City of Chanhassen
7700 Market Blvd
PO Box 147
Chanhassen MN
55317
952-227-1100
Fax: 952-227-1110
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Seminary Fen
Friends of the Seminary Fen Stewardship Begins
The City of Chanhassen, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District are forming a Friends of the Seminary Fen volunteer program, in order to preserve the Seminary Fen.
Seminary Fen, a rare calcareous fen in Chanhassen and Chaska, was purchased by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) this past spring with about $1.3 million of state bonding passed in 2003. The DNR dedicated the 106-acre site on October 1, 2008.
Calcareous fens like the Seminary Fen are the rarest type of wetland. These wetlands are fed by groundwater rich in calcium and magnesium bicarbonates, and sometimes magnesium sulfates as well. This creates an alkaline soil condition that only a select group of calcium-tolerant plants can tolerate. The groundwater from Seminary Fen drains into Assumption Creek. The cold, clear waters of the creek, which form one of the metro's last surviving trout streams, flow from the fen to the Minnesota River. There may be only about 500 calcareous fens in the world, and Minnesota can lay claim to almost 200 of them.
The DNR is currently developing a stewardship plan for the fen, which should help preserve it. According to this plan, the fen will undergo prescribed burns to keep the native plants healthy; will have exotic trees (like buckthorn) and brush (honeysuckle) removed; will be re-seeded with native fen and prairie plants, and removed of drain tiles that farmers once installed.
If you want to volunteer to help complete these tasks and preserve the Seminary Fen, please contact Joan Ellis, Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, 952-856-5875 or email her at joane@lowermn.com.
Click HERE to link to the DNR's Seminary Fen web page.
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