General Overview
Hartley Park is managed by the City of Duluth in partnership with Hartley Nature Center. Though the City of Duluth retains responsibility and authority of the park, decisions about park improvements and stewardship are often made jointly with HNC. These decisions are guided in part by the Hartley Stewardship Committee, Natural Resources Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, and both Hartley Nature Center and City Staff. Decisions are also guided by several planning documents created by the City of Duluth in partnership with HNC, and other park partners. Working alongside the city and these other park partners, HNC continues to be involved in ecological restoration, biological monitoring, trail maintenance & improvement projects, stewardship education, water quality monitoring and improvement, and more.
Planning Documents
In 2014, a master plan was created for Hartley Park, outlining priorities for implementing improvements and managing resources in the park for a 5-10 year period. This included managing Hartley as a recreational and educational hub, as well as managing the park in a way that preserves the natural resources and their ecological importance.
In 2020, a large portion of Hartley Park was adopted into the Duluth Natural Area Program, becoming Hartley Park & Natural Area. This designation helps protect the land from any future development and ensures public access for future generations. As part of the designation a Hartley Natural Area Management Plan was created to help outline natural resource management priorities in the natural area.
As part of the Natural Area Designation, a Native Plant Community Management Plan was also developed. Completed in 2021, the plan outlines priorities for invasive species removal and native plant community restoration.
Hartley Stewardship Committee
The Hartley Stewardship Committee helps provide guidance and recommendations to the City of Duluth on the protection of the natural resources in Hartley Park. This Committee consists of Hartley Nature Center staff, Hartley board members, local conservation experts, community members who have an interest in protecting Hartley Park and its resources, and city staff from natural resources, parks, and parks maintenance. The committee engages local user groups along with the City of Duluth and helps to ensure that Hartley Park can remain a recreational hub and ecologically important natural space for years to come.
Hartley Park & Nature Center Stewardship Activities
Invasive Species Management
Hartley Nature Center has long worked alongside the City of Duluth and other partners to manage invasive species in Hartley Park & Natural Area. Over the last two decades, HNC and our partners have been involved in projects to remove common & glossy buckthorn, common tansy, reed canary grass, Japanese knotweed, and purple loosestrife among others. These joint efforts have gone a long way towards removing invasive species in the Natural Area, but there is still a lot of work to do. Below is a short sampling of the things that Hartley Nature Center and our partners have recently done, and continue to do, to tackle invasives in the park.
Invasive Removal
Hartley Nature Center has long been involved in large scale invasive removal projects. More recently, the City of Duluth and several partners (Community Action Duluth Stream Corps, Duluth CISMA) have been hard at work as well. In 2018 the Duluth CISMA began treatment of a Japanese Knotweed patch at the base of Rock Knob, treating it several times over the next 5 years. In 2019 Community Action Duluth (CAD) Stream Corps began a multi-year buckthorn removal and tree planting project on dozens of acres of park land. In 2022 the City of Duluth funded buckthorn removal on lands that where newly acquired by the city and incorporated into the Natural Area. In 2023 the City received a Save our Great Lakes (SOGL) grant to re-treat buckthorn in areas where CAD had previously treated buckthorn, and to treat buckthorn in other high priority areas of the park, including in the HNC Outdoor Campus.
Volunteer Efforts
HNC has long relied on volunteers to help with invasive removal projects. In recent years large groups have helped with removal of buckthorn, tansy, bristly bellflower, scotch pine, and more. These efforts have gone a long way to helping us manage these invasives in Hartley Park.
Hartley Invaders
Hartley Nature Center created a volunteer invasive management group called Hartley Invaders in 2021. This group, which is modeled from the Cities Duluth Invaders Program, invites volunteers to sign up to map, monitor, and manage invasive species in areas of the park that have been deemed high priority. These areas are often higher quality plant communities (with fewer invasives) where individuals can quickly respond to new infestation and keep our high-quality plant community’s high quality.
Invasive Education
Education is an important part of any invasive removal project. Hartley and our partners continue to educate people through brochures, workshops, events and more. Below are some helpful links where you can learn more about these invasive plants.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Noxious Weed List
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species
Plant Restoration
No invasive removal project is complete without restoration work. Again, HNC and our partners have been actively involved in planting areas of the park where treatment has occurred, or where native plants have a chance of holding out invasives. Below is a short list of recent planting projects in Hartley Park.
2017: Boreal Natives under the direction of the City of Duluth planted three native pollinator meadows in Hartley Park, along Old Hartley Road, Tunnel Trail, and Soapbox Trail.
