ECOLOGIAL RESTORATION
ER
AT CEDAR LAKE POINT BEACH (AND BEYOND)
I can't believe I missed the storm and then the unseasonably warm temps and then snow again. Well, living here for four decades, actually yes I can. But I've learned to be a true Minnesotan, and survival skills means having a short weather memory, and having the sense to leave town for a break around this most of unpredictable seasons. So I actually do believe all this happened in the short time I was out of town. But upon return, I can't open my emailbox without getting the blast of correspondence among fellow nature restorers about preparing for when the time is right again for field work. It's exciting to know that our fellow natural resource managers at the Minneapolis Park Board are in concert with restoration preparation. They have been corresponding with many of us about what our needs and capacities are for new native species plantings. They are placing an order for new shrubs for volunteers to plant into our Buckthorn busting project areas. I placed a request for 30. The plan is to focus on "Demonstration Area B" an area at the eastern-most tip of woods on the Cedar Lake Point Beach peninsula. Ten of the plants are Red Osier Dogwoods that will be planted on the steep shoreline. I don't know what the size of these new shrubs are yet. I'm guessing affordably small. But the idea is to plant those seedlings in holes of freshly plucked Buckthorn stumps. Replacing the Buckthorn stump is considered the best way to stabilize the shoreline with our new naive species. These 10 plants may take the most work among all new plantings, mainly because will each first require plucking the existing Buckthorn. We'll have to find the stumps most ready to pluck because there are plenty in whose roots are still stubbornly hanging on to their last chances. But there are lots and lot of options of exactly where to place the new shrubs. The remaining 20 shrubs will be planted at the eastern trailhead of Ridge Trail. They include a mix of Common Chokeberry, American Hazelnut, American Plum, and Nannyberry. I still have some homework to do to envision how these might be planted and am in the process of getting some help with that from both more experienced fellow volunteers and the Park Board Natural Resource staff who very supportively have offered their perspective and expertise. May-day, a Call for Your Help
Please contact me ([email protected] or color text 612-385-6407*) if you are interested in helping with this effort. Best case, it should be performed the first week of May. We may do as a group or in small teams, depending upon interest. Help is needed with the following tasks:
Very, very importantly, the work is not done after the shrubs are planted.
If you're really into it and want to volunteer for other areas receiving plants around Cedar Lake, I can also connect you to other Park Stewards too. * NOTE: If you all me and I don't answer, please leave a message. I am not apt to answer calls from unknown callers. Like many others, I've got my car protection warrantee needs covered, if you know what I mean. :)
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The seasons are changing right before us. But some days they seem to go forward. The next day it may feel like days are going backwards. As I write this post, we have a few inches of snow in the forecast. While some of the last days when the grounds are frozen solid, some initial work on gathering the files of dead limbs and brush began. Most of it is Buckthorn that was cut and piled in the interior of the peninsula over the past two to three years. This work will continue, but as much as we're itching to keep clearing the area, I've learned that we really need to take a break during early spring. Over the next few weeks, maybe as long as until mid-May this year, we just need to be patient and let nature do its thing. I'm gathering some information to explain what nature is actively doing while we stay out of its way. A naturalist friend is forwarding some information to help me write something up. I wanted to write it on my own, but I found little apparent information to help me understand and then explain the nature's spring awakening. Maybe I'm not so good at doing Google searches, or maybe this information is like the shy little critters we're trying to protect, too closely held for the mere pedestrian level nature researcher. Meanwhile, it will be fun to actively observe new signs of life coming to surface. Yesterday, a patch of moss revealed itself on the north bank of Ridge Trail.
On the fist day of spring, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Natural Resources ad Volunteer Coordinator staff delivered on our request for some signs me me to place in "Demonstration Area C", the area just down from the parking lot where last autumn we planted native seeds. We want to protect an area where seeds were laid on top of the first fall of snow on November 14, 2022. The seeds cover the almost acre area and include native rye, grasses and sedge from rural Minnesota and Iowa counties. The 3-Year Plan Following this past winter's process where the seeds slowly settled into the prepared soils, we will follow 3-year information and instructions. They read as follows. What to expect: First year of growth of native vegetation is minimal. Routine cutting (to a height of 6-8 inches) of the site helps to provide light to the soil surface and young native seedlings. The provided cover crop will offer much of the above ground growth of year 1. Consider cutting with a weed whip once vegetation is 2 feet tall or if small flowering plants appear in the weeks following the seeding.
