Park restoration projects
The goal of Minnetonka’s restoration program is to restore selected native plant habitats in the city’s woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. With the help of contractors, volunteers and city crews, we are working to restore plant communities and individual species that have been reduced to remnant populations. Our primary focus is to control non-native invasive species and protect native species, especially those with high value to pollinators, birds and wildlife. We use practices that will help prevent erosion, minimize herbicide use, build the soil, and improve water quality. Small re-planting projects currently occur annually with volunteers.
In an age of global markets and trade, invasive species will always be a threat to native habitats. Maintenance of active restoration areas will be necessary for years to come in order to improve native landscape quality. Future restoration areas are being identified and prioritized as they are found.
Restoration articles
- Natural resource restoration in Minnetonka parks
- Deer exclosures
- Habitat restoration expands in Purgatory Park
- Purple Loosestrife control in Minnetonka
- Kinsel Park restoration leaps forward, volunteers needed for next steps
- Lake Rose Restoration gets a big boost
Minnetonka parks with restoration
Not all parks have restoration projects: 23 are listed, 15 have active restoration. Good examples of large-scale, on-going restoration can be found in six of our larger community parks and preserves: Big Willow, Lone Lake, Purgatory, Jidana, Civic Center, and Victoria Evergreen. Below are parks that have had restoration activity. Parks with active restoration have regular, on-going projects.
- Big Willow, active restoration
- Burwell House (Also see Minnetonka Mills Park), active restoration
- Civic Center, active restoration
- Covington
- Gray’s Bay Marina, active restoration
- Green Circle, active restoration
- Headwaters, active restoration
- Hilloway, active restoration
- Jidana, active restoration
- Kinsel, active restoration
- Lake Rose, active restoration
- Linner
- Lone Lake, active restoration
- Meadow
- Minnetonka Mills Park (Includes Burwell House and Mills Gazebo), active restoration
- Oberlin
- Orchard
- Purgatory, active restoration
- Reich
- Shady Oak Lake Trail (from Beach to Dominick Dr.)
- Tower Hill, active restoration
- Victoria Evergreen, active restoration
- Woodgate
