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HomeMy WebLinkAboutORDINANCES-2020-078-O-2012/2/20 78-0-20 AN ORDINANCE Amending Title 7, Chapter 10 "City Parks" BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: SECTION 1: City Code Section 7-10 "City Parks" of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: Chapter 10 — City Parks and Natural Areas SECTION 2: City Code, subsection 7-10-1, "Designation of Public Parks", of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Designation of Public Parks and Natural Areas" A. A Natural Area shall be designated by agreement of the Environment Board; Parks and Recreation Board; and Natural Areas Officer subject to approval by City Council. B. To be considered for designation as a Natural Area, a site will have an ecological management plan approved by the Natural Areas Officer, must be located on public land leased to or owned by the City of Evanston, and mapped and managed by qualified and committed volunteer stewards in accordance with the site's ecological management plan. C. Prior to designation of a Natural Area, the organization or group proposing the new Natural Area shall conduct community education on the concept of Natural Areas, permissible uses, and public benefits to neighboring areas. SECTION 3: City Code Section 7-10 of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby amended as follows: 7-10-9. — DEFINITION OF NATURAL AREAS. "Natural Areas" as used in this Title are public lands that are managed to provide habitat for diverse, regionally native plant and! animal communities and associated benefits for humans. 78-0-20 SECTION 4: City Code Section 7-10 of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: 7-10-10. — NATURAL AREAS OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES A. The Director of the Public Works Agency shall designate a "Natural Areas Officer" who is knowledgeable about natural land management. B. The Natural Areas Officer may authorize additional actions or prohibitions in Natural Areas regarding planting plans, reconfiguration of vegetation and paths, and similar activities taking place on public land. C. City staff with responsibilities related to public lands, such as parks, shall consult with and follow policies and procedures established by the Natural Areas Officer with regard to Natural Areas. SECTION 5: City Code Section 7-10 of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: 7-10-11. — PERMISSIBLE USE. A. The following activities are permissible uses and are subject to the provisions of this Section: 1. Passive recreation and educational activities that do not significantly impact soil, vegetation, or wildlife. B. As the Natural Areas Officer determines, animal or plant controls may be used in the Natural Area according to specifications and in compliance with City policy. C. Violations. 1. Violations of this Section shall be punishable by restricting access to the Natural Area, and/or, 2. Violations of this Section shall be punishable by fines of no more than $50.00 per offense. Each offense shall count as a separate violation. SECTION 6: City Code Section 7-10 of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: 7-10-12. — Preservation of Natural Areas. A. Any modification proposed for a Natural Area is subject to prior review and approval by the Natural Areas Officer, the Evanston Environment Board and the 2 78-0-20 Parks and Recreation Board. Such modifications may include but are not limited to changes in boundaries, management plans, and proposed uses. B. Failure of the volunteer group(s) to care for and maintain the designated Natural Area may result in the Natural Area being removed from the list of designated Natural Areas. C. Volunteer Stewards for each Natural Area must prepare and submit an annual report to the Natural Areas Officer each year for each Natural Area. SECTION 7: City Code Subsection 7-9-4 (A)(1), "POWERS AND DUTIES", of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: A. Perform the duties prescribed by 65 ILCS 5/11-91-1 et seq., as amended. Specifically, the Board must: 1. Provide direction for the planning, design and maintenance of all playgrounds and recreational facilities owned and/or leased by the City of Evanston; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, THAT: SECTION 8: All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. SECTION 9: If any provision of this Ordinance or application thereof to any person or circumstance is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Ordinance that can be given effect without the invalid application or provision, and each invalid application of this Ordinance is severable. SECTION 10: This ordinance shall be in full force and effect on June 1, 2021. 