During the second year of establishment, native species tend to appear slowly and may remain small in stature. Vegetation maintenance is crucial during these early years to outcompete weedy vegetation, keep watching for undesirable weeds.
By the third growing season, most native species are maturing and can begin to compete with non-desirable, weedy, vegetation. It is during the third year that the true diversity of the planting area will become obvious, and various blooms can be noted throughout the growing season.
Just transcribing the information gives me a spring in my step! Hope it lifts your spirits too!
No Focus on a Mound of NeedOn the north shore of Cedar Lake sits a high ground commonly referred to as "The Mound." It has been enjoyed for years as an overlook to Cedar Lake where park visitors would stop for a few minutes on their walk through the woods, or plan as a spot to meet, fire up a little campfire, enjoy some beverages. Some trail organized runs like the Loppet's would include running up the wooden stairs as a part of the course. Today, it's an eroding slope. Unusable. Dangerous, especially if you happen to tumble on any of a number of spike nails still protruding. It's an eyesore. And a park liability. A liability as opposed to an asset that is. I've learned that the Park Board can't be sued so if someone does trip and injure themselves on one of those spikes, apparently the park is not liable? It would seem obvious that this troubled area would be acknowledged and addressed in the Cedar-Isles Plan. If the reconassance field trips to assess the natural areas somehow missed it, surely the planners would have heard what the local residents told them. This is a problem and it needs to be fixed. "If it ain't working, don't fix it."That seems to be the motto of the Cedar-Isles Plan. Despite local neighbors repeated pleas to not build new things, and first address existing problems and fix what we've got, the latest version of the draft Plan introduced yet another new development project at Cedar Lake's South Beach, now referred to as "FOCUS AREA A". As Mary Pattock writes in the February 2023 Hill and Lake Press, "it was shocking to see that at the last minute Park Board staff added Cedar Lake South Beach as a new 'focus area' with the new proposed amenities." This Focus Area was not a part of the "preferred design concept" last presented to the public in June 2023. The Plan ignores elements of an existing plan and adds new amenities never reviewed. Regrettably, this seems to be the most consistent theme of the draft Cedar-Isles Plan. Build more stuff. Overlook what needs fixing. It's what happens when there isn't a strategic framework to help to set priorities address needs before niceties. It will continue to happen unless the Plan is amended to include language that explicitly states needs and priorities. The public still has until Friday to comment on the Plan. Here's the link.
My pup Ted, a year ago helping with moral support of Buckthorn removal What does the dog photo have to do with biking in the woods? Nothing. I just couldn't capture of the guy on his BMX e-bike on Cedar Lake Point Beach Ridge Trail last month. An electric BMX bike? Really?
But I do want to discuss biking in the woods. To begin, I enjoy biking. I would like to call myself a biker, but I always feel like would come off like I'm a poser. Okay, I am a poser. I just don't want to be a friggin' poster. So I try to stay in my lane. But my road bikes (one of which is attached to a Zwift trainer), my commuter bike (that right now is rigged with a studded rear tire), and my fat bikes (one with studs, the other without), and that my next vacation is a bike trip, might classify me as one who likes biking. And I've got a lot of friends who bike. So I've been thinking about and having conversations with my biking friends bout what they think about the proposed bike lane though East Cedar Woods. Cost-Benefit Analysis After all the previous consideration of the "costs" of adding of a new two-way soft surface bike trail to East Cedar Woods, I spent some time contemplating the "benefits". Who benefits, and what are the benefits? Mountain and Fat Biking: No Value My mountain biking friends, who also include fat bikers, and including a friend of a friend who who sits on the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC) board of directors confirmed what I expected. Mountain bikers do not value this area for mountain biking and either know little about this proposed plan nor would they see it something to advocate for. The bike path is so short and non-technical that it offers zero value as a mountain bike trail. Most all mountain bikers who are traveling from south Minneapolis to bike Wirth Trails commute via West Cedar Lake Parkway. Those who live in Kenwood or East Isles use the Cedar Lake Regional Trail. If anything, the pedestrian trails inside the woods are fun to ride. But mountain and fat bikers I know do this with a sense of hesitation. There are one or maybe two No Biking signs posted. But it's not so lear, so there's always a sense of gently riding though with a "let's just get along" and as a biker, I will yield to pedestrians. "There's too many people walking dogs in that area," explained one mountain biker. As a mountain biker and a dog walker (see photo above), I totally agree. If the area was more clearly established and communicated as no biking, such as the woods surrounding Eloise Butler Gardens, I expect responsible bikers would respect and even help communicate these off limits for the sake of getting along. But establishing a trail through the woods creates confusion of what is allowed and what is not, and it's inevitable that those following the formal path with stray into the pedestrian trails, out of curiously and sense exploration. Road Biking: No Value Obviously, the area has no value for road bikers. The regional trails, especially