Flint Hills Resources, LLC
Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, United States
Certified Gold through 2025
The Flint Hills Pine Bend site is operated by Flint Hills Resources, LLC, as a natural habitat restoration near Rosemount, Minnesota, in the southeast part of the state. The site contains 65.6 acres of scrub oak forest and a 52-acre grassland/savannah prairie area that are used for native bird habitat. The area is located along a stretch of the Mississippi River, and previous development included grazing and an oil refinery.
Practices and Impacts
- Since 2000, the team has held annual events in the spring and fall to educate attendees on the importance of the forest and prairie ecosystems present on the Flint Hills Resources bluff property. Particular attention is paid to how the area plays a role in the Pine Bend Natural Area, regional ecosystem and network of greenspace in the metropolitan area.
- Event partners Friends of the Mississippi and Great River Greening provide presentations on the habitats located on the property and the restorations underway.
- Participants hike to the habitats and conduct invasive species removal.
- In 2022, 23 bluebird houses were constructed and placed in open areas around the project site. Boxes are monitored weekly, and data regarding use, nesting success, etc. is collected.