Another land rezoning proposal will be before the Savage City Council soon. It's for the same 106 acre area of land known as the Dan Patch Trail Project, but the land owner and developer are going after developing it again and submitting another proposal to the Planning Commission at their meeting Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008 at the Savage City Hall. The Woods & Wetlands Alliance has worked for the past year to be sure the City of Savage, Red Angus Development and land owner, Karl Bohn, first looked into any areas they were required to preserve. WWA questioned the status of the wetlands, a fen-like area on the property, numerous wildlife and several possible indigenous burial mounds that the developer proposes to clear cut and bull doze.

WWA pointed out the endangered Blanding's Turtles (emydoidea blandingii), the rare Valerian plants (valeriana edulis), the state listed species of special concern, the Small White Lady Slipper (cypripedium candidum) and the threatened Pileated Woodpeckers (dryocopus pileatus) and other wildlife that live on the property, as well as the 12 mounds that are possible Mdewakanton Sioux burial mounds, and the vast number of trees and other life that would be destroyed by this development. After a year in which the City, the land owner and the developer were sued for completely ignoring MERA (Minnesota Environmental Rights Act) and MEPA (Minnesota Environment Protection Act) laws, it was resolved that further environmental study would have to preclude any future development. As a result of the lawsuit, the City of Savage rescinded all previous resolutions and permit approvals for this project and set forth additional requirements, should the project be re-presented to the City for approval. The landowner and developer agreed to do these additional required studies.

A Biological Survey recently completed, as part of these City requirements, done on the property, had some faults and the other required survey, The Archaeological Survey was so poorly completed that it neglected to even investigate the 12 possible burial mounds that were the main reason the survey was asked for!

Savage Citizens and Other Concerned Parties, if you are interested or otherwise concerned in what happens when this land development proposal is put before the Savage Planning Commission, please attend the meeting that is open to the public to hear their concerns. Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008. Savage City Hall. 7:00 p.m.

Be there, or realize you did NOTHING if later this year you see 106 acres of trees, wetlands, wildlife and beauty cut down and bulldozed, with multiple tightly packed houses taking the place of one of the last remaining natural woods and wetlands in our area. This area is a key source of oxygen as well as an excellent pollution reducer for our city. Are you willing to give that up, in addition to the habitat of vast numbers of flora (plants) and fauna (wildlife) that currently live in this area?

For more information contact the Woods & Wetlands Alliance at (952) 894-5580, Ext#3 or email us at the following address

Woods.Wetlands.Alliance@gmail.com

Beth Proctor
Woods & Wetlands Alliance