once fully re-opened after LRT construction might be completed, and parkways are primary conduits to accessing the exurban rural roads and bike paths. Street Biking/Commuting: A 1 to 2 Minute Joy Ride That leaves us with street bikers, including commuters. This is a bike contingency that has been replacing car lanes with bike lanes throughout the metro. It's confusing for me to see their plans resulting in plowing down of hundreds of trees, again justified as a way to save the environment. As a bike commuter, I am saddened by the hardline of removing on street parking that hurts street front businesses. I have never experienced more anger from car drivers than now after biking streets for more than 60 years. But this issues is not about street lanes. It's about a two-lane soft surface bike path through a wooded section that has been worked for decades, trying to protect and nurture nature. And for what benefits? The best I can assess is that this bike path is for street bikers is for a joy ride, with is maybe 0.3 miles in length delivers about one- or if your riding really slowly two-minute of recreational biking. This path provides no tangible circulation benefit to street bikers or commuters. There's already a paved Kenilworth Connector Trail within eyesight of this wooded path. This path does not make it safer to go between 21st Street and the Cedar Lake Regional Trail. If I wanted to use the Light Rail to access the area, ride another 0.3 miles to the next stop and cross over there. This path sanctions the area and invites more bikers to infiltrate the woods. Few bikers use this area, but even at its low volume is still very disruptive to the natural environment. What can you do? Please provide your input to the Cedar-Isles Plan by March 10th. This whole process of being in the woods clearing Buckthorn for the past few years to now being actively engaged with trying to learn and do my best to offer constructive feedback to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Cedar-Isles Plan really has taken me down rabbit holes. There's a lot of conflict of thoughts, perspectives, and actions. Are we going to plan parks that are egocentric, built for people who see natural areas as something utilitarian, something we dominate and use? Or do we plan with an ecocentric mindset, where we see ourselves as a member of nature where we're taking care of one another? More and more research is getting published that seems to state the what we've long believed, that humans' time in and with nature is healthy for us. But there still seems to be misunderstanding of what being in and with nature really is. An issue at debate in the Cedar-Isles Plan illustrates this foggy mindset. On page 132, planners drew a dotted line through East Cedar Woods. This is right through where in 1997, the Park Board's Plan envisioned a natural area in 20 years. The Year 1997 + 20 Years = Year 2017's Vision And, the 1997 Plan illustrated how a spiral of trees were being planted and maintained, mostly by volunteers of the Cedar Lake Park Association, where it was said, "Our vision for Cedar Lake Park is to restore the lands and waters and create a new Community with Nature through which we can transform ourselves, our city, and our society. Our Goal for Cedar Lake Park is to bring people and nature together in harmonious community... a goal symbolized by the spiral. " Wait. I think I just went down a rabbit hole. That one was about remembering history. So in addition to historical plans for the area that are not being honored in the present plan, what I meant to discuss was, how do we differentiate the different values of natural areas? Much of what I've thought about in trying to protect nature has been either to protect nature for its ecological-centered philosophy. For me, an ecological versus egological mindset sets very well for me. But even for those who believe that man is above nature, there's a choice of how we use natural areas. Some refer to preference a for "silent sports". But where is the line between "play" and "recreation" (aka: re-creation)? So much of today's recreation lacks play, and is instead structured and focused, even when experienced in natural areas. It would be hard to demonstrate that time spent in structured sports fully taps the benefits natural areas actually offers. This week, I happened upon an article, The Difference Between 'Hard and 'Soft' Fascination, and Why It Matters by Markham Heid that brought perspective and clarification to this mind-buster. It offers a sound rationale of why we should continue to protect the natural area in the East Cedar Woods and an argument to prohibit biking in the area including a soft-surface two-way bike path that rips through the area's heart. The article explains "one type depletes your attention (and maybe your health), while the other restores it." There is a literal "cost" to paying attention. Most of our waking over-stimulated moments of the day are bombarded with demands for us to pay attention. Even our over-programmed sports and recreations might be an escape from the day, but they leave little for the brain to randomly roam and daydream. Spending too much time paying attention without time for restorations has costs; emotional stress, depression, and damage to our health. Even when we give our brains a short break, we are helping to restore ourselves. “Simple elements in nature, such as wind blowing through leaves or ripples of water traveling across a pond, are classic examples of soft fascination. “These leave you with plenty of space for reflection.” But why not protect natural areas like East Cedar Woods, not just for the trees, birds, critters and whole ecosystem, but also for ourselves, as a place to mindlessly meander through the woods, regenerating our minds, hearts and souls in this wonderful natural area that's been planned and continued to be restored for the past many many years.
