak forest, and maple-basswood forest.
The dense vegetation leading from
Cherokee Park down the bluffs to Lilydale
Park serves as an oasis for urban wildlife, including migrating songbirds,
fox, raccoons, wild turkeys, and deer. It also provides river-goers with
beautiful, uninterrupted green space. Local residents enjoy the bluffs for
the many recreational opportunities it provides, including viewing areas,
nature hiking, wildlife watching, plant identification, and quiet reflection.
Deer sitings, though rare, still occur...as this young doe was seen in the small park at
Cherokee and Ohio streets.
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
Below: People gather along Cherokee Avenue to
watch July 4th fireworks. July, 2000.
Historic Highlights
The Cherokee Park area of Section 1 has been used as a public
recreation area since the early 1920s, when the City of St. Paul
developed the Cherokee Heights Tourist Camp on what had been a
dumping ground. A bridge over a ravine near Annapolis Street and
Cherokee Heights Boulevard connected the tourist camp to State
Highway #13. Vacation travel by automobile was a new phenomenon
at the time, and the city provided up to three days of free camping
space for automobile travelers, along with firewood, showers and toilet
facilities.
An article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press
announcing the opening of the camp stated that
the views from Cherokee Heights "are the most
spectacular in the city. From the bluff edge,
one can view the entire Mississippi River valley
stretching from Pike Island and old Fort Snelling
on the west, all the way through the midway
district to the cathedral, Capitol and downtown
office buildings."
12
History
In the early days of St. Paul the steep slopes to the river were a forest of trees
native to this region. The top of the bluff was private land that was eventually
deeded to the city with the stipulation that "the view be maintained."*
Additional land was purchased, Cherokee Ave. was cut through, and
Cherokee Park was established to Ohio Street. In 1911 stone steps were built
from the widest part of the bluff to Ohio Street. These steps enabled people to
walk to work. Where trails had been established below the bluff, WPA crews
widened and cleared the trails and built bridges across ravines. Periodically,
over the years, the brush along the top and edges of the slopes was cut irrespective of vegetation species. Gradually, however, invasive species began to
dominate the slopes and the top of the bluff, thus blocking the view. Several years
ago cutting was discontinued; the invasive species overcame much of the
growth of native vegetation, the trails and steps disintegrated and the view
was obliterated. The Bluff Task Force was established to resolve the challenge
of restoring and maintaining the river bluff in an environmentally sound
manner while preserving the view.
Right: In 2002, a temporary fence was erected
along the western end of the Segment 1 bluff to
protect new plantings.
The tourist camp was eventually closed and the
current park was established in its place. By
1928, maps show the Cherokee Park area close
to its present size and configuration. A number
of concrete and wooden benches, several of
which still remain, were placed along the bluff
edge by the Parks Department all the way to the
High Bridge for use by residents and visitors
seeking to enjoy the panoramic views.
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
17
Segment 2 - Background Information
Description
Segment 2 is that portion of Cherokee Park
from the High Bridge to Ohio Street. The
flat part of the park adjoining the steep slopes
varies in width with the widest part near
Ohio Street. The entire segment has been
recognized from the early 20th century as
one of the outstanding views of St. Paul, the
river and its environs. The Minnesota
Historical Center has paintings and photos
chronicling the evolution of the cities development taken from this segment. Currently
the St. Paul Travel and Convention Bureau
uses this view from the bluff to promote the
city of St. Paul. This section of the city is
known as Cherokee Heights.
Primary Focus Areas:
1. Work with the City, Great River
Greening and WSCO to define the
specific criteria and to create the
necessary documentation to
establish the area from the
High Bridge to Ohio Street as a
designated viewing area. (DVA)
2. Work with the City, Great River
Greening and WSCO to prepare an
appropriate revegetation strategy for
the remainder of Segment 2 goals
and objectives.
3. Provide additional sitting areas
along the bluff, including benches
and trash receptacles.
4. Explore opportunities for additional
amenities including gardens, arbors
and lighting.
5. Restore stone steps.
Local residents have always been interested in the development of the
park. One of these residents, Alice Hugy, who lived at 612 Cherokee
Ave., was an artist who created many paintings of the area. She was very
active in getting the city to include the area on the west side of Cherokee
Ave. included in the park.
The Kesting family, who lived at 646 Cherokee Ave., and who had girls who
were avid tennis players, donated the tennis courts, which were built near
the corner of Cherokee and Baker. The city rebuilt these tennis courts in 2001.
