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Located on 56 acres at the east end of Lake
Minnetonkas Big Island, Big Island Nature Park is the newest addition
to the City of Orono park system. The property is well known as the home
of the former Big Island Veterans
Camp, and
has a long history of recreational use dating to the early 1900s.
Through mutual collaboration between the City of Orono, the Minnehaha
Creek Watershed District and other partners, Big Island Nature Park is
intended to preserve the unique natural, physical and cultural resources
of the site while offering the Lake Minnetonka community and its
visitors a variety of passive recreational and educational
opportunities.
Oronos Big Island Park Advisory Committee
has been working toward completion of a comprehensive management plan
for the Park. The focus of the Citys
efforts over the past year included an extensive shoreline protection
program spearheaded and funded by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed
District. That project involved rip-rapping
much of the shoreline, and bluff restoration using
environmentally-friendly methods. General cleanup
activities have been ongoing, and demolition of hazardous buildings has
been completed. The Park will have two docks available for the 2009
season, one to accommodate occasional stops by the steamboat Minnehaha,
and a
second dock for general public use.
Big Island Nature Park is open to the public
as a nature preserve, and in keeping with that theme visitors will not
find a high level of amenities provided. Approximately
75% of the park acreage is protected by a Conservation Easement with the
intent to retain the natural character of the property. Informal hiking
trails allow access to beautiful vistas of Lake Minnetonka, and nature
lovers will find a wealth of plants, animals and birds that make the
island their home. Overnight camping, fires and alcohol
are prohibited, and there are no toilet facilities or
drinking water available. Large group activities are
limited - permits required.
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