I was raised to not complain. "Be thankful for what you've got. There are people starving in Africa." was the common response I sternly received as a kid if I questioned anything that seemed wrong. It left me without a voice to express myself for a long time. I found myself focused on trying to define problems in an objective way. My graduate degree in Social Work specialized in research. As such, I managed plenty of "Needs Assessment" projects in those early days. But my desire to find ways to activate what was quantified was unfulfilled, so I also included planning as a specialty area in the MSW. But social work research and planning seemed to go only so far, so I added a graduate degree in City and Regional Planning, where my college's program was much heavy on economics, and my work for years were in market studies for neighborhoods, cities, regions, and states. But if I could only count the number of times that the "objective" market studies I helped author recommended one direction, only to followed up in the political interests to go another direction. So I've tuned to storytelling. So if a picture tells a thousand words, and if I can edit down what I write to let some photo do much of the heavy lifting. All of these photos were created yesterday on a short walk around part of Cedar Lake. They disparingly reflect a state of disrepair, and dangerous neglect. An un-emptied trash can full of dog waste; the public is doing their part to pick up after themselves, but the Park Board is not. A severely decayed landscaped stairway with rotten timers and exposed nails. Rotted fence posts without the original chain fencing that was put there I believe to keep cars that slide off the road downtime steep bank from going into the lake. None of these maintenance or need of repair items or issues were mentioned in the MPRB draft of the Cedar-Isles Plan. When the public raised these concerns, they were told that's not a part of planning. That's another department. Another budget. Another management silo. This morning before sunrise, I created this image. Darned iPhones add light where there barely is any. What it doesn't show are any streetlights. Everywhere else along Cedar Lake Parkway has streetlights working. There are light posts in this area, but for some reason, the lights have not been working, for several weeks now. Nothing to see here. The Cedar-Isles Plan is written to look at shiny new things before it takes care of what we've got. What have we got? We've got nature. But the voice of nature is fainter and its breadth shallower as we neglect the threat of Buckthorn and invasive species that are literally choking the life out of trees, plants, wildlife, and biodiversity. And we've got stuff that needs to be repaired, replaced, and cared for. The public repeated many times (sometimes "loudly" as the park plan states) in public feedback sessions and mechanisms that the two priorities of the plan should be "take care of the environment, and take care of what we've got." But did the planners listen? Or do they believe they know better?
