Pilot Knob Clean-Up Draws Volunteers, Public Officials

in Mendota Heights continues its transformation from an overgrown lot destined for condo development into a distinctive overlook of restored prairie and oak savannah.

Great River Greening and a crew of 75 volunteers donned gloves and shovels last Saturday to remove invasive species and spread seeds at the 25-acre overlook.

The site is known for both its historical significance as well as its sacred connection to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux.

The city of contracts with Great River Greening for the maintenance and restoration of the site, through a ten-year plan.

Also present were elected officials Ultan Duggan from the Mendota Heights City Council, from the Dakota County Board of Commisioners and Betty McCollum, from the Fourth Congressional District.

“We chose the path less traveled to restore a higher number of diverse species,” said Great River Greening Project Manager Wiley Buck, in a statement for the event. “The methods we used are different than others used in typical prairie reconstructions, which are often dominated by one or two species only. The outcome that is visible already will be a rich native prairie with a high biodiversity of native plant species.”

The site already attracts a wide variety of wildlife, including prairie songbirds that would not otherwise be found in an urban area.