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buried oil drums, having once used the site to illegally dump materials. Those days, however, are gone, as the emphasis on ‘former’ rather than ‘owner’ as descriptive adjective means the site is returning to nature. So what can you do at Grey Cloud Dunes?

Lots of stuff, chiefly walking and hiking, but also general exploration. There are no official trails, but footpaths worn into the land by the entry and along the hillsides give plenty of area to explore. See a large hole?

Probably an animal home. Its occupant may not want to be disturbed, and blue racer snakes are among the landscape’s many residents. If snakes aren’t quite your thing—looking at you Indiana Jones—the Grey Cloud Dunes SNA also has rare birds and a monarch butterfly or two, as one-time farmland returns to prairie. Speaking of which, did you know prairies depend on fire?

It helps them grow. That part of management would be taken care of by the DNR if and when necessary though. Just be sure to leave it as you left it, without litter. Otherwise, obey the signs at the site’s entrance and enjoy the Dunes!

Be sure to check for common wood ticks afterwards though, as these also call the Dunes home. Light-colored clothing to help in detection, is advisable.

Responding to the concerns of resident Eleanor Clancy on possible site contamination at Mississippi Dunes, the City of Cottage Grove in June mailed a letter with detail to show the localized nature of dumping to Grey Cloud Dunes across the railroad tracks. The contaminated area was cleaned up by 1997, in line with an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Marathon Ashland Petroleum, which had used the present Grey Cloud Dunes site for dumping before donating it as part of a settlement.Image courtesy meeting archive from June 16 Council meeting.