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remain or be removed will be left until the golf hole has been roughed in, at that point a decision <br />will be made on the trees. <br />Concluding Remarks <br />Comment: “The EAW does not sufficiently evaluate or portray project-related effects to <br />a natural resources, particularly as they relate to Medina 26 and existing habitat. The <br />project as proposed will eliminate the Big Woods stand ’s forest community function and <br />replace it with a series of woodland strips. No information has been presented on how <br />the project avoids or minimizes impacts to Medina 26 in terms of its current value as a <br />high quality natural resource of ecological significance. In addition, post-project tree <br />mortality could be high, the fishery of Long Lake could be detrimentally affected, and no <br />information has been provided on whether impacts to state protected water 27-837 have <br />been avoided. Without such information, it is our opinion that insufficient information is <br />available for informed decision-making on the need for an EIS and we would recommend <br />preparation of an EIS to collect the missing information.” (DNR letter 4/9/97, page 5) <br />Response: All comments have been responded to and adequately investigated. The golf course <br />is a permitted use with the CUP. No impacts are proposed to Long Lake or to the DNR protected <br />water #27-837, except for partial restoration to its pre-ditched condition, which the DNR <br />generally encourages. The weir will be placed outside the OHW. Impacts to the Big Woods <br />have been minimized through the golf course design process, and much mature hardwood, <br />wetland and some Big Woods habitat will remain. <br />”... When the tree canopy is fragmented by driveways, houses, and trails, the cool and moist <br />conditions characteristic of the shady interior of the forest are altered. More sunlight reaches <br />the forest floor and the shade-tolerant species typical of the forest are replaced by species more <br />typical of open habitats and forest edges. <br />There is no immediately life-threatening reason to worry about the loss of more maple- <br />basswoodforests from Hennepin county. If the remaining maple-ba.sswood forests in the county <br />were bulldozed away tomorrow and replaced by subdivisions or malls, few people would <br />perceive the difference. But the county would be more biologically impoverished, we would have <br />lost some of our natural heritage, and we would have destroyed sites that provide unique <br />aesthetic and educational opportunities. ” <br />1995 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources <br />There are no legal protections for Big Wood eco-types, as there are for wetlands. An effort has <br />been made to provide legal protection for a small area under the Wetland Conservation Act <br />(WCA), as upland buffer. However, in order to abide by the WCA and avoid wetland impacts, <br />larger areas of the woods are impacted. <br />Finally, in reviewing the impact of the golf course, consideration should be given to the creation <br />of a green belt of approximately 200 acres, located between the two Scientific and Natural areas <br />using property zoned for residential development.