Greenways Planning
City of East Bethel Greenway Project
In 1999, the Anoka Conservation District (ACD) received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) Metro Greenways Initiative to conduct greenways planning in a 27,400-acre portion of the City of East Bethel and Linwood Township in northeastern Anoka County. This area was selected for an inventory and planning due to the high occurrence of natural communities and endangered/threatened/special concern species identified by the Minnesota County Biological Survey (MCBS). This area of the county contains several high quality greenway hubs and critical corridor links including: Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area, the Martin-Island-Linwood Regional Park, the Boot Lake Scientific Natural Area, the Sand Hill Crane Natural Area and the Cedar Creek Corridor. This area is also undergoing rapid development to single family residential lots.
The greenways planning project produced a land cover inventory of the area enabling city leaders to conduct more effective planning. The inventory was able to identify significant natural resources to focus management. The project provided educational opportunities for landowners and elected officials through presentations and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC discussed natural community stewardship and residential development options. Members of the community were given a tour of natural communities in the area and shown alternative residential development options. The project produced a resource book describing management options and planning tools that enable city leaders to protect open space.