In response to sending out the last blog post, I received an email from a community member who said, "I gave the natural areas and water quality as my highest priority topic, multiple times and in person one time for the Cedar-Isles Plan. Over the year when I'd get updates it seemed like the process would get hijacked by special interest (biking mainly) and new plans would be presented with things that had not been previously presented. . . . Unfortunately I got worn out and felt like even when I tried giving feedback it was not given the same weight as other if it didn't match what the planners wanted to hear." I don't want to or like trash talking. "No bitch without a pitch" was a saying I learned at some point in my life. And I genuinely believe most people are good and well intended. But it seems important to take note that the planning process that resulted in this plan possesses implicit biases:
Lacking a strategic approach or framework onto which planners could objectively hang all of the needs, wants, and desires of the public, bias carried forward design solutions that were within the frame of planners' comfort; what they have learned and performed in the past. My understanding is that the planners on staff have limited experience, knowledge and perhaps interest in the natural environment. I learned that after the project started and issues of the natural environment were repeatedly raised, that the Park Board actually needed to add a couple hundred thousand dollars to the planning process to bring in an ecologically qualified consultant. And the planning process, by design, is designed to chase project funding dollars. I have also heard feedback about the idea to establish a hierarchy of needs and priorities to not be a part of past plans. That new idea might be uncomfortable. But let's be clear. Nature is not being adequately represented in the plan, no matter how many are trying to voice this urgent need. And we're just going to end up with a plan that chases special interests and funding. Please don't pass up this last chance to make it known your wishes. Complete the MPRB's draft Cedar Isles Plan survey, and if you're up to it, contact your Park Board Commissioner. For me, I'm providing my feedback in general and specific to details, and as productively and positively as possible. No trash talk there. "You attract more flies with honey and with vinegar." Thanks to MPRB Natural Resources staff, we got to get some of the brush and root masses burned almost two weeks ago. I tried the best I could to advocate for a public event so we could enjoy seeing the waste transform from Buck to Dust, but my forestry friends tamped down that flame and said something reasonable like, let's just keep this chill until after we're done. Safer. I agreed, but must admit as witnessing it, I was singing to myself, "Burn baby burn/Buckthorn inferno/ Burn baby burn." The main purpose of burning was to address the volume of cuttings that the natural resources staff acknowledged was well well beyond what the area needed in terms of creating a supportive protective habitat for critters. But more importantly, it was really the only way we could get rid of root masses. Root masses are more than root balls when they are attached to Buckthorn tree trunks that measure more than 2 - 3" in diameter. We burned some. There's still much more hidden behind fencing made of Buckthorn limbs. sThe brush pile took little effort to light, having some of the trimmings being more than a couple year since originally cut from trees measuring 20 to 30 feet tall. It's hard for me to hear planners refer to thick Buckthorn groves as "understory". At some point after they kill the native trees, the "under-story" becomes the "over-story." And eventually, it's become "the-story" when it decimates the habitat and blocks the growth of other plants, and wildlife habitats. After the burn, all that remained was a pile of dust, ashes mixed in with the snow. It's like those nasties never existed. But one thing I've learned. Humans brought Buckthorn to our parks. Humans must remove it. Our natural resource staff is becoming resourceful to help volunteers to restore natural areas. One of the staff members was encouraging, saying he had some new seeding monies set aside for this area for the coming season. Awesome. To this point, all the new seedings and plantings has been from private money raised by the Cedar Lake Park Association. In my involvement reviewing the Cedar-Isles Plan, its been truly upsetting to read any sense of urgency expressed by planners to address our most immediate and urgent needs to restore natural areas. I shared this concern with one of the natural resources field staff members as we watched the fire burn. He enthusiastically reminded me that his was a new position. I replied, "Great! But we need something like 20 more of you!" This emerges reaches far far beyond this little peninsula. With only a few exceptions, Buckthorn can be found in virtually every other wooded parkland in Minneapolis, and beyond. While this silent crisis expands, the Cedar-Isles Plan continues to ring a Park Board passive tone when referencing natural areas management. They act like volunteers are going to take care of it.
