ECOLOGIAL RESTORATION
ER
AT CEDAR LAKE POINT BEACH (AND BEYOND)
Give me love Give me love Give me peace on earth Give me light Give me life This morning first snowfall of the season prompted that annual sense of change and transition. From the birth of spring, to the fruition of summer, to the harvest of fall, and now to the stillness of winter, here comes impending blanket of chill that just can't be denied. Some dread the change. Some embrace it. But anyone who's lived through Minnesota winters accepts that we're just going to have to adapt. This morning's stroll through Cedar Lake Point Beach woodlands delivered a wonderful surprise. Anticipating a sense of possible solitude under the freshly falling snowflakes that punctuated the sense of hibernation, I was instead greeted by a burst of life. More birds than I could count swooped and sang. Their dance might have been a way for them to warm their bodies, but their songs ringed of joy and celebration. Maybe the much needed precipitation softened the hiding places for the worms and bugs to hide, setting the table for a feast. For whatever reason, the space was just so joyful. Likewise, surrounding the peninsula of woodlands, water and air were doing their own song and dance. A foggy mist rose from the surface of the lake in a way that it seemed the elements were also in choral harmony. The chilled snowflakes seem to be singing, "Hey there lake. Nice to see you. There's more of us coming behind us." And the lake replied, "Welcome. We'll soften the transition for your arrival with some fog, before we create a layer of ice to keep our life down under for winter keeping." Give me hope
Help me cope with this heavy load Trying to touch and reach you with Heart and soul
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What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet But what if something goes un-named? What if we overlook something because there's been an object or place nearby that is named and is believed to the real destination or attraction?
The beach of the area named Cedar Lake Point Beach is at the point of this about 3-acre peninsula. For many, the beach truly serves as a destination. Swimmers, sun bathers, paddlers with their kayaks and canoes on the nearby racks, kids at summer day camps and with their families, and many more, flock to this modest beach on Minneapolis' Cedar Lake. For many, many more, the beach is one of several points of interest on the peninsula. In multiples of the seasonal beach goers, there is year-round enjoyment of those who walk around or through the woods. As couples, as dog-walkers, as individuals, or as small groups, the joy is in the journey and not just the beach destination. And while the beach represents a fraction of the total both in geographic area of the peninsula as well as in the number of annual visitors, it enjoys the benefit of being named as one of the three beaches on Cedar Lake. As a result, the city park board dedicates financial and human resources to its upkeep and maintenance. Meanwhile, the nearly three acres of nameless peninsula has apparently been neglected for the past several decades. Neglect resulted in invasive species moving in. The thick cover created a safe harbor for those who wished to use the park in a way that was unseen. Yes, there was a certain charm in having a secluded woodlands right in the city. But the undesirable uses seemed to have eventually outweighed the benefits of seclusion. I was told by one passerby runner that she appreciated the woods being opened up to create more sense of safety. I get to hear people tell me most everyday when I'm working in the woods that they love being able to see into the woods, as well as being able to look from the perimeter path out to the lake. As a part of the ecological restoration effort, it makes sense to acknowledge that this is an urban woodlands. As such, people are a members of the ecological system. We want to have a park that revives and protects the natural environment in the context of also inviting each and all of us to experience nature. To these ends, might naming this area, beyond the beach area, might be a way to show love and respect for our shared sweet space? When I started this venture, I recall the suggestion that I begin working along the shoreline because it would be nice to see the lake again. Without fully knowing what I was going to be getting into, I agreed. But what I was really interested was in the ecosystem, bio-diversity, and just seeing that these Buckthorn seemed to be taking over everything.
