Inked: New Conservation Easement Will Protect Camp Kingswood

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the Minnesota Land Trust earlier this month to add and co-hold a 44-acre conservation easement for Camp Kingswood, located in the City of Minnetrista.

Hennepin County will contribute $42,500 towards this easement for stewardship fees and other costs associated with acquiring the conservation easement. This ecologically diverse natural area had been identified in Hennepin County's natural resources inventory as a priority area in need of protection.

The easement prohibits activities that would significantly impair or interfere with the existing natural resources and the critical habitat for plants and animals provided by this site. The easement area includes a remnant Maple-Basswood forest known as the Big Woods which has been identified as significant in a biological survey by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The site also includes a restored tall grass prairie, a tamarack bog and unique glacial features.  This site is currently used as a camp and provides visitors a unique educational opportunity to learn about the function and importance of the historic native ecosystems in Hennepin County, including the big woods, bogs and prairies.

The protection of the natural resources located on this site builds upon previous preservation efforts on nearby properties by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Three Rivers Park District.

Minnesota Land Trust is a non-profit corporation that holds, secures, monitors, and enforces conservation easements in Minnesota.  Minnesota Land Trust is scheduled to complete the purchase of this easement by June 30, 2011.

To learn more about the county’s Natural Resources Inventory and the easement program, visit www.hennepin.us/naturalresources.