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4. DNR_MN Land Trust lettersMay 27, 2020 Ken Cammilleri Scandia City Administrator k.cammilleri@ci.scandia.mn.us Office: 651-433-2274 Cell: 651-245-2654 Dear Ken, I am reaching out today in regards to the 112 -acre property located on Lakamaga Trail for which Better Place Forests (BPF) has submitted a Conditional Use Permit application. The BPF team presented their project to Minnesota Land Trust (MLT) staff in early April and we are currently performing our due diligence on their business operations to determine if a partnership will be feasible. They have asked the Land Trust to hold a perpetual conservation easement on the property should they purchase it. After a site visit to the property, I can say that the forest habitat on the property is some of the best I've seen in over twelve years of living in Washington County. While most woodlands and forests in this area are inundated with buckthorn, this woodland seems to altogether lack them. Furthermore, the property falls within the Big Marine Lake North Priority Conservation Area, one of Washington County's Top 10 Priority Conservation Areas. The site is recognized as a high-quality habitat and corridor for a number of local wildlife species, including 8 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Minnesota. Because of the high conservation value of this property, MLT would very much like to see it protected in perpetuity. Although we are still in the due diligence phase of our potential conservation partnership with BPF and cannot commit to BPF as a partner at this time, we are hopeful that further investigation of their business leads us to determine that a partnership would be in line with our mission and values. Thank you, Wayne Ostlie Director of Land Protection 2356 University Avenue West I Suite 240 1 St. Paul, Minnesota 1 55114 www.mnland.org 1 651-647-9590 1 Toll Free: 1 -877 -MLT LAND Patrick Doran From: McGuire, Andy (DNR) <andy.mcguire@state.mn.us> Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2020 12:37 PM To: Patrick Doran Subject: RE: City of Scandia Project; Better Place Forests Patrick, From the DNR Metro area Forestry perspective, I do not see any issues with the proposed plan on private land. Thank you for checking in with it. Andy Andy McGuire Forestry Incentives & SFIA Coordinator I Division of Forestry Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Rd St. Paul, MN 55155 Email: andy.mcguire@state.mn.us Phone: 651-259-5160 mndnr.gov MDEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES From: Patrick Doran <Patrick@millerstevens.com> Sent: Friday, May 22, 2020 9:30 AM To: McGuire, Andy (DNR) <andy.mcguire@state.mn.us> Subject: City of Scandia Project; Better Place Forests This message may be from an external email source. Do not select links or open attachments unless verified. Report all suspicious emails to Minnesota IT Services Security Operations Center. Good morning, Mr. Mcguire. I represent Better Place Forests as it relates to their application for a conditional use permit related to a project that they hope to develop in Scandia, Minnesota. Ultimately, they wish to provide an alternative memorial site where people can bring the cremains of their loved ones to a forest. They are in the process of purchasing 112 acres, situated on Fish Lake and near Big Marine Lake. It's possible that DNR has already been in contact with the City of Scandia regarding this project, but Better Place Forests wanted to reach out to interested parties for comments regarding the project. Ultimately, they would appreciate DNR's support during the application process. I have attached a couple of documents for your records and review. We have already received an email from Mr. Spiegel, DNR's regional hydrologist, stating that he does not have an issue with the project "from a public waters or shoreland zoning perspective if it moves forward through the City of Scandia process." If you have time today, can you please give me a call to discuss the project further? Thank you for your attention to this matter. Regards, Patrick Doran MILLER & STEVENS LAW 92 Lake St. S. I Forest Lake, MN 55025 Tel: (651) 462-0206 1 Fax: (651) 462-3309 www.millerstevens.com Find tis oFl Facebook Linkedim. This transmission is lawyer -client privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient denoted above, promptly reply and so indicate and delete this transmission from all of your electronic storage systems and destroy all paper copies which may have been printed. Patrick Doran From: Spiegel, Jason (DNR) <jason.spiegel@state.mn.us> Sent: Friday, May 22, 2020 9:16 AM To: Patrick Doran Subject: RE: Better Place Forest; Scandia Project Hi Patrick, DNR cannot provide a statement of support for the project, but I will say I have reviewed the documents you provided and I do not see anything we would be concerned about from a public waters or shoreland zoning perspective if it moves forward through the City of Scandia process. Jason Spiegel Area Hydrologist Ecological and Water Resources Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 1200 Warner Rd. St. Paul, MN 55106 Phone: 651-259-5754 Email: iason.spieel@state.mn.us mndnr.gov IDEPARTMENT of NATURAL RESOURCES E1 © r From: Patrick Doran <Patrick@millerstevens.com> Sent: Friday, May 22, 2020 9:07 AM To: Sorensen, Jenifer (DNR) <jenifer.sorensen@state.mn.us>; Spiegel, Jason (DNR) <jason.spiegel@state.mn.us> Subject: RE: Better Place Forest; Scandia Project Thanks for the quick reply, Ms. Sorensen. Jason, if you have some time, could you please contact me regarding the below and the attached? Thank you both. Regards, Patrick Doran MILLER & STEVENS LAW 92 Lake St. S. I Forest Lake, MN 55025 Tel: (651) 462-0206 1 Fax: (651) 462-3309 www.millerstevens.com 1