More Than 100 Acres Of Inver Grove Heights Parks To Be Restored With $922K In Grants

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN — More than 100 acres of parkland, prairie, woodland, and Mississippi Riverfront areas in Inver Grove Heights are set to undergo major restoration work after the Dakota County Board approved a large conservation partnership with the city.

The projects will be funded with $922,108 in outside grants, not local property taxes, according to County Commissioner Joe Atkins.

The approved work represents the most successful round of conservation funding ever secured for multiple projects in Inver Grove Heights and is part of the City-Dakota County Conservation Collaborative, a long-running partnership focused on restoring and protecting natural areas.

Restoration projects will take place at several sites across the city, including Seidl’s Lake Park, Harmon Park Reserve and Salem Hills, and multiple Mississippi River Greenway locations such as Ernster Park, Heritage Village Park, and Rock Island Swing Bridge Park.

Rather than limited landscaping improvements, the work will involve removing invasive species, restoring native prairie and woodland, stabilizing shorelines along the river, and improving habitat for pollinators and wildlife. The projects are also designed to protect water quality in the Mississippi River and surrounding watersheds.

Funding for the projects comes from multiple sources, including Outdoor Heritage Funds approved by Minnesota voters in 2008, lottery-supported Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources dollars, and a federal RAISE grant.

Atkins said the collaborative approach allowed the city and county to compete more effectively for outside funding while keeping the financial burden off local taxpayers.

The restoration efforts will be spread across multiple sites throughout Inver Grove Heights, with a particular focus on large park reserves and the Mississippi River corridor.