3 78-0-20 SECTION 11: The findings and recitals contained herein are declared to be prima facie evidence of the law of the City and shall be received in evidence as provided by the Illinois Compiled Statutes and the courts of the State of Illinois. Introduced: December 14 , 2020 Approved: Adopted: January 11 , 2020 December 31 , 2020 J 11ok we� Stephen H. Hagerty, Mayor Attest: Approved as to form: Devon Reid, City Clerk Kelley A. Gandurski, Corporate Counsel 2 Natural Area Proposal Requirements Applicants must: 1. Justify and explain the benefit of the proposed Natural Area over the existing land use (if appropriate) 2. Identify the specific tasks the City would be expected to perform to develop the Natural Area and provide a cost estimate for those tasks 3. Develop a maintenance plan for the Natural Area indicating an estimated annual maintenance cost 4. Provide a letter indicating the number of volunteer hours committed to maintaining the Natural Area on an annual basis 5. Ensure that each volunteer execute the City's liability waiver 6. Submit an annual report each December that includes: a. A maintenance log of activities completed and volunteer hours spent for the current year b. Proposed work actives for the next year including information on any pesticides, herbicides or other treatments proposed to be used. Ecological Management Schedule I Ladd Arboretum Natural Area 3.21.19 Updated 1.6.20 Dates 2019-2020 Site Steward Wendy Pollock Approved by Public Works Agency, City of Evanston Overview The Ladd Arboretum was founded in 1959 on a 17-acre strip of land between the North Shore Channel and McCormick Boulevard. The arboretum is divided by Bridge Street into two roughly equal sections. The Ladd Arboretum Natural Area occupies most of the northeast sector. The City of Evanston holds a long-term lease on the property from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. At the time of European arrival, the area was wet prairie. The land was drained beginning in the 1850s, first for a road, then for farming and building. In 1910, the North Shore Channel was completed as part of the regional sewage and stormwater management system. In a number of areas, soft blue clay from excavation of the channel had been spread onto the surrounding land. After decades of continued hard use, the heavy clay soil here was (and remains) compacted and degraded. Tree planting began in 1960. In 2007, an updated plan endorsed the arboretum's "rustic character and natural setting" and identified as a key objective increasing biodiversity "by removing invasive and non-native plant species and revegetating areas with native plant material." A 2017-2019 grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's Chi -Cal Rivers Fund has helped to accelerate invasive clearing and replacement with native vegetation. Site conditions The Evanston Ecology Center is located just off Bridge Street. Areas immediately surrounding it are heavily used. An asphalt bicycle path runs near McCormick Boulevard the length of the arboretum. An informal path used by dog -walkers, children walking to and from school, and others follows the channel bank for part of the distance from the Ecology Center toward Green Bay Road. The Ladd Arboretum Natural Area runs along the channel bank for approximately 2,000 feet, skirting the Ecology Center's meadow and nature play area, opening out when it reaches the Grady Bird Sanctuary, and extending northeast to Green Bay Road. Even as the arboretum's level areas were being planted in the years after its 1960 dedication, the channel bank was filling in with non-native invasives (primarily buckthorn, Asian honeysuckle, garlic mustard, Norway maples), low -quality native trees (box elder, cottonwood), and elms and ashes, most of which are now dead, dying, or regrowing as small understory trees. Other native trees scattered along the bank included hackberries, basswoods, black cherries, black walnuts, sycamores, and Ohio buckeyes. Woody vines include grape and Virginia creeper. Beginning in 2017, sections of the bank have been cleared and thinned to create a series of zones for replanting. As of fall 2019, these zones extend along approximately 1,300 feet of the bank; we plan to reach Green Bay Road by Spring 2021. The aim is a layered structure of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that provide food and shelter for birds and pollinators throughout the year. In addition, we are extending the mulched path that follows the top of the slope near the channel. List of trees. shrubs. vines. and herbaceous plants Overall goals A. Maintain and expand habitat for migratory and woodland birds B. Preserve existing native plants C. Reduce threats of invasive plants D. Improve public access and appreciation. Management objectives Remove invasive non-native woody plants Buckthorn (Rhamnus spp), Asian honeysuckle (Lonicera spp), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), white mulberry (Morus alba), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissimo), callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), Japanese barberry (eerberis thunbergii). Also mohican viburnum (V. lantana), and highbush