Friends of hilloway park
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Our mission is to protect and restore Hilloway Park, a 28-acre nature preserve in Minnetonka, MN. We operate under the umbrella organization, Friends of Minnetonka Parks.
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UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
FALL BUCKTHORN BLITZ EVENTS
Saturday, October 1st from 9 am - 12 pm
Sunday, November 5th from 9 am - 12 pm
Register for these events on the city website.
For all volunteer events, park on the north side of Hilloway Road or nearby side roads.
Please RSVP: email us at HillowayPark@gmail.com. All volunteers must sign a city volunteer waiver (once per year) on the day of their first volunteer event of the year.
Saturday, October 1st from 9 am - 12 pm
Sunday, November 5th from 9 am - 12 pm
Register for these events on the city website.
For all volunteer events, park on the north side of Hilloway Road or nearby side roads.
Please RSVP: email us at HillowayPark@gmail.com. All volunteers must sign a city volunteer waiver (once per year) on the day of their first volunteer event of the year.
current RESTORATION project
On October 1, 2022, volunteers continued the restoration work near the fen that was begun in 2021. 26 volunteers, contributing a total of 71 volunteer hours, cleared buckthorn on the west and north sides of the fen. The two videos below show the areas we worked in.
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The City of Minnetonka will remove the cut buckthorn and return in a few weeks to apply herbicide to small buckthorn plants. Hilloway’s next Buckthorn Blitz is scheduled for November 5, 9-12 am, when we’ll continue buckthorn removal and apply replacement seed.
Buckthorn Blitz 10/16/2021
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North of fen after Buckthorn Blitz 10/16/2021
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In 2021, Hilloway Park was rated “High Priority” for restoration. In October of 2021, thirty volunteers, in cooperation with the City of Minnetonka, cleared buckthorn from the slope north of the fen.
Our hope is to continue to collaborate with the City of Minnetonka to restore this area as well as other areas of the park. |
HILLOWAY COMMUNITY PRESERVE
Hilloway Community Preserve is a 28-acre park located near the southeast of the intersection of I-394 and Plymouth road. The park features a dense pine stand, an aspen grove, a garlic mustard research area, two wetlands, and walking trails. The park includes several native Minnesota plant species, including two rare orchids, as well as several invasive species. Wildlife includes deer, coyotes, frogs, and several bird and insect species.
cultural history
With the Traverse de Sioux Treaty of 1851, the Dakota Indians ceded much of southern and western Minnesota to the U.S. government. The vegetation in Minnetonka was oak-dominated savannas, tamarac swamps, and wetlands. The hardwood trees in the savannas were logged for the lumber industry and to accommodate farming.
In the 1930s, United Fur Ranches purchased land that includes the Sherwood Forest neighborhood and Hilloway Park. They farmed mink and fox in the eastern part of Sherwood Forest, and it was originally known as Fox Hills. Hilloway Park and much of the surrounding land remained mostly undeveloped pastureland for horses until the 1970s. Residents remember riding horses and flying kites in the area. Ridgedale was built in 1974 and development proceeded rapidly after that.
In the 1930s, United Fur Ranches purchased land that includes the Sherwood Forest neighborhood and Hilloway Park. They farmed mink and fox in the eastern part of Sherwood Forest, and it was originally known as Fox Hills. Hilloway Park and much of the surrounding land remained mostly undeveloped pastureland for horses until the 1970s. Residents remember riding horses and flying kites in the area. Ridgedale was built in 1974 and development proceeded rapidly after that.
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garlic mustard research areaThe University of Minnesota and the DNR monitored Hilloway Park for garlic mustard and other invasive species from 2005-2018. Working with CABI in Switzerland, two weevils have been identified as possible biocontrol agents.
The project is now awaiting approval from the USDA on one of the weevils. Roger Becker, the U of MN project lead, says an optimistic release date for one of the weevils is 2023. If all goes well with the other weevil, it could be released in 2026. |
Garlic Mustard Plants
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Garlic Mustard Flower
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WINTER at HILLOWAY
rich fen
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