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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A SUBGRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SOUTH ST. LOUIS SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF DULUTH FOR THE TISCHER CREEK TRIBUTARY 7 RESILIENCE PROJECT.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
WHEREAS, the South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District has acquired, on behalf of the City, $418,825.00 from the Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) Program for a project that will enhance Tributary 7, a high-quality cold-water tributary to Tischer Creek;
WHEREAS, the objectives of the Project are to improve stream health, fish passage and aquatic habitat by removing Invasive White Crack Willow, planting native tree species and mitigating sediment impacts to Tributary 7;
WHEREAS, the project will protect past investments made by partners in Tischer Tributary and Creek, including stormwater treatment, culvert replacement and stream restoration work;
WHEREAS, Public Works Engineering has secured a separate grant to mitigate sediment and stormwater impacts to the Tributary using a sediment vault, which will provide match for the CPL grant as prescribed in Exhibit 1;
WHEREAS, the South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District will manage the grant and disperse funds to the City as prescribed in Exhibit 1;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to enter into a Subgrant Agreement with the South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, attached hereto as Exhibit 1, in the amount of $418,825.00 to provide funding for the Tischer Creek Tributary 7 Resilience Project, said funds to be deposited in Fund 535-500-1905-5533.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution authorizes city officials to approve the nomination of the Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge Area to the Duluth Natural Areas Program. The proposed 1183-acre area is comprised entirely of existing City property of which 171 acres is already protected as parkland, 395 acres has been protected since the early 1970’s as Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, and 617 acres was acquired by the City from St Louis County in 2023 with the intent expressed in Resolution 22-0251R for the land to be permanently protected.
The nomination was prepared and submitted by a partnership of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, the South St Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Minnesota Land Trust who have collectively committed to invest $1.5 million in managing and restoring the proposed Natural Area over the next five years with more thereafter.
The Natural Resources Commission recommended approval of the nomination to the Planning Commission on April 23, 2025. The Planning Commission approved the nomination on May 13, 2025. Though not required by City Code, Parks and Recreation Commission also reviewed and recommended approval of the nomination on May 14, 2025.
The Duluth Natural Areas Program was established in city code to preserve Duluth’s natural heritage for the public good by protecting lands of special environmental significance. City code outlines a two
-step process to designate a specific place as a Duluth Natural Area. This resolution completes step one: approval of a nomination. Approval of a nomination establishes a new Duluth Natural Area on a provisional basis. After the nomination is approved, the partner organizations will have one year to write and finalize a management plan for the nomination area, including a list of prioritized actions to restore and protect the terrestrial and aquatic values of the area. After the management plan is prepared, it will be brought before City Council for review and approval. Approval of the management plan would complete the second step of the designation process and solidify the designation as a
Duluth Natural Area. Following approval of a management plan, an 8-to-1 City Council super-majority is necessary to remove the Natural Area designation.
The boundaries of the proposed Natural Area were set in close collaboration with the Planning and Economic Development Department to exclude land that could plausibly be developed in the foreseeable future. Development within existing designated parkland and Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve is already prohibited. Development of the 617-acre portion of the proposed Natural Area that was purchased from St Louis County in 2023 is prohibited by, or prohibitively restricted by:
• The predominance of dense, heavily used recreational trails for snowmobiles, skiers, pedestrians, and bikes, infrastructure that would cost several million dollars today.
• The predominance of land that is wet, steep, rocky, and/or within cold water Shoreland Management Zones.
• The existing designations of 100% of the land as Parks in current zoning and/or as Open Space in the Future Land Use Map.