Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Prairie Park

St. Paul Park, Minnesota, United States

Certified through 2023

Project Name
Project Type
Prairie Park
Grassland
About the Program
Marathon Petroleum's St. Paul Refinery is located along the Mississippi River approximately 13 miles southeast of St. Paul, Minnesota. The refinery processes crude oil into products such as gasoline, asphalt and propane. Ongoing loss of prairie in the midwestern United States makes this project, which seeks to create and enhance permanent prairie habitat and generate environmental awareness through partnerships, particularly important. To this end, the team manages a 4.6-acre project site, including 0.4 acres of original remnant prairie, one acre of previously restored native prairie habitat, one acre of shrubland-grassland habitat and 2.2 acres in the process of being restored. There is also a planted demonstration native prairie garden plot.

Practices and Impacts
  • Two acts of prairie restoration occurred in the 1990s and 2008, creating an acre of restored prairie habitat. This area is still monitored and treated for invasive species and managed through prescribed burning.
  • Monitoring of plant and bird species within the prairies is completed regularly by the partner organization Friends of the Mississippi River. This monitoring has demonstrated a decrease in invasive species within the habitat and an increase in habitat use by native bird species.
  • Other partners include BJ Haines Tree Service, Landbridge Ecological, Village Green and Barr Engineering.
  • An additional 2.2 acres of disturbed woodland is being restored, with initial management activities taking place in 2018, 2019 and 2021 to remove invasive tree, shrub and understory species through manual removal and herbicide treatment. In 2019, the area was seeded with a cover crop. A three-year management plan for this area has been created to encourage the growth of native species and prevent the return of invasive species. 
  • A demonstration planting area was created in 2016 containing native prairie plant species. It was then re-established in 2018, with additional plants added in 2019. 
  • 2021 activities included continued mowing to control woody species, spot treatment of invasive species and monitoring of vegetation and wildlife. 
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