No! Before designing and building new things, acknowledge the existing threat. Ring the alarm. If we continue to ignore the predatory cancerous affect of Buckthorn, our native species and ecological habitats will soon become nothing but dust. Trees are falling in our park forest. Are we around to hear it? The final draft of the Cedar-Isles Plan is now in the last stage of public feedback. Chapter 3 is 28 pages long, describing the nearly three-year process of community engagement. I attended several of the public meetings and served on the Citizen's Advisory Committee's Land Management Subcomittee where we authored and submitted the Natural Resources content in section 5.3 Project-wide Guidance (pages 113-119 in the draft Plan). This guidance was submitted in tandem with Water Quality Subcommittee content (pages 108-112). Along with this content, the public repeatedly voiced concerns about the declining health of our natural environments, diminishing biodiversity, suffering and loss of native trees and wildlife, and the decimation caused by too many years of park board neglect and mismanagement. It was like the park board forgot about its central mission, to protect the natural resources. When the last draft of the Cedar-Isles was published for final public comment, I scoured the more than 200 pages of the report to find where the Plan addressed what was repeated stated as priorities. First, protect the natural environment which includes both water quality and natural land areas, and second, fix what we've got before adding more developments. I was disappointed. Not only did the plan fail to clearly establish priorities based on a strategy as a part of its guidance, it didn't even acknowledge and describe problems and urgent threats. It lays out on a flat plane, a virtual anthology of capital improvement wishes, and then some more that at least I never saw in previous plans for public review. I realize I'm guilty of possessing a relatively zeroed in focus on what seems like an obvious need to set priorities based on the past years working to remove Buckthorn from Cedar Lake Point Beach. The problem and the threat is staring us in the face. The falling trees are talking to us. Will we listen? The first step is to acknowledge the problem. There is little in this Plan that says it is hearing the voices who are saying we have a critical problem. The draft Plan does little to call out the critical and urgent issue that invasive species are destroying our natural areas. It strays away from dangerous language, so far as to label unmanaged, neglected areas as "wildness." Labeling unkept, unmanaged, and areas that are being lost to the infestation of Buckthorn and other invasives as "wildness" sounds like a message spin. To those insensitive or unaware of the threat, it's like referring to the fox in the hen house as "cute". As written in the final draft of the Cedar-Isles Plan, those priorities are not clearly stated in the vision section, and they are vaguely decipherable in the Implementation section. Lacking a sense of alarm that natural areas are suffering and dying, nor a strategic framework that explicitly positions natural areas as the foundation of our park system, projects that follow in implementation will be scheduled not based on priority of need, but more likely determined by funding availability and/or political will. The second step is for the Park Board to assume its role to protect nature For too long, the Park Board has been passive in addressing the needs of nature. In this Plan, the impact of volunteers is noted and appreciated. But in some cases, the Plan suggests areas are being cared for by volunteers, when in reality they are not. The problem is too big. It is expanding too fast. We are loosing the battle. The Park Board needs to both assume a stronger leadership role and dedication of resources and help support a volunteers corps that is already doing a lot. Join the voice that speaks for nature: Endorse the Proposed Amendment Lacking a resounding voice that speaks of these issues in the draft of the Cedar-Isles Plan, a small group of volunteers, mostly those who are doing the work of restoring natural areas throughout the city, have been working fast and furiously to draft a proposed amendment to the planning document. We are asking for you to consider supporting this amendment during this short period that closes March 10th, 2023. It reads as follows: Proposed Amendment to Chapter 5, Project Guidance, section 5.3, to be added after page 138 in the draft Plan Prioritization Guidance Previous pages in this section contain guidance for understanding and implementing various types of potential enhancements to the project area, including water quality, natural resources, access and circulation, accessibility, safety, interpretation, historical and cultural resources, and programming and amenities. Each of these various aspects of park management can contribute to a richer and more inclusive and satisfying experience for diverse park visitors. This section explains how these potentially competing choices and recommendations will be prioritized to ensure success in achieving the Plan’s vision based on community input and in alignment with the Park Board’s central mission to permanently preserve, protect, maintain, improve, and enhance our natural resources for current and future generations of people, plants and wildlife. Guidance for prioritizing recommendations is essential to a realistic and workable plan. Effective plans offer a strategic analysis and framework in which existing and future needs, wants and desires can be evaluated and addressed. Without an explicit hierarchy of needs and priorities, implementation options will mistakenly appear as of equal value and importance, resulting in arbitrary decisions about what’s most important, based on temporal and/or political considerations such as availability of funding and or the most visible or well-connected advocates. A strategic approach prioritizes recommendations in order to best achieve the overall vision and goals. Climate Change Looms Scientific research and direct observation and experience show that climate change and declining biodiversity are dramatically affecting and threatening the health and survival of our parks, our city, and life on our planet. Our “Parks for All” Comprehensive Plan acknowledges that the global climate crisis looms over everything: “Climate change is a defining challenge for both current and future generations. …The Minneapolis Park System will have to deal with a myriad of impacts ranging from public health to invasive species as greenhouse gases continue to build in our atmosphere. This severity of climate change in both depth and breadth of impacts will touch every person in Minneapolis and every aspect of MPRB operations, from