Upon completion of a city-wide natural resources master plan, the City of Minnetonka worked with Barr to complete a restoration master plan for Purgatory Park. This outlined a long-term plan for restoring degraded natural areas, setting a clear path forward while strategizing a targeted use of budget.
Barr first completed an overview of existing ecological communities to better understand the current state of the park and identify priority areas. Attributes assessed included the current growing conditions; the historical ecological communities at the time of colonial settlement; and contextual influences such as neighboring land uses, clime change, invasive species, regulations, and staffing.
Using the ecological review, Barr identified target ecological communities for restoration and created a plan for invasive species control, planting strategies with species lists, cost estimates, and continued maintenance steps for each ecological community within the park. This included a phasing map with recommendations for prioritizing areas.
The City of Minnetonka has begun restoring Purgatory Park and is relying upon this restoration master plan.