One of the early recreational features of Segment 1 are the footpaths that
lead through the woods and down along the bluff. In the 1930s, the WPA
made a log stairway that led to a natural spring behind the tennis courts
and down into the ravine. Neighborhood residents collected drinking
water from this spring. There still was a remnant of those WPA-era steps
when Jim Ingemunson, an area resident, was growing up in the area during
the 1950s. Ingemunson also remembers the remains of a limestone wall
across the ravine.
Ann Hadlich, of 648 Delware Ave., recalls several people who worked at
Twin City Brick, located at the bottom of the bluff, who used the paths in
the woods to get to work. There also was a set of steps leading down the
bluff alongside the Smith Avenue High Bridge that was used by people
from the neighborhood to get to work. At least one commercial building,
Pipers Store, was located at the top of the bluff edge into the 1950s. It
was located at the northwest corner of Cherokee and Smith.
Trail leading from prairie remnant to
Cherokee Park.
Below: The 1991-92 Ice Palace on Harriet Island, seen from Cherokee Heights.
A rare, dry-grass prairie, located on the bluff near the intersection of
Chippewa and Morton, has drawn nature enthusiasts for generations. Its
diverse plant species have been a particular point of interest to botanists
and horticulturists for the past 30 years. A survey conducted in 1990 by
Dr. Morley of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources identified
two dozen prairie plant species on the small parcel. Although threatened
by invasive species and an eroding footpath, renewed interest in the
prairie will ensure its preservation for future generations to enjoy.
View of Pickeral Lake from Prairie remnant.
The bluffs in Cherokee Park have been a place for
people to play and explore for many years. At present,
Cherokee Park is very actively used--particularly in the
evenings and on weekends--by individuals, families
and groups. The natural ecology, scenic beauty, bluff
views, trails, and recreational opportunities are treasures
unique to the area--treasures that deserve to be
enhanced and maintained for generations to come.
Left:s
16
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
13
Segment 1 - Goals and Objectives
GOAL II: Enhance natural setting and beauty of the bluff along the
top of the bluff to the bottom and from afar.
Objectives:
1. Prevent litter and dumping (including construction materials and
yard waste).
2. Eliminate chain link fences and explore alternatives for inhibiting
access such as ornamental wrought iron fences, low walls, and
native vegetation.
3. Establish identity of Cherokee Park as an asset of the West Side
and the City of St. Paul.
GOAL III: Restore historic and select viewing areas in a manner
sensitive to environmental concerns including native plant
communities, soil types, and slope.
Objectives:
1. Restore WPA viewing site. (See photo, right.)
2. Restore viewing at south parking lot.
3. Create viewing area at the prairie remnant.
4. Restore viewing area along Cherokee Avenue from the High Bridge
west to the bend in the street where Cherokee turns south.
GOAL I: Restore and sustain the ecological value of the bluff (including
the bluff’s native vegetation) from 40 feet inland from the bluff edge to
the bottom of the bluff where feasible (according to MNRRA & DNR management guidelines).
Objectives:
1. Consider “naturalness” of park in planning.
2. Remove invasive vegetation and expand native vegetation outward
from bluff edge and downward along slope of bluff.
3. Naturally control erosion.
4. Replace turf along bluff edge with native vegetation.
5. Restore prairie remnant.
6. Restore and expand the oak forest remnant along Baker, Chippewa,
and Cherokee Avenues.
7. Educate people about the benefits of, and threats to, native plant
communities on the bluff and in the surrounding neighborhood.
8. Restore ravine in Cherokee Park near the Annapolis baseball field.
GOAL IV: Improve vertical and horizontal connections from the top
of the bluff to the bottom to allow ecologically sound access.
Objectives:
1. Consolidate and designate trails for year-round use.
2. Establish Baker parking lot area as a trailhead for Cherokee Park
trails.
GOAL V: Improve environmentally sensitive
recreational opportunities.
Objectives:
1. Restore and enhance wildlife habitat to increase wildlife watching
opportunities.
2. Encourage appreciation of the bluffs'
unique ecology, views, and
cultural/historical sites.
3. Encourage walking, hiking, in-line
skating, cross-country skiing and
biking.
4. Provide opportunities for public art.
Views from bluff (1966)
Views from bluff (today)
Note:
For detailed project information see project sheets in the back
pocket of this report.
Left: Parking area off Cherokee Heights Park.
14
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
West Side Bluff
Management Action Plan
15