cranberry (V. opulus) if they threaten native vegetation. Activities Pull, dig, cut seedlings and re -sprouts. Remove invasive non-native woody plants Cut and herbicide stumps, resprouts. Buckthorn (Rhamnus spp), Asian honeysuckle (Lonicera spp). Also mohican viburnum(V. lantana), and highbush cranberry (V. opulus) if they threaten native vegetation. Remove dead and diseased trees, reduce deep -shading trees <6" DBH Mark and remove as required. Crew Season Volunteers Spring, summer Volunteer groups with Fall into early spring follow-up by COE or licensed operator COE Forestry Winter Reduce threats of invasive non-native weeds Scout for invasives. Pull, dig, or cut to help native Volunteers. Spring, summer, fall See detailed lists below. plants establish and thrive. Disturb soil as little as Herbicides applied by Restore native plant species New plants are selected primarily from a Master plant list developed by Living Habitats for channel sites (2017). Maintain habitat and native plants Maintain paths, edges Clean up trash and landscape waste Cut or pull these aggressive non -natives possible. Herbicides used in limited circumstances. licensed operator. Plant trees, shrubs, forbs, grasses, sedges native to Volunteers, COE staff Spring and fall region as new areas are cleared. Replace plants that fail, fill in gaps. Collect and disperse seeds. Monitor native plants. Fence, water, mulch as needed. Cut down prairie plants in spring. Coordinate clean-up days and large pickup with COE, volunteer groups. Staff keep area around Ecology Center free of litter. Sweet clover (white, yellow) Shepherd's purse Mugwort (in front of Ecology Center, north of Grady Bird Sanctuary) Common burdock Reed canary grass (small patches in front of Ecology Center) Creeping smartweed Invasive thistles Japanese knotweed Field bindweed Wintercreeper Black medic Lily of the valley (Zone C) Cut or pull these non -natives before they go to seed As native plants grow in, these plants will be less of a problem than the aggressive non -natives listed above. Ground ivy Queen Anne's lace Common plantain Common purslane Field pennycress Common chickweed Cut or pull these aggressive native plants Common chicory Curly dock Wild mustard Dandelions Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) Yellow nutsedge (around dock) I Giant ragweed Volunteers, COE staff Spring, summer, fall Volunteers, COE staff Winter, spring Volunteers, COE staff Spring, summer, winter, fall Canada goldenrod Common ragweed Horseweed Poison ivy (when close to paths and work areas) Control these native plants as needed to make room for more conservative plants Grey dogwood Black raspberry Evening primrose Virginia creeper Drummonds aster Common milkweed Pokeberry Grape Avens (Geum, at least 2 spp) Keep an eye out for these very aggressive non -natives and act fast Lesser celandine (NE of Burt's Bees beds) Epipactis helleborine (along path near dock area, near Grady Sanctuary) Teasels (along McCormick Boulevard in front of Ecology Center) Crown vetch Birds foot trefoil Along the channel banks: Lamb's quarters Prostrate spurge Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis fontana) Prunella vulgaris Wild lettuce Stinging nettle Black -seeded plantain Stickseed (Hakelia) Bidens Purple loosestrife Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) Cattails Common reed Oriental bittersweet Zone A: From Bridge Street to just beyond large cottonwood opposite picnic area. Canopy trees include black walnut, hackberries, linden. Understory includes staghorn sumac plus small trees and shrubs added in 2018. Elderberries, ninebark, serviceberries, woodland ferns, flowers, grasses, sedges established around dock area. Zone B: Open area opposite meadow, ending at boulder next to path and extending beyond the nature play area along a narrow section of the slope. Flowers, grasses, and sedges on level ground; shrubs and scattered trees on slope. Most were planted between Fall 2017 and Fall 2018. Zone C: Wide partly level area from sycamore and pine on far edge of nature play area to second bench. Slope was planted in September 2018. Zone D: Channel bank opposite Grady Bird Sanctuary, from second bench to large hackberry and Korean spice viburnum. Planted in Spring 2019. Zone E: Opposite to just beyond Burt's Bees Gardens, ending at large oak. Includes shrubs and forbs around outfall, planted in Fall 2018, and roses, elderberries, and raspberries planted in 2018 and 2019. Zone F: From large oak shortly beyond outfall to bench next to asphalt path. Planted in Spring and Fall 2019. Other areas: Grady Bird Sanctuary Burt's Bees Pollinator Gardens: Flower beds planted in 2014; area also includes oak trees and two spicebush beds. Oliver's Serviceberry Grove Red twig dogwoods revived, serviceberries planted in 2018. Sedge and heuchera added Spring 2019. Rain gardens: Behind Ecology Center at two corners of building. Installed and maintained by Nature's Perspectives.