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The plan has been in process for about two years and will continue for a few years more. “Unfortunately, these things take time,” Parks Director Chris Jenkins explained. “Removal of invasive species needs to take place to allow the native species to flourish and repopulate the area.”

That is exactly what has been happening recently in both Vermillion Falls Park and Vermillion Linear Park. The invasive species, such as the Chinese Elm Trees and Buckthorn are being removed to allow the native species to thrive. “Once we get the majority of the invasive species removed, maintaining it should be much easier in the future. In many cases, it’s likely we could run through with a brush cutter eliminating sprouts of the unwanted species, maybe a few times a year,” Jenkins added.

“If you take a walk along the path from 21st street east to the old railroad bridge and look in the ravine, you will see what the removal of invasive Buckthorn can do for the area. It is much more open and usable. People can comfortably explore the ravine now, and soon, native species will begin to return on their own and with the help of the Friends of the Mississippi,” Jenkins said.

For the time being, the open spaces may look odd, or even ugly, but just like a surgery to fix something in our bodies, the healing process does take time, and, in the end, the native species will be better off because of it. The biggest benefit to removing the invasive species and letting the native species grow back is, the native plants and trees are much better for native wildlife. This includes the various birds and other critters that thrive in prairie grasses, including pollinating insects.

What is the short-term plan for all the invasive trees piled up in Vermillion Linear Park? “We’ll most likely burn them,” Jenkins said.

Burning is a safe way to dispose of invasive species because it kills off any chance of them dropping seeds during transport or spreading seeds if used as mulch, which is a key piece is preventing further spread in other areas of town. The Chinese Elm species can be a pretty tree, but it does choke out native trees and grasses and it spreads quickly, so it is important to mitigate any chance of spread at every opportunity.

As this is a small part of the park restoration plan, we would like to encourage you to at least browse through the entire 123-page plan on the City’s website. It includes many interesting and historical photos and descriptions. Some of the technical stuff can be a bit tough to read, but it is a well put together document and lays out the plan nicely for Vermillion Linea Park. Thank you, Viktoria, for the wonderful story idea and for exploring our parks! If you have other story ideas from around town, please email [email protected] news If you would like to be more involved in the planning process for our Parks and Recreation in Hastings, please consider joining the Parks and Rec Commission. Details can be found on www.hastingsmn.gov Here is the URL to the Natural Resource Management Plans for the City of Hastings.

https://www.hastingsmn.gov/city-government/city-departments/ parks-recreation/park-projects/natural-resource- management-plans If that does not work, visit www.hastingsmn.gov. Click on RESIDENTS > PARKS & TRAILS (under Things to Do) > PARK PROJECTS (at the bottom of the page in the blue bar)