This IBA is located in north-central Ramsey County. It consists of two parts: the Ramsey County Open Space known as AHATS and Rice Creek North. Rice Creek comprises 415 acres north of County Road I, east of I-35W, south of County Road J, and west of Lexington Avenue. It includes grassland, shrubland, oak woodlands, aspen stands, and Rice Creek with silver maples, box elders, sand bar willows and black willows. AHATS is 1,500 acres south of County Road I, east of I-35W and U.S. Highway 10, north of MN Highway 96, and west of Lexington Avenue. AHATS is maintained and used by the Minnesota National Guard. It represents about one-half of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP). TCAAP is former farmland purchased by the U.S. Army in 1941 for the production and testing of small arms ammunition and grenades. AHATS contains varied habitats. Much of the northern, central and eastern parts consist of marsh, grassland, and woods that support sizeable populations of birds and other animals.

Significant natural features:

Grasslands. Extensive grasslands cover much of Rice Creek North and central AHATS.

Wet prairie and prairie potholes exist on the furthest south and north parts of AHATS.

Marsden Lake and Marsh are located on the east side of AHATS.

Sunfish Lake. Located in the southeastern part of AHATS, this lake is mostly open water, with a small cattail marsh at its northeastern end.

Glacial Kames. These hills are located in the center of AHATS, north and south of the gravel pit.

The Gravel Pit. Dug into the northern kame, the pit is surrounded by steep sand walls. The bottom is covered by shallow water that has been pumped from underground and filtered (past practices resulted in contamination of ground water beneath TCAAP). This purified water is being returned through the gravel pit to the underground aquifer.

Woodlands. The most significant woodlands consist primarily of mature pin oak, burr oak, red oak, and white

This site is important because it contains unique bird and other animal habitat in the Twin Cities urban setting. The TCAAP/AHATS is fenced off from the surrounding community. The varied habitat and large size of the site is quite different from the surrounding densely populated urban area. AHATS is maintained by the National Guard, and volunteers from St. Paul Audubon Society help with its maintenance.

This site satisfies Criterion MN-4b. It is a natural area of over 100 acres in an urban landscape supporting an 166 bird species (Appendix 1) and possesses important habitat for waterfowl, raptors, and passerines within an urban area. Situated in the center of a densely populated area, it offers a unique opportunity for many birders in the Twin Cities. Below is the site species list. Various observers cited in the references are responsible for drawing up this list (references 1 through 4). Long-term avian research and monitoring have gone on over the years.

Craig Andresen, the past president of the St. Paul Audubon Society, installed over 350 bluebird and other larger nest boxes on the site in the early 1990s. Since then, he has been monitoring nests for species and number of offspring. In the species list below, species for which breeding has been confirmed are marked with an asterisk.

In addition to species diversity, AHATS hosts species of special concern. Trumpeter Swans with their young have been observed repeatedly, and a small number of Forster’s Terns and Red-shouldered Hawks have been seen.