The more I cut, the more I saw, the more sense of urgency that grew inside of me. I quickly got affectionately labeled by regular neighbors passing by as "Buckeye Steve." And my sense of mission got more focused. I found that I was not just working to rid Buckthorn. I was seeking to restore the area to build a healthy habitat, for nature on the land and our lakes. My sense of urgency also grew as I felt that this place, as well as so many others throughout our city's parklands, were being neglected. The Park Board seemed to place every other issue as a priority above protecting our natural areas. They were turning a blind's eye to nature and instead were either trying to solve very real and critical issues such as homelessness. But those issues were outside their lane. I sincerely hope we find the resources to address that priority, but it cannot come at risk of loosing and destroying and depleting our relatively irreplaceable natural resources. I also learned that as with most things in life, it is all about money, and that the park board is often addressing issues that attract the most or easiest funds. Glittery projects for tourists or entertainment venues make a big splash when it comes to project funding. But who speaks for the trees that are dying from being choked and malnourished? Who speaks for critters and bugs who make our ecosystem function as a system? In this journey, I found the words Ecological Restoration speak to me the most comprehensively and specifically. And I connected this name with ER, letters most often associated with trauma and sense of urgency. We are facing an emergency. I just started this blog today because I knew I wanted to converse with those who have shared with me their email addresses for updates, but may not have been able to keep up with updates posted on Facebook. I'm learning how to use this blog as I go, so please feel free to comment and/or ask questions if I'm not being clear or if you need more context or clarification to posts.
Before getting too far into things, this might be a good time to provide "the 30,000 foot perspective" so we're a bit on the same page. The Whole Area "Cedar Lake Point Beach" is the official name of the area of focus. It is this area where I volunteer under the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) "Park Stewardship Agreement." This agreement was originally under the Cedar Lake Park Association, but since the start of 2022 I serve as the specified Park Steward, which meant I had to submit to them a general plan and schedule of activities. My work is closely coordinated with the Cedar Lake Park Association (CLPA). They have been extremely encouraging and supportive. Of note, I have a bit of a theory about why this area was neglected for so long. I think it's in its name. At the end of this peninsula is the "beach". I suspect that means that the rest of the three acre or so site was not recognized as a park, but just as a ways and means to and from the beach. Three acres is not so large until one realizes that it is densely filled with Buckthorn. So my first swing at this project was to eradicate the area of Buckthorn. It started with cutting down every single Buckthorn tree, and then stacking the cuttings for Park Board pickup. Not so fast. Too much to pick up and they don't take root masses from uprooted trees. So creative approaches are constantly evolving. Demonstration Areas As much as I enjoyed the thrill of cutting down Buckthorn trees, clearing the over-story for new native growth to emerge, it soon became apparent that replacing the invasive was going to take a more assertive approach than waiting for native seedings to pop from the soil. New growth would be better accomplished by doing plantings of desired native plants and then encouraging them to spread. Demonstration Area A is a shoreline area where thanks to the Cedar Lake Park Association's donation and a corp of volunteers who showed up on a beautiful October 2021 Saturday, some 300 plantings went into the ground. They rose beautifully in 2022, and we expect them to flourish and spread in coming years ahead. Demonstration Area B is at the easternmost pint of the peninsula. A sunny corner, there are hopes for planting a pollinator garden on the inland side of the trail, and thanks to the MPRB, some dogwoods along the shoreline. Demonstration Area C is the sloping spot immediately down from the parking lot and up to the paved walking path. That area is particularly shady and a great spot for woodland grasses and shade plants. And order was just submitted yesterday for those seeds, and I'd like to plan a volunteer event in early November. the seeds can do down just before or just after a first snowfall, where they go dormant and appear next spring. Please watch for announcements, but if you are particularly interested in being involved with that please reach out to me via email ([email protected]). Yesterday, after spending a couple more hours moving some old piles of cuttings to the burn pile (more on that exciting news later), I couldn't help but envision where we could place seed in about a month. We will be doing a spreading of seed at Demonstration Area C in about a month, but may end up with a bit extra and was thinking how nice it might be placing in the center of one of the "installations" we'll call "Life Spiral." So, got on my butt and just started plucking away at all these little growths to clear the area. Imagine a mix of woodland grasses filling this area.
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March 2024
AuthorI'm Steve Kotvis, volunteer Park Steward for the Minneapolis Cedar Lake Point Beach peninsula who has a newfound love of restoring this natural area and more. I'm learning as I go, and enjoy sharing that with those who have an interest. I'm also a photographer, so the photos in this blog are mine unless otherwise labeled. |