03-31-1997 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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/I i: fnvironment JUNE, 1980 ORONO'S LAND FORMS ARE HIGHLY VARIED AS THE RESULT OF FOUR SEPARATE GLACIAL SCOURINGS. Surface features Include islands, peninsulas, narrow land bridges, the lakes, bays and marshes, and a few shallow outwash basins. The highest elevations range from about 1060 feet above mean sea level in the northern part of the City down to the normal water level of Lake Minnetonka at elevation 929.4 MSL. Steep slopes and numerous glacial depressions add Interest to the City's landscape but cause developmental limitations. The soils in the City of Orono originated from drift materials deposited by meltwaters of the glaciers. Due to the range in type and location of deposited materials, the composition of the soils are complex and highly varied. Generally, the soil types consist primarily of clay materials on the uplands and organic, wet materials in the lowland areas. Con- sequently, the ability of each soil type to adequately accommodate development varies considerably in Orono. Careful examination of each site is needed to determine the most appropriate land use for individual properties. ORONO’S NATIVE VEGETATION IS AS VARIED AS ITS LAND FORMS. Orono and Lake Minnetonka are at the intersection of two very different Minnesota landscapes. Northern Orono, and many areas along Minnetonka's shore, contain vestiges of Minnesota's Big Woods with hardwood forests of Oak, Maple. Elm, and Basswood. Much of these have been thinned into scattered stands, as shown on Map No. 5, but major forests remain in north central and north east Orono, especially around Lydiard Lake and in the Mn. DNR's Wolsfeld Woods nature area. In addition, 100 year old settlements have by now added mature stands of various evergreens and other decorative trees and shrubs. Western Orono, on the other hand, shows traces of Minnesota's once vast prairie. Years of farming have caused loss of prairie grasses and the artificial growth of windbreak woods, but open vistas still stretch westward from North Arm Bay. Throughout Orono, the many drainage areas and marshlands support a bountiful variety of wetland vegetation ranging from grasses, bullrushes and cattails to sumac and willow. The sum effect of these varied landscapes is a seasonal variety of color and an abundant habitat for wildlife including deer, fox, racoon and beaver, ducks, grouse, pheasants and innumerable species of smaller birds and animals. CMP 3-6