2017-2019: Community Action Duluth planted native trees along Old Hartley Road and Tischer Creek
2018: HNC planted 196 common milkweed plants with Wild Ones and Duluth Monarch Buddies, nearly 500 white pine & red oak trees with the Duluth Rotary, 25 Chokecherry trees with the Boy Scouts, and another 150 white pine and red oak from the DNR.
2019-2021: Community Action Duluth began another multi-year planting on newly acquired park land.
2020: The Nature Conservancy planted a mix of conifers in the NW hills blowdown area.
2021: South St. Louis County Soil and Water planted a mix of conifers along the restored Tischer Creek Tributary.
2021: HNC planted three new native wildflower gardens in the outdoor campus, in addition to 300 white pines with the Rajala Foundation and Lisa’s White Pine Fund.
2024: HNC received funding from the Duluth Superior Community Foundation Biodiversity Fund to plant trees and help restore up to 11 acres of parkland. Project to be completed fall 24 and spring 25.
Prairie Restoration
In 2017, 3 pollinator meadows were planted along Old Hartley Road, Tunnel Trail, and Soapbox Trail. These meadows have thrived in the years since, but not without some management. Every year Northern Ecological Services has done spot spraying for buckthorn and other invasives. In 2023, Prairie Restorations Inc. also did a prescribed burn to reduce vegetative build up and promote new growth. The meadows are a great example of what continued management of an area can do to maintain high quality habitat in Hartley Park.
Bud Capping
Nearly all restoration projects require on-going maintenance to be successful. After planting, small saplings are susceptible to loss through drought, pests, disease, or predation. Planning for long-term maintenance can go a long ways in protecting these plants and ensuring peak survival of planted trees. One such long term maintenance project for white pines is bud-capping. Bud-capping places a peice of paper over the terminal bud of a white pine plant, and protects that plant from predation by deer, while still allowing for growth of the white pine. This typically happens in the fall and needs to be repeated annually. A crew of volunteers has helped bud cap in Hartley for several years.
Tool Crib
In 2023 the Duluth CISMA and HNC partnered to create a volunteer tool crib at Hartley Nature Center, funded in part by the Stewardship Network. This tool crib can be utilized by volunteer groups or individuals doing invasive removal work in Hartley Park and in other City Parks and Open Spaces. This tool shed has been instrumental in helping our volunteers manage invasives in Hartley Park and beyond.
The tool crib received additional funding from the Stewardship Network in 2024.
Buckthorn Puller Rental
Hartley Nature Center offers several types of buckthorn pullers for rent by community members. These buckthorn pullers can be rented for a week at a time. The cost is $20 for non-members, with a 10% discount for HNC members. Must stop in to HNC and fill out a rental form (first come first serve) to pick up. More info at https://hartleynature.org/hartley-park/equipment-rental/
Taking Care of our Water Resources
HNC and our partners have been working hard to maintain and even improve water quality in Hartley Park & Natural Area. Below is a short list of projects recently completed and ongoing projects that are helping to take care of our water resources. For more info on these projects and more, visit the City of Duluth webpage at https://duluthmn.gov/parks/natural-resources/water-resources/
Tischer Tributary Restoration
In 2021, St Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) rerouted Tischer Creek Tributary 6b into it’s historic creek channel and planted conifers to restore the area around the creek. This helped to provide a clean, cold-water, input into Tischer Creek, helping to improve water quality and habitat for native brook trout.
Tischer Creek Culvert Replacement
In 2022, SWCD returned to Hartley to remove an old worn-out culvert that had become a barrier to fish migration upstream. They were replaced with a large open span culvert to allow for better stream connectivity.
Feasibility Study
In 2023-2024 The MN DNR led a Feasibility Study looking at potential alternatives to the impoundment and Hartley Pond and Tischer Creek. This impoundment causes the water of Tischer Creek to warm and lose oxygen, creating lethal conditions for native brook trout immediately downstream of the dam. The Feasibility Study will help the City of Duluth, HNC, and other park partners to determine the best course of action to reduce the negative impacts of the pond, while also potentially preserving the recreational, aesthetic, and flood mitigation value the dam and pond provides. For more info on the Feasibility Study check out the city website at https://duluthmn.gov/parks/parks-planning/progress-in-the-parks/
Roadmap to Resilience
The Roadmap to Resilience is a project being conducted in conjunction with the Feasibility Study that has identified potential restoration projects for the entire Tischer Creek watershed. This includes identifying undersized culverts, potential sources of chloride impairment, sections of streams that are contributing to warming, and more. All these things will help to improve the water quality of Tischer Creek watershed wide. This will also contribute to a healthier Lake Superior, into which Tischer Creek eventually flows. For more information on the Roadmap to resilience you can visit https://duluthmn.gov/parks/natural-resources/water-resources/
Vernal Pool Mapping
Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that provide critical habitat for many insects, amphibians, and the endemic fairy shrimp. These pools also serve as important indicator wetlands, providing insight into ecosystem health. If these pools are not mapped, they are not protected. In 2015 the Natural Resource Research Institute started the Northwoods Vernal Pool Initiative, creating a monitoring protocol to help volunteer citizen scientists and others identify and map vernal pools. During this project 72 potential vernal pools were identified in Hartley Park, but boots were needed on the ground to confirm. HNC has continued to train volunteers and conduct surveys annually to confirm vernal pools and map their location.
