Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary

. Situated just east of the city’s downtown district, the sanctuary includes towering limestone and sandstone bluffs, spring-fed wetlands, abundant bird life and dramatic views of the downtown Saint Paul skyline and Mississippi River.

The sanctuary possesses a rich ecological and human history. Once a floodplain where Phalen Creek and Trout Brook flowed together into the Mississippi River, the land was used and valued by Native people for thousands of years. The site is home to Wakan Tipi (Spirit House), a Dakota sacred site commonly known as Carver’s Cave. The North Star Brewery was built into the bluff in 1853 and later became Jacob Schmidt's first brewery. In the 1880s the land was claimed for industrial use and became a busy rail yard.

Abandoned in the 1970s, the 27-acres of the land were purchased through a broad partnership, and became a Saint Paul park in 2005 [http://www.stpaul.gov/index.asp?nid=493] . An additional 1.85 acres of adjacent industrial land were purchased and added to the park in 2008. The sanctuary’s floodplain forests, oak woodlands, prairies and other native ecosystems are being carefully restored and the park has gained state and national recognition for its combination of ecological and cultural resources — and for the community involvement in its transformation.

Owned and operated by the City of Saint Paul, the sanctuary lies within the National Park Service's [http://www.nps.gov/miss/ Mississippi River and Recreation Area.] The [http://www.phalencreek.org Lower Phalen Creek Project] , an active community-led partnership, assists with ongoing restoration, volunteer activities and interpretation in coordination with [http://www.historicsaintpaul.org Historic Saint Paul] . The Trust for Public Land led acquisition efforts and interns from the [http://www.comdesignctrmn.org Community Design Center of Minnesota’s] East Side Youth Conservation Corps work to restore the site’s ecology and act as student naturalists. Neighborhood organizations, including the [http://www.daytonsbluff.org Dayton’s Bluff Community Council] and [http://www.daytonsbluff.org/History/FOSH/FOSH.html Friends of Swede Hollow] , are closely involved in the sanctuary and the adjacent Swede Hollow Park.

Future efforts include achieving a direct pedestrian/bicycle trail connection to the Mississippi River and redeveloping the land adjacent to the sanctuary for an interpretive center and other park-related use.

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/miss/ Mississippi River and Recreation Area]
* [http://www.phalencreek.org Lower Phalen Creek Project]
* [http://www.stpaul.gov/index.asp?nid=493 Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Information]
* [http://www.daytonsbluff.org/History/FOSH/FOSH.html Friends of Swede Hollow]
* [http://www.historicsaintpaul.org Historic Saint Paul]
* [http://www.comdesignctrmn.org Community Design Center of Minnesota]
* [http://www.tpl.org/tier2_rl.cfm?folder_id=482 Trust for Public Land]
* [http://www.daytonsbluf.org Dayton's Bluff Community Council]
* [http://www.capitolrivercouncil.org Capitol River Council]

ee also

*Bruce Vento Regional Trail
* Congressman Bruce F. Vento