Spirit Mountain Citizen's Plant Survey

• Spirit Mountain overlooks the Saint Louis River estuary, the largest US tributary of Lake Superior
• It contains the largest plot of old growth forest left of its kind in Minnesota
• It contains Stewart Creek, one of the last thriving trout streams in the Duluth area
• It contains a diverse tapestry of wetlands, forest and wildlife
• The area has been a sacred Anishinabe spiritual site for hundreds of years.
  
  NOW THEY PLAN ON CLEARCUTTING SPIRIT MOUNTAIN
  AND TURNING IT INTO A GOLF COURSE!

Spirit Mountain Needs Your Help!!!! - No experience necessary
(One of the best internship/volunteer experiences to come along in years!!)
Grant funding has now been approved for a coalition of local environmental organizations to do a mid-summer plant survey of the Spirit Mountain area, with the help of local volunteers. Gary Walton, the botanist who was hired by the developer to do the initial plant survey, says there's an 80% chance that threatened species, like goblin fern and various moon wort, can be found on the proposed development site in late July this year. Anytime these threatened species are discovered, the MN DNR is required by law to either stop the development or drastically alter the plans.

"The original plant survey was done quickly in the early spring during dry years, when these plants can't be found," said Walton. "Spirit Mountain has all of the characteristics that would provide an ideal habitat for these threatened plants and with enough volunteers in the field, there's a very good chance we will find some."

Internship/Volunteer Info:
Did someone say volunteers? Heck yeah. Talk about a perfect opportunity for folks in Duluth (that means you, buddy) to get outside and literally save their own backyards. This thing will be like an elaborate Easter egg hunt. Walton will show you pictures of what to look for, and you'll get on your hands and knees and start searching. Imagine the feeling of being the person who stumbles upon this threatened plant, triggering a process that could ultimately lead to saving 400 acres of Old Growth Forest, diverse wetlands, a trout stream and sacred Native American Vision Quest lands.

Walton says he's going to need a whole lotta volunteers, and you don't have to have any experience. You can volunteer for a day or for the whole 10-day survey (July 27-31 and August 3-7). If there was ever a perfect time to get involved, IT IS NOW! For more info, call Craig Minowa (lakes@cpinternet.com) at 726-1828 or Nancy Nelson (nancynelson@duluth.com) at 728-1002. Or simply sign up on the form below. We will contact you and provide you with everything you need for your mountain-savin' experience.

What to Bring:
(from Gary Walton-the Botanist who will be leading the volunteers in the field): The first day will be training to recognize the goblin fern followed by field work. I'll also train new volunteers as they arrive each day. I'll be using photos, line drawings and written descriptions. These will be in printed format for later study. People should bring insect repellant, sunscreen and/or hat. Wear comfortable but durable clothing. Have some light raingear just in case. Semi-waterproof footware. A note book and pencil/pen. Cameras to record our work are welcome. If anyone has a GPS unit they should bring it (I also have one but a second unit will confirm accuracy). Also bring a good lunch,snacks and a plenty of drinking water (no access to refills).

Where/When:
The meeting time each morning: 7:30 am (survey each day will go to 3:30pm). We will be in the field rain or shine, unless there's lightning or sever weather.
The meeting place: Spirit Mountain campground entrance (this may change, so please keep an eye on your email for the next couple of weeks)
Directions: From Duluth follow I35 south (from the Twin Cities, do the opposite), exit at the Spirit Mountain/Observation Hill exit. Follow the Spirit Mountain signs until you hit the campground on your right. Park at the entrance circle with all of the other cars. If you get lost, I'll have a cell phone with me 940-3429 (dial area code 218 if you're calling long distance).

Threatened Plants Volunteers Will Be Looking For
(If you will be volunteering, please be familiar with these):
~These webpages include large images-please be patient for downloads~

• Blunt lobed grapefern: It is very likely present on Spirit Mt. It was recently found in Jay Cooke State Park which is nearby and similar in forest type.
• Triangle-Leaved Moonwort Fern: This threatened species occurs in moist microhabitats in hardwood forests similar to those on Spirit Montain.
• Goblin fern: A threatened species that has been found in a number of areas adjacent to Spirit Mt. This rare plant was not found in the plant survey of 1997 on Spirit Mt., because it remains dormant in dry years and cannot be detected in Spring.
  

Other Threatened and Endangered Plants That the Botanist Will Be Seeking
(Volunteers do not need to be familiar with these):
~These webpages include large images-please be patient for downloads~

Several other rare species of Botrychium ferns could occur on Spirit Mountain.  B. minganense (Mingan Moonwort, a Special Concern species) was found in Morgan Park in Duluth under quaking aspen trees in 1998.  This population is just a few miles from Spirit Mountain.   Other rarities would include B. matricariifolium (Matricary or Daisy-leaved Moonwort) a regionally rare species is found in several places in Duluth.   B. simplex (Least Moonwort) has been found in Morgan Park and Minnesota Point.  A rare variety called tenebrosum (listed as Special Concern) normally grows in moist hardwood forests and on root hummocks in black ash swamps.  Both habitat types are well represented at Spirit Mountain.  A rare grass, Torreyochloa pallida (Torrey’s Manna Grass, Special Concern) was found Sparganium glomeratum (Clustered Bur-reed, Special Concern) in an ephemeral pool in Hartley Park.  Similar pools, some with Clustered Bur-reed as documented in the1998 rare plant survey, occur on Spirit Mountain. 

More Info:
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/smsummary.htm-----Summary of orginal plant survey- and what went wrong (by Gary Walton)

http://pws.chartermi.net/~duluthikes/spirit.htm-----Izaak Walton League in depth look at Spirit Mountain issue

http://www.cpinternet.com/~tnbrown/wsppa/wsppa_gc_summ.html---West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance's look at the issue's current status.

Current Calendar of volunteers that have signed up: WE NEED A WHOLE LOT MORE!!!

Sign up to Save Spirit Mountain Here!

Thank-you for getting involved! We will be in touch with you soon.