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On Friday, July 30, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Dakota County’s Schaar’s Bluff Regional Park for the installation of a Bison Conservation program. In 2022, bison will be reintroduced to the plains of Schaar’s Bluff for the first time in at least a century. The bison that will be introduced are also one of the first herd to be made of bison with no cattle DNA involved. In the 1800’s, it was believed the bison population was under 600 total bison in the US. Now, there are over 500,000.

The herd that is going to occupy the 160 acres of park land will be limited to 15 bison while studies are being done to see the environment impact of the herd on the prairie. Bison were an important part of these natural communities and to the Native American communities.

Bison graze on prairie grasses and leave the flowers and shrubs alone which helps pollinators thrive. When the pollinators thrive, wildflowers thrive. The hope is, once the bison begin their grazing, more wildflowers will be visible to park visitors while increasing the habitat for other species of wildlife.

The Indigenous communities were so closely tied to bison that the Treasure Island Mdewakanton community built their own bison area. The tribe started their herd in 1992 and today there are over 200 bison on Prairie Island according to Tribal President Shelly Buck. Buck also explained that bison are not to be messed with. They can run as fast as 30 mph, jump six feet in the air and weight as much as a small car.

The historical and cultural connection to the Indigenous communities is strong and runs deep. The Upper Sioux community have played a vital role in both the design and pre-construction archaeological surveys. The upper Sioux Community and several other local Indigenous communities have expressed interest in supporting the project. A major factor in this project is the relationship that the people that once lived on the oak savannahs with the bison will be honored through park programming and interpretational programs.

An important part of the project is funding. The taxpayers are not on the hook for any of the bison related expenses. The funding came from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fun approved by the Minnesota Legislature.

The ceremony ran about 40 minutes with many guest speakers talking about what the project means to them and to the Sioux communities in the area and what it will mean to future generations of Dakota County residents. This is a great opportunity to do our part in preserving a beautiful creature in its natural habitat.

To learn more about the program, visit www.dakotacounty. us/parks and search bison.

the rims of leaves for several days before mating just once. If it is a female, it will eat for much longer and mate without limits. The average female EAB lays 60-100 eggs throughout her life span. Once those eggs crack open, this cycle repeats.

To what extent has this tinier- than-a-penny invasive species impaired the globe? The USFS answers this question on their official website: “Emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of hundreds of millions of ash trees in forest, riparian and urban areas.”

EAB beetles are pests on a local scale as well. After all, “Minnesota has the highest volume of ash trees in the U.S. with nearly a billion forestland and urban ash trees combined,” says the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).

Their “Emerald Ash Borer Status” map displays where in the state the beetle is “generally” infesting. Dakota, Washington, and 26 other counties are among those communities.

Multiple ash trees in Hastings are “highly infested with Emerald Ash Borer.” TJ Lucas is the City Forester of Hastings, MN. He told Hastings Community TV in June that nearly 40% of Hastings’s tree population could be removed if the invasions are left unacknowledged. “If trees are not treated, they will start to die soon,” Lucas remarked. “In the next three to five years, we will have a mass amount of trees that are not looking good at all; to and replanting.”

The Washington County Parks Department does not intend on chopping down every ash tree in the region. Rather, they want to reduce the proportion of ash trees to all species. MacSwain justified, “We’re taking like, every other tree or trees that maybe aren’t providing the best shade. That way, when Emerald Ash Borer does come through, we don’t have all these trees standing, dead. [It won’t be] a public safety hazard all at one time and we can manage it…without it costing a lot of resources in the future.”

Because ash tree removal is ongoing in Washington County, more trees are being installed. To avoid another crisis like the one Minnesota is enduring with EAB, the Parks Department is planting a variety of species. For instance, a woodland that was 70% ash used to exist at Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park. Then, the Lower Landing Facility was constructed. Now, a diverse community of trees neighbor the parking lot of Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park. Only 5% of them are ash.

The MDA claims that ash trees within generally infested Minnesotan counties are at a moderate-high risk of destruction. Therefore, they have been placed under EAB is just trying to replant after you do,” suggested Mac-Swain. “If you do make that decision to cut down a tree, can you replant? Where can you replant?”

The MN DNR advises that if one has an ash tree infested with EAB, they should contact Arrest the Pest at 1-888545-6684. When one calls that number, they will be forwarded to a voicemail. Callers are to leave their name, number, and the location of the infested organism.

Minnesotans are not expected to endure the EAB crisis independently. On July 15, the MN DNR announced that they would fund a total of $1.6 million towards EAB management. Tribal nations and local governments are allowed to apply for a grant of $100,000 or below. Winners of the money will be announced on August 30. The MN DNR revealed how the grants must be utilized: “Grant-eligible activities include removing ash trees and replanting new trees on public land, conducting public tree inventories, and developing management plans.”

MacSwain recognized that this grant is a “great opportunity.” However, the Washington County Parks Department is in the midst of their “busiest part of the summer.” They will not be applying for a share of the $1.6 million.

Leaders from both Prarie Island Mdewakanton Community and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community worked with the Dakota County Commisioners to return bison to the plains of Schaar’s Bluff Regional Park between Hastings and Rosemount. Left to right, Joe Atkins, Shelly Buck, Valentina Mgeni, Cole Miller, Leonard Wabasha.Photo by Bruce Karnick

This green tape surrounds the trunks of many ash trees at Lake Elmo Park Reserve in Oakdale, MN. It reads, ”EMERALD ASH BORER KILLS ASH TREES.” They were placed on ash trees so that guests could understand that ash trees that look like this one are at risk for destruction.Photo by Sadie Jones