ECOLOGIAL RESTORATION
ER
AT CEDAR LAKE POINT BEACH (AND BEYOND)
“First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.” — Chauncey Gardiner In the 1979 movie (and prior to that a book), the actor Peter Sellers portrayed a character named Chauncey (whose real name is Chance), a middle-aged, simple-minded gardener who lives in the house of an older man and tends his garden. When the older man passes away, Chance is forced to leave the estate and venture into a world he has never experienced except through television. When Chance is crossing a street, he is hit by a limousine, and when asked his name, he says, “Chance the Gardener,” but Eve Rand hears, “Chauncey Gardiner.” Eve and her husband Ben take Chauncey back to their estate to recover, and they mistake him for a wealthy businessman that must have fallen on hard times. They love what they deem his direct and wise insights. Ben, an advisor to the President, introduces Chauncey to the President. When the President discusses the economy, Chauncey provides a story on how to manage a garden, and the President misinterprets to be wise counsel on the economy. Unwittingly, Chauncey becomes a trusted advisor and becomes famous, although he never really understands what is happening. (The above recap is borrowed from here.) Restoration ReflectionsIt is within the context of the movie's humor that I couldn't help but recognize some of the refections that follow. It is also close to the one year anniversary of publishing my first post on this ER at Cedar Lake Point Beach blog. Most problems thrive below the surfaceThe root of problems grow below the surface and the only way to solve them is to root them out. Past well intended efforts to eradicate Buckthorn and invasive species involved cutting them off at the ground surface. But the roots of the problem Buckthorn remains. Improperly attended problems return sidewaysSome of the most challenging areas to uproot Buckthorn is where past eradication efforts involved cutting the trees or shrubs off at the ground level. It didn't kill the problem, but just encouraged the plant to come out with multiple shoots. Often times, few if any of the new growth stems are thick enough or strong enough to utilize to pull the Buckthorn. They just snap off, and the work requires even greater effort to dig the rootball out without a "handle" to pull on. The biggest problems often require multiple approachesSome of the Buckthorn trees were massive. As volunteers, we are not allowed to use power tools. So it took having the right tools in the tool bag. The cutting blades were great. But maybe 90 percent of the plucking is about getting leverage. The Extractigator Junior was my favorite tool. The Extratigator Big Foot was also helpful at times. And some times it was just using the trunk of the tree, leveraging it back and forth working the roots loose. Hearing that "crack" of breaking roots is incredibly rewarding, knowing you're getting that much loser to breaking the beast from its hold onto the earth. Complex challenges need proven processesThe process I have adopted is based on best practices from fellow Buckthorners. I simplify it as:
Little efforts add upSome days, it's a good day to just pluck the 2-inch sprouts. Other days, it's just about clearing up after a previous big cut to tidy up the area. Some days I've got only a couple hours available. Others I find myself lost in the work and the days flies by. Each and every time, it feels good because every effort big and small makes a difference. Likewise, small and or hidden problems can add up and as such attention needs to be paid to the details. One area that is especially challenging to address are the Buckthorn deep rooted around and snarling the root systems and trunks of native trees. It's crucial that these life suckers get plucked, and they often consume an exhaustive amount of time to rid. One area where the little efforts mad a difference were around the spiral walled area. One season, the Buckthorn was cleared, followed by the next year of a carpet of ground cover. With wonder, I thought, oh how nice, this area is filling in nicely. It was only later did I really that this "nice ground cover" was a carpet of Buckthorn seedlings! Trusting the process, I waited for the seedlings to grow to become tall enough to return and pluck each and every one of them. But if it was ignored, all too many would begin their process of consuming this area once again. There are two edges to every swordThere's a few sharp edges when working in the woods. The lopper can cut off a finger a lot faster than a branch. Shucking involves swinging a blade like a machete through thickets of overgrowth. The handsaw can do quick damage. I typically return home looking like I've returned from battle. But it's never been from the manmade blade. More from branches that have pierced my skin in my legs and arms. While it's easy to get lost in the fury of cutting and shucking and plucking and hucking, I've learned that safety is always on my mind. There's no way I want the Buckthorn to win this battle. So staying safe means returning another day. Become familiar with and protect what's