Blueberry Hill

Blueberry Hill
Bayport, Washington county, MN
2-4 acres; prairie remnant; restored prairie (in progreess)

Park/Area Notes

This small site is owned by the Minnesota Dept of Transportation (MnDOT) and stewarded by volunteers from The Prairie Enthusiasts' St. Croix Valley Chapter. Although local volunteers have worked for years to maintain and restore this prairie, there isn't much official information on it. There doesn't seem to be any trails or clear boundaries (that I could determine).

Plants found here include: Leadplant, Flowering Spurge, Rough Blazing Star, Dutchman's Breeches, Round-headed Bush Clover.

Birds include: Clay-colored Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Dark-eyed Junco, and Black-capped Chickadee. Since it adjoins the St. Croix River, there might be some opportunity to view birds using the river for migration. There isn't a hot spot at eBird for this location.

There didn't seem to be many iNaturalist insect observations for this site but I suspect there are insects to be found and the restoration effort is trying to maintain potential habitat for the critically endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee.

South of Bayport, Quant Ave N loops away (to the east) from MN-95 and then back, thereby creating a long parcel of land bounded by each road. The southern section of the parcel contains private houses (far south) and farmland (mid-parcel). The northern 'third' of this parcel contains the restored prairie that was once farmland.

Across from that restored prairie on the east side of Quant Ave is more prairie - perhaps the original, prairie remnant mentioned in articles. Beyond that (and toward the St. Croix River) is a line of trees and then the land likely drops down to the river side. Two railway tracks run along the River here and I doubt that is considered public access.

There is a new (as of 2021) parking area north of Quant Ave just before its northern intersection with MN-95. From what I can tell, the area around this parking lot hadn't been part of the past restoration work but it may be restored in the future. There are no bathrooms on site.

Visits

Nov 23, 2021
We mostly wanted to check this site out. There wasn't a lot to see in late November. We found the very new parking area but it looked like one would have to walk south on Quant Ave N to access the prairie areas. There had been a recent burn on the east side of Quant Ave N but, from the car, we did observe some Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, and a Northern Cardinal. Most of the road looked to be lined with a ditch which I, with compromised mobility, wouldn't be keen to climb down and out of. Additionally there was some short brush along the road that would impair entry. But we didn't look really closely and people work in these areas all the time so there must be some easier entry than climbing into and out of a ditch. It's possible summer will reveal any informal trails that get created by visitors.

I'm not sure there is a lot that makes this place stand out on its own but it's close to the Twin Cities and other nature spots that can be combined into a day trip and I'm curious about what the spring and summer might have to offer.

Other sites in Washington county that we visited on the same day:
St. Croix Savanna SNA | Journal Post
Arcola Bluffs Day Use Area | Journal Post

Useful links/info

Parking area is off Quant Ave N at its northern intersection with MN-95.
44°59'20.6"N 92°46'42.5"W | 44.989064, -92.778476

The Prairie Enthusiasts: St. Croix Valley chapter

Media articles:
St. Croix 360: "Prairie protectors save site overlooking St. Croix River from state sale" (Nov 5, 2021)
St. Croix 360: "State plans to auction off scenic prairie on Bayport bluff" (Jul 24, 2020)
US News & World Report: "Prairie Protectors Find Their Thrill Saving Blueberry Hill" (Nov 22, 2021)
St. Croix Valley Magazine: "Group says Minnesota's Native Prairies Are 'as Rare and Worthy of Saving as the Amazon'"(Aug/Sep 2019)

Posted on December 8, 2021 01:29 AM by mmmiller