Water Quality Monitoring
HNC volunteers serve as Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) stream and lake monitors. This important work helps alert park managers to water quality issues in Tischer Creek and Hartley Pond. Without monitoring, we may not know that a system is in peril. Water qaulity is also being monitored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Department of Natural Resources. This data is helping to inform the Roadmap to Resilience and Feasibility Study.
We Are Water MN
In 2024 Hartley Nature Center was host to We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit that examines Minnesotans’ relationship to water, and encourages stewardship of local water resources. Through this project we were able to engage members of our local community and teach them about local water issues facing our region and encourage them to help solve these issues through a variety of actions.
Other Park Projects
Trail Maintenance
HNC has partnered with the City of Duluth, and other park partners on trail maintenance projects throughout Hartley Park, helping to improve access and recreational opportunities, while also ensuring trail sustainability and limiting impact to natural resources. Over the last 10 years the Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores has been very active in building, maintaining, and managing the multi-use trails in Hartley Park with a focus on creating sustainable trails that hold up over time. Creating sustainable trails also helps reduce shortcutting, and social trails that can have a negative impact on the natural resources of Hartley Park. In addition to COGGS, the Superior Hiking Trail Association and Duluth Foot Trail Alliance have been actively advocating for foot trails in Hartley Park and have helped to maintain access to these trails and more. Duluth Cross Country Ski Club has also been instrumental in the creation and maintenance of the Hartley Park Ski Trails. Hartley Nature Center is also a part of the Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance, a group that helps advocate for outdoor spaces, natural resources, and recreational opportunities in Duluth.
Biological Monitoring
From 2017-2020 Hartley conducted frog call surveys throughout Hartley Park. During this project we were able to identify important frog species, allowing us to better protect these important amphibians. Hartley Nature Center has also been actively involved in bluebird nest box monitoring for many years, helping to track where nesting bluebirds may reside is an important step in helping to protect this bird species. HNC field trip participants also participate in biological monitoring of ponds and streams in Hartley Park.
Weather Data
In 2023 UMD installed a weather station near Rock Knob and another near the banks of Hartley Pond. Data from the weather station is helping to inform the Feasibility Study and Roadmap to Resilience. This data will also help inform other projects in the park, and help managers of the park determine how climate change is impacting Hartley over time.
Groundwater Data
In 2023 UMD also installed several wells to help monitor the hydrology of Hartley and specifically how much groundwater input into Hartley Pond is occurring. This data is also helping to inform the Feasibility Study and Roadmap to Resilience.
Park Research
In recent years, Hartley Park has been the location for several research projects from the NRRI, and UMD, among others. Research topics have included ticks, emerald ash borer, birds, flying squirrels, and more. In 2024, a study will investigate mycorrhizal fungi growing on the seedling roots and how results might be used to improve the long term success of seedlings grown for a statewide reforestation project known as Minnesota Million.
Hartley Nature Center Partners
Hartley Park & Natural Area is managed by the city of Duluth in partnership with HNC. Though HNC is one of the biggest stakeholders and stewards of the park, there are many other groups and organizations that have been instrumental in making Hartley Park what it is today. Thank you to all of these groups (not a complete list) who are actively involved in Hartley Park Stewardship activities.
City of Duluth
Community Action Duluth – Stream Corps
South St. Louis County Soil & Water Conservation District
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Duluth CISMA (Stewardship Network)
Conservation Minnesota
Natural Resource Research Institute
University of Minnesota Duluth
1854 Treaty Authority
Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
St. Louis County
Wild Ones – Arrowhead Chapter
Izaak Walton League – W.J. McCabe Chapter
Nature Conservancy
Raiala Woods Foundation
Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores
Superior Hiking Trail Association
Duluth Foot Trails Alliance
Duluth Cross Country Ski Club
Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance