Rum River Nature Area
STATUS: 200+ ACRES PROTECTED, 75 ACRES ENDANGERED
Map to Rum River Nature Area
"Rum River Nature Area, bordering the Rum River on the north side of Anoka, sits on nearly 275 acres that support floodplain forest and emergent marsh along the Rum, oak forest on steep slopes above the floodplain, and oak savanna on the upland rolling hills east of the river. The site… possesses a good deal of significance as wildlife habitat and is probably the most important natural resource area in the city of Anoka."
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources plant ecologist
HOW TO GET TO RUM RIVER NATURE AREA
Anoka is on the northern fringe of the metropolitan area. The park lies north and west of the intersection of County Road 116 and 7th Avenue. Park visitors may use the high school parking lot on the south side of 116 and take the foot bridge across the road, or park in the lot at the new county library on the north side of County Road 116.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AT RUM RIVER NATURE AREA
This open space is very accessible to the public and friendly to quiet uses. Local citizens, including students from the high school across the street, use it for hiking, jogging, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, bird watching, fishing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, and nature study.
DESCRIPTION
As already mentioned, the nature area is valuable to the many local residents who enjoy quiet, nature-oriented activities. In this same vein, the land is a great resource for the high school teachers and students across the street who use the park as a natural history laboratory. The Rum River Nature Area includes a rich variety of ecologies.
Bikers meet for the Tour de Sprawl in 2003
THREAT AND RESPONSE
The City of Anoka purchased this piece of property from the State of Minnesota through a Federal Housing and Urban Development Open Space Grant in 1968. A stipulation of the grant was that the land be used as public open space. In the grant application, the City of Anoka declared its sole purpose in acquiring such land was to perpetuate its use as park and recreational land. While never dedicated as a park, the area has been under the jurisdiction of the city parks department and is listed in the 2000 comprehensive plan as the Rum River Nature Area (RRNA). Two large permanent signs at the entrances invite visitors to the 323-acre nature and wildlife area to fish, walk, cross-country ski, jog, and enjoy nature.
In 1991, after the HUD restrictions on Open Space were lifted, some city officials and staff members began discussing development opportunities for the property, dubbing it North Pointe. Selling parcels for development has been viewed as an answer to increasing fiscal pressures. As sprawling urban development consumes open space in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area, the RRNA stands as the last large, undeveloped tract of land in Anoka.
In an unabashed attempt to drive development into the park, the Anoka City Council donated eleven acres to the Anoka County Library Board. After the strategic placement of the new Rum River Library in 1999, this previously untouched natural area now includes a four-lane divided roadway and utilities sufficient to develop the entire 300 acres.
Sarah Strommen, Ramsey City Council
Over the years a number of other development ideas have been promoted by some city officials. Early suggestions included a county or a regional park, but more recent schemes range from industrial, to a county fair grounds, to a championship golf course and multifamily housing. A study done by a city engineer in 2002 assumes that approximately 120 acres could be developed into a mix of single family residential and office/commercial use.
CURRENT SITUATION
Since 1994, a strong citizens group, known as Protect Our Parks (POP), has pressured city officials to protect the Rum River Nature Area. POP members supported and are advising a new mayor and two council members who are dedicated to protecting the Nature Area. POP has partnered with groups such as the Sierra Club, Izaak Walton League, League of Conservation Voters, local church and scout groups, and student leaders at Anoka High School in an effort to educate the public about the threat to this community treasure. Activities sponsored by POP — tours, holiday events, distribution of informational flyers, letters to editors, presentations to local civic groups — have gradually increased and broadened its base of support. In 2003, the RRNA was the site of Sierra Club North Star Chapter's first in a series of Open Space Workshops and was a featured stop on the Tour de Sprawl in 2003. The long-term commitment of this group has led to its ability to block moves toward development. However, the question is: Will citizen action be enough to save the Rum River Nature Area permanently?
Update: October 2007 — more than 200 acres have been set aside in a permanent conservation easement being held by the Anoka Soil and Water Conservation District, protecting it from any development or alterations by the Anoka City Council. It contains oak savanna, with nesting areas for Blandings turtle, over a mile of Rum River shoreline with wetlands and oxbow for waterbirds, bluebird trails, and lots of other wildlife.
LOCAL CONTACT
Friends of the Rum River Nature Area
c/o Jeanne Wilkinson
3532 Rum River Drive
Anoka MN 55303
www.frrna.org