Cascade Meadow Wetlands Trails  
After a three-year process to restore the ninety acres of wetlands and prairies on our site, we welcome visitors to walk the area and see the wetlands for themselves!

ANNOUNCING: WETLANDS TRAILS OPEN JUNE 7, 2014! 
Explore the wetlands and prairie habitats up close! Our trails will take you through seven different types of wetlands (there are eight in all of Minnesota) and three examples of prairies and demonstrate why each one is unique and important. Check out the map below and be sure to read through our Trail Use Rules!

QR Codes Will Enhance Your Experience!
As you explore our trails, you may encounter a “QR code,” like the one to the left, on some of our signs. Using your smartphone or tablet, you’ll be able to link to additional information on a topic. To use this resource download a QR-code reader to your device before you come. There are free apps available for all major mobile platforms: Android: “QR Code Reader” by Scan Inc., Apple: “QR Reader for iPhone” by TapMedia Ltd., Windows: “QR Code Reader” by ShopSavvy Inc., BlackBerry: “QR Code Scanner Pro” by The Jared Company.

Please follow our trail rules:

	Stay on trails		NO hunting		NO motor vehicles
	Leave no trace		NO fishing		NO swimming
	NO pets		NO flower picking		NO smoking
	NO camping		NO biking

	Trails open 30 min. before sunrise and close 30 min. after sunset.
	Wheelchair accessible on paved trail to lake; all other trails unpaved.
	Watch out: Wild parsnip can burn, so hike in shoes or boots, not sandals!

This “trail” tells the story of the planning, design, and construction of Cascade Meadow and shows how sustainability guided all of the decisions and processes.  Every step of the way, teams made sustainable choices.  As visitors follow the signs and icons along the “trail,” they’ll see the wall types (insulated concrete forms and structural insulation panels), rain screen, green roof, solar thermal for domestic water, geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling, on-site electrical generation through wind and solar panels, and other sustainable construction practices and finishing materials choices.

Please note: Although we love our furry best friends, we must ask that you leave your dog at home.  This will protect the waters of Cascade Creek, protect the growing wildlife population in our wetlands, and ensure that all visitors can have close encounters with beautiful and fascinating plants and wildlife. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sustainable care of storm water means slowing it and soaking it in on our site. Follow this trail around our building to see how we do that using pervious pavements, a bio-retention cell system, native plantings, green roofs, and additional landscape designs.

Please note: Although we love our furry best friends, we must ask that you leave your dog at home.  This will protect the waters of Cascade Creek, protect the growing wildlife population in our wetlands, and ensure that all visitors can have close encounters with beautiful and fascinating plants and wildlife. Thank you for your cooperation.

Explore another path to sustainability with this trail about Cascade Meadow’s energy systems. Highlighted systems on the trail include two different wind turbines, three different photovoltaic solar panel arrays, solar hot water panels, and a geothermal system for heating and cooling the building.

Please note: Although we love our furry best friends, we must ask that you leave your dog at home.  This will protect the waters of Cascade Creek, protect the growing wildlife population in our wetlands, and ensure that all visitors can have close encounters with beautiful and fascinating plants and wildlife. Thank you for your cooperation.