recreation offerings to basic infrastructure maintenance.” Our Ecological Systems Plan also recognizes the ecological changes happening as a result of intensifying global climate change. “In view of these changes, the work that MPRB does through planning and implementation to protect water, air, land, and life in the parks will help to sustain park resources for generations to come.” Our Natural Areas Plan advises us to “bring an ecosystem perspective into all land and water management” that will replicate the ecological structures and processes that enable ecosystems to adapt to changing conditions. Natural Resources Sustain Our Park System Healthy natural resources sustain ecosystems that make possible the array of physical, social, emotional and spiritual benefits visitors enjoy and expect, including all forms of recreation in these parks. Toward fulfillment of our mission and plans, and in the context of the deepening crises of climate change and declining biodiversity, the Cedar-Isles Plan will prioritize park improvements based on the most urgent and universal imperative: to protect our natural resources in order to sustain ecological function and biodiversity. Repeatedly and throughout this planning process, in forums and feedback, the public expressed the need to protect our natural resources first and foremost, including the lakes and the land. The Community Advisory Committee unanimously concluded that the most important topic to address in this Plan is water quality. The Plan’s vision, established by consensus after extensive community engagement and discussion, confirms the necessity to prioritize the ecosystem: “Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake, as part of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, contribute to a vital, urban natural ecosystem with unique experiences that protect, connect, and sustain people, wildlife, and natural resources, while maintaining the health of the lakes.” Prioritizing water quality and a healthy natural ecosystem aligns with the guidance described in this plan’s Section 2.2 Indigenous Legacy, that historical and cultural landscapes are to shape philosophical and incremental design concepts (page 17): “In the beginning, the water—Mni—was pure, part of the land, and therefore part of the people. It was the first medicine given to our people because water keeps everything alive. Water that comes from within the earth is pure and as such is considered wakan or sacred.” Prioritizing Natural Resources as the Foundation The Cedar-Isles Plan’s top priority is to protect the health and sustainability of natural resources in the project area (lakes, shorelines and surrounding lands, and wildlife) for current and future generations. Establishing this priority does not change the recommendations in Chapter 5, but rather provides a framework in which to evaluate and prioritize those recommendations in order to best achieve the overall vision and goals consistent with the Park Board’s mission. Consistent with the Park Board’s mission and with community engagement and CAC decisions during this planning process, we will evaluate and implement recommendations in this plan based on this priority.
What you can do: Please complete the survey at this link now. 1) For question 1: Choose “Project Area as a Whole." 2) For question 2: Choose “Multiple or Other Topics.” 3) For question 3: Enter a comment urging an amendment to the draft Plan to prioritize the health of our natural resources first and foremost. Some key talking points you can make (preferably in your own words):
4) For question 4: Enter additional comments that you want to make. For example, please comment that the proposed bike path in the Cedar Woods should be removed from the plan. For numerous reasons, the best use of this woods is for nature-based recreation undisturbed by active sports such as mountain biking:
Also, see page 10 in Hill & Lake Press article about this.
How many times have we heard in a song, read in a book, or seen in a photo, the idea that wintertime is a time of quiet, rest, or solitude? There's a sense that wintertime is when we're supposed to hunker down, become less mobile, conserve ourselves for survival. But I've learned that sowing seeds in the winter doesn't mean that they are hibernating like a grizzly bear whose heart beat drops to about 8 to 10 beats per minute. Seeds in the winter are actually active, preparing themselves for spring germination.
It's like that with ecological restoration too. There are things happening during these coldest days and nights of winter that will bear fruits at harvest time. There are two areas of work being done now that will affect Cedar Lake Park and beyond. Outside, we've got scheduled a licensed, official burn of Buckthorn brush in the ready. Working with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Natural Resources team, we've coordinated the burning of stacks and stacks of brush, tree tops, branches, and root masses. I sure love a good fire, and what joy it will be to see Buckthorn as the fuel for the flames, transforming these noxious invasives to a pile of dust. For safety reasons, I can't be specific or public about when the burn will happen, but will be happy to post some photos after that takes place. It will be great to clear several junky looking piles from our site. The second area of work on these cold days is happening in the warm indoors, most often at my desk but with a window facing a great southwestern exposure where I get so absorbed that it feels like the sun passes across the sky as fast as a bird. That work is reviewing and preparing response to the MPRB Cedar-Isles Plan (formerly known as "Cedar Isles Master Plan"). It's a general plan that scopes out "how the parkland within the project area is operated, maintained, and improved for the next 20 to 30 years. It includes plans for all facilities, including the roadway along the lakes." We are within the 45-day final public review period. If you are interested, here is a where you can submit