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29 <br /> <br />- “McCulley Road property” is a 34-acre parcel purchased by the City ca. <br />1979 for construction of McCulley Road. The parcel is mostly wetland, but also contains an <br />informal gravel parking area that abuts the Luce Line Trail. <br />- “French Lake north basin wetlands” includes approximately 25 acres of <br />wetland located west of Willow Drive and south of Fox Street. Also associated with French Lake <br />is an additional 5 acres abutting the French Creek Preserve that is not designated as park and is <br />mostly wetland. <br /> <br /> <br />(1) Three Rivers Park District. <br /> <br />(a) Morris T. Baker Regional Park Reserve encompasses 2,700 acres in southwest <br />Medina and northwestern Orono. Located on Lake Independence, Baker Park offers a wide range of <br />outdoor activities in natural surroundings including golf at Baker National Golf Course, creative play <br />areas, picnic and swimming areas, camping, bicycling on paved trails, and winter activities such as cross- <br />country skiing and sledding. The Lake Independence Regional Trail connects Baker Park to the Luce <br />Line Trail. <br /> <br />(b) Dr. Arthur Allen Wildlife Refuge is part of Big Island Regional Park, a 62-acre parcel <br />of woods and wetlands located on Big Island in Lake Minnetonka. There are no facilities. <br /> <br />(c) Noerenberg Memorial Gardens, situated on 73 acres on the north shore of Lake <br />Minnetonka’s Crystal Bay, was once home to Grain Belt Brewery founder Frederick Noerenberg and his <br />family. The Gardens were bequeathed to Three Rivers Park District in 1972 with the directive that the <br />estate be maintained as an arboretum for the public’s enjoyment. Additional restrictions established <br />within the bequest prohibit the use of the property for picnic purposes, for camping, for boat or watercraft <br />launching, or any uses incompatible with a general display garden. The portion of the property north of <br />County Road 51 is maintained in its natural state as a habitat for wildlife. The Noerenberg Memorial <br />Gardens are widely regarded as one of the finest formal gardens in Minnesota. <br /> <br />(d) Dakota Rail Regional Trail is a bituminous paved bicycle and pedestrian trail that <br />follows a former railway corridor extending from Wayzata to Hutchinson, making its way through central <br />Orono paralleling County Road 15. The corridor is owned by the Hennepin County Regional Rail <br />Authority and is maintained by Three Rivers Park District. <br /> <br />(2) Hennepin County. North Arm Landing is a public boat launch site on North Arm Bay of <br />Lake Minnetonka, providing approximately 55 car-trailer parking stalls and 10 car- only stalls. <br /> <br />(3) Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. <br /> <br />(a) Wolsfeld Woods Scientific and Natural Area, located on either side of the <br />Orono/Medina border, is a premier example of the original "Big Woods" forest that once covered the <br />south central part of the state. This large, mature stand of hardwoods covers gently rolling hills with a <br />wide variety of tree species, including red oak, ironwood, butternut, maple, elm, and basswood. <br />Trilliums, hepatica, bloodroot, and dutchman's breeches grow on the forest floor. <br /> <br />(b) Wood Rill Scientific and Natural Area in northeast Orono includes a 150 acre remnant <br />of the Big Woods. This undisturbed old-growth maple-basswood forest varies from 120 to 400 years old. <br />Trails meander through an upland canopy of red oak, basswood, sugar maple, and white oak. A lake, ponds, <br />and wet meadows lie scattered about the site. A moist lowland forest of red maple, black ash, hackberry, <br />basswood, and green ash, grades into a small tamarack swamp at one end. The majority of the site was