Click for an abridged, printable version of the Self-Guided Tour

What You’ll See and Should Know

Dogs must be leashed in Eden Prairie conservation areas and parks.
Bicycle riders must keep on main trail in BIW Conservation Area.

1. The 104-year old Picha Heritage Farm grows raspberries and vegetables for the Minneapolis Farmers Market and flowers for garden centers. The small spread is the last of the once common “berry farms” in the Eden Prairie, Minnetonka and Hopkins area. The Picha Heritage Farm hosts the annual Birch Island Woods Plant Sale in May and occasional history and horticultural tours.

2. A 1919, stucco farm house on a 4-acre site was demolished on February 19, 2005. The parcel was added to the Birch Island Woods Conservation Area in March 2007.

3. A new subdivision occupies the former, 5-acre farmstead of Albert and Abby Picha who lived there from 1935 through much of 2003. A 1905, prairie style house, a farm field and a wood lot were cleared to make way for Picha Place and new homes.

4. Holasek House, was built by a Czech farm family around 1882 on the Baker Road site of Lifetime Fitness. Constructed of Chaska Brick, the house was restored for the offices of Arteka Landscaping, moved to Minnetonka in 1986 and then to Eden Wood in 1987 where it serves as a staff residence.

5. Eden Wood is a year-round camp for kids with special needs that doubles as a retreat and conference center for the general public. Eden Wood includes Holasek House, the Glen Lake Children's Camp and a beach and boat launch on Birch Island Lake. The lodge and cabins are available for overnights and meetings. Friendship Ventures, Inc., the non-profit agency which manages Eden Wood (as well as similar camps near Annandale and McGregor), leases Eden Wood from the City of Eden Prairie.

6. Glen Lake Children’s Camp is all that remains of the Glen Lake Sanitarium, one of the nation’s top three tuberculosis treatment and research hospitals. Built in 1925 for kids exposed to tuberculosis, the camp is on the National Register of Historic Places and is being modernized with respect to its historic status. The San opened in 1916 and from 1962 to 1976 operated in-tandem with the Oak Terrace Nursing Home. By the time the complex closed in 1991 to make way for the Glen Lake Golf Center, it had served 17,000 patients.

Click here for a fuller account of the camp.

7. Birch Island Woods Trail follows the 1881, roadbed of the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul RR. The wood chip trails which branch off from the main trail were constructed by local Scouts.

8. Midwest Asphalt runs a street pavement recycling operation east of Indian Chief Road and a Hennepin County-owned portion of the woods.

9. Southwest Regional Trail kiosk, directional sign and trash can. (Note (6/10/2007) : the directional arrow panels for Birch Island Park and Forest Hills Park are wrong. Three Rivers Park District will be replacing them. )

Natural History of the woods, park & lake

Trees & Plants: Aspen, Basswood, Boxelder, Cottonwood, Elm, Ironwood, Maple, Oak (several species), Red Pine, Scotch Pine, Tamarack, Paper Birch and Willow.

Spring ephemerals: Bloodroot, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Wood Anemone, Dutchman’s Breeches, Solomon’s Seal, Bracken, Lady & Maiden Hair Ferns.

Harmful invasives: Buckthorn, Garlic Mustard, Asian Honeysuckle Purple Loosetrife.

Mammals: Including Badger, Deer, Red Fox, Beaver, Coyote, Mink, chipmuck, squirrel, Rabbit, Raccoon.

Birds: 65+ species have been identified including Yellow-headed Blackbird, Swamp Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Blue Bird, Redstart, Barn Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Canvasback Duck, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Coot, Dark-eyed Junko, Double- crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Egret, Gray Catbird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Great Blue Heron, Great Crested Flycatcher, Great Egret, Great Horned Owl, Green Heron, Hairy Woodpecker, Loon, Magnolia Warbler, Marsh Wren, Nashville Warbler, Northern Flicker, Orange-crowned Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Rail, Raven, Red-Tailed Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Scarlet Tanager, Spotted Sandpiper, Teal, Tennessee Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Wild Turkey, Wood Duck.

Habitat Restoration Projects: Buckthorn and Garlic Mustard pulls occur in the conservation area and at Eden Wood. These projects are typically organized by scout groups and Friends of Birch Island Woods at Friendship Ventures (for Eden Wood). Permission must be obtained from the City Parks Division for any project at Eden Wood, Birch Island Woods and Birch Island Park.

Birch Island Lake Restoration: The Nine Mile Creek Watershed District is expected to begin projects to restore the level of Birch Island Lake during the summer of 2007. The Watershed District will also be constructing and improving rainwater run-off ponds located on Edenvale Boulevard, near Eden Prairie Road and Glen Lake Boulevard and Highway 62.

Escorted Tours
Form a group for an escorted tour of the area. Call Jeff Strate at 952-949-8980 for more information.