your thoughts which also includes a link to the draft Plan. It was an extensive two-plus year process, of which I attended several public meetings in the second year. I kept reading and reading the details of the plan. There's really a lot in the plan. But something kept tugging at me. An uneasiness. I knew so much time and effort had gone into this, but as one of many volunteers who puts a lot of practice time into ecological restoration, I couldn't help but step back and prepare some overall thoughts and concerns about what the final draft of the Plan said, and just importantly what it did not say. These are mostly more high level strategic thoughts about frameworks and constructs that may be helpful for tactical decisions today and beyond. I'm still working on feedback on some of the plan's detailed designs. But frankly, some of those detail design issues are lacking adequate context and strategy. I'll share those thoughts in posts on this blog in short order. But I'm still fleshing things out. So this is just a head's up. Additionally, I received a notice from the MPRB about my need to submit next year's application to become Park Steward. So that will give me some more time to think through activities to plan to continue restoring Cedar Lake Point Beach's ecology. I'm trying to be more community building and inviting for others to join in. But honestly, part of the joy of this volunteer work is just in the doing. Not the planning. Not the scheduling. Not the coordinating. Just the doing; when the weather is right, when my time is free, and when I'm drawn to the joy of being in the woods interacting with nature. That is not to say I wouldn't enjoy others company, or that other are not welcome to do some of that too. So please reach out to me specifically if you want to get your hands dirty too! Thanks for reading. Comments welcome. Thanks, Steve 2022 kind of blew by like a snowdrift in a winter storm. What was once there and seemed like a barrier to getting somewhere disappeared, only to reappear somewhere else. Those appearances and reappearances are sometimes real and tangible. And sometimes they are just what's in your mind. There's great satisfaction in all of the buckthorn that was shucked, plucked and chucked at Cedar Lake Point Beach this year. But after walking around Cedar this morning, I stopped and visited with a guy taking photos of the morning's hoarfrost and nature and our role as humans in our environment, we stood amidst the thickest and most mature of buckthorn forests at the north east shoreline of the lake.
It connected me with the sense of delight in being reminded of our Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner reporting in her newsletter about securing the $67,062 in SWLRT easement fees for natural resources projects at Cedar Lake. The funds can be used for habitat restorations after buckthorn removal. And those funds can go a long way. But standing it the literal thick of it, surrounded by a dense forest of buckthorn, how I wish some resources might be able to be used to get the first step of work started, eradicating buckthorn all the way around Cedar Lake. I'll spare the effort of going through a "best of" citing of events or memories from 2022. My memory doesn't work well enough to compile such a list. But to me, the concept of biodiversity just keeps getting repeated in practically everything I see and think about from 2022. Last week's The New York Times Magazine article "Post-Normal" by David Wallace-Wells cited figures that made the problem of human civilization stripping the planet of its biological complexity. Habitat destruction and overexploitation are the primary threats to biodiversity. Vertebrate populations have declined on average by about 69 percent since 1970. As many as a million animal and plant species face the threat of extinction. Some 50 percent of all insect species have died off since 1970. Only 3 percent of global ecosystems remain intact. Our biodiversity is shrinking. But our efforts are helping to grow biodiversity in this small area. Clearing of buckthorn at Cedar Lake Point Beach is a step in the restoration process. Planting new plants and seeds is another step. We did new plantings in two of the three Demonstration Areas. It's important to now protect those planted areas to nurture early growth. I've noticed some footsteps through Demonstration Area C, the about one acre patch between the parking lot and the wooded walking path down the hill to the east. I'm trying to stack some sticks to inform people to not walk through there. I know it doesn't take much time for initial paths become formalized over time. So if you see anyone in that area, please feel welcome to infirm them that this is a protected area that we're hoping to protect even over the winter. (The signs ordered from the Park Board are apparently still in the works.) Thanks for you hep with this. And a heads up. We are hoping to do a burning of brush this winter. Managed by the park board, this will be a great opportunity to clear much of the brush cuttings that have stacked up over the past coupe years of cutting. More on that as it gets scheduled. I think it could be a pretty fun opportunity to the interested to gather. Best wishes to all of you in 2023. A new year, new set of seasons for us to experience, enjoy and embrace nature as a part of our living in city that values wonderful park system whose foundation is a healthy biodiverse natural environment. Seed CapitalHere's a sack of life, native seeds just waiting to touch their home soil and start their process of growth. As it so happens, the best day to do that is on the first snowfall of the winter season. It's that day today, so will get out there and cover the about 3/4th's acre area referred to as Demonstration Area C. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact me (call or text) at 612-385-6407. Likely get out there early afternoon.
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 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. |