treasuredThe more time being in somewhere doing something allows us to become more sensitive to our surroundings. And so while anyone who works eradicating Buckthorn will admit that it's impossible to not see Buckthorn wherever they are anymore, it's also developed a sense of what's most treasured. I've learned that some trees, such as Cottonwoods and Oaks, are highly valued. they are "keystone" trees, most fundamentally important to establishing and maintaining a quality ecological habitat. As a result, it's become more of a delight to recognize the keystone trees, and work to ensure they are not being choked to death not just by Buckthorn that have been a priority of eradication but also by White Mulberry trees that I now recognize are a major threat to the keystone trees. And aside of the more obvious large trees that are keystone to the forest, I've grown more sensitive and a underfoot amidst the smallest of species that add to the biodiversity of the forest. This includes young Locust, Lindens, and Black Willow, and Black Walnut trees as well as smaller shrubs and ground covers. Share the loveThere isn't a day I've worked in the woods when someone passing by doesn't stop to chat. "What are you doing?" "Thank you!" "Is that Buckthorn?" So many other questions and conversations follow. It's always a joy to help others understand what's going on, and even more fun to hear how they share their appreciation for the area. And on rare occasion I've heard those questioning if this is a good thing, changing the park from a wild place to one that is more pristine. I appreciate those questions and answer them always from the perspective of framing the purpose of the work. This area is being improved to create and nature a more healthy ecological environment for nature. We as humans are citizens of nature, and as such we need to be responsible for doing what we can to make these places more habitable. We've done our share of destroying natural areas, including the introduction of Buckthorn, an invasive species that was imported to North America for the human purpose of creating decorative landscape screening for the properties we inhabit. Without consideration of the impact on the whole ecosystem, we have permitted the uncontrolled spread of Buckthorn and other imported species that do not cooperatively coexist in this environment. In that it was humans who irresponsibly introduced Buckthorn to this environment, it is our responsibility to remove it, along with other invasive species that have like legacies. In person, or online through this blog, the email list, and social media, I hope to share the love and build support to generate interest in restoring this and many other natural areas in ur beautiful urban park system. Thankful that the more you give the more you getEveryday I get to be outside and practice this restoration, I give thanks. Thank you for the fresh air I get to breathe inside the wonderful woods. Thank you for the earthly aroma from playing in the dirt. Working in the woods most often means working in the cool shade, even on the hottest of summer days. They joy of hearing kids playing at the nearby beach can't make me do anything but grin. The chirping of birds, the breeze blowing through the trees, the lapping of waters on the shoreline, a buzzing bee or the silence of solitude, all are nature's beautiful soundtrack. After a physical exertion that could be counted as a CrossFit workout if I was to record it, I am grateful for the ability to physically move. And later sleep, and the next day ache a bit with the satisfaction that I did something. And finally, there is such a sense of reward after purposeful and meaningful time spent. “And if you give your garden a lot of love, and if you work very hard and have a lot of patience, in the proper season, you will see it grow to be very beautiful.”
— Chauncey Gardiner
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We just spent the past two days hiking the Superior Trail. Only a short three hours drive away, it was like being in another world. With each step we were embraced by the leaf-speckled filter of a warm golden sunlight and the tune of river whitewaters singing towards the most superior of the great lakes. The unseasonably warm temperatures made it easy to just be present and not need to deal with any obstacles or consideration of overcoming any discomfort. Lucky us. But that didn't stop me from looking for Buckthorn or other invasives. What's with this? How can a place so vast, so natural, so unimaginably too large to manage be so well protected from invasives? On the heels of last weeks's list of reflectionsLast Saturday the day before we headed north to the Superior Trail, I was plucking Buckthorn from the Cedar Lake Point Beach project area and started reflecting on some of the lessons I've been learning about Buckthorning and ecological restoration. Every now and then, I pulled out my iPhone and recorded some of these insights or perspectives and I thought might be fun to share. So the next post will be the start.
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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. |