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    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»City of Eden Prairie»Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area closed for construction
    City of Eden Prairie

    Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area closed for construction

    Joanna Werch TakesBy Joanna Werch TakesOctober 30, 20242 Mins Read
    view of Minnesota River Valley from bluff
    Construction to reduce erosion on a trail leading to a Minnesota River Valley overlook at the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area means the park is completely closed through the end of the year. File photo by Jeff Strate

    The City of Eden Prairie announced on Monday, Oct. 28, that the Richard T. Anderson (RTA) Conservation Area at 18700 Flying Cloud Drive is temporarily closed for a construction project. The park, including its lower parking lot, is completely closed to the public during the trail improvement project, which is scheduled to last through December.

    Karli Wittner, Eden Prairie’s forestry and natural resources supervisor, noted that the closure includes no public access to RTA’s lower parking lot, the location of a natural spring, for safety reasons during construction. Wittner indicated that an alternative option for spring water during the construction is Fredrick-Miller Spring, which is located at 9995 Spring Road.

    The focus of the RTA project is to improve the trail leading to the Minnesota River Valley overlook on the western side of the conservation area. According to the city, the project is intended to prevent further erosion and further degradation of high-quality native plant communities by providing user-friendly trail access, which encourages people to stay on intended nature trails. 

    Wittner said the city’s natural resources staff worked with Friends of Eden Prairie Parks, which recently rehomed several native plant specimens to the RTA Conservation Area from a section of Dell Road scheduled for paving. “Native plants that could be impacted by the trail construction were rescued and replanted within the RTA in collaboration with Friends of Eden Prairie Parks and other volunteers,” Wittner stated. 

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    The project is also intended to reduce sedimentation and pollutants entering the RTA stream, which empties into Rice Lake and the Minnesota River. The RTA West Bluff Overlook Trail Stabilization Project is partially funded by grants from the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District and Hennepin County.

    During the project, no parking is allowed along the RTA entrance driveway or Flying Cloud Drive, with vehicles parked in the vicinity towed at the owner’s expense. Trespassing beyond “trail closed” signs or barricades, or interfering with construction, can also result in fines.

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