ECOLOGIAL RESTORATION
ER
AT CEDAR LAKE POINT BEACH (AND BEYOND)
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.
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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. |