Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Progress at Riverside Park

Ecologist Carolyn Carr has been hard at work writing a management plan for Riverside Park in Minneapolis. At a March 1 meeting, she presented this plan to the West Bank Community Council and representatives of other stakeholder groups, including the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and Friends of the Mississippi River. The plan includes a detailed look at the fascinating history of this park, and how its many uses over the years have contributed to the ecological challenges facing it now.

The WBCC voted to approve the plan, paving the way for concentrated restoration efforts to begin, with the help of MPRB crews and community volunteers. FMR will be coordinating volunteer restoration efforts, beginning with a garlic mustard and buckthorn removal event this spring, and continuing with a planting event in the fall. (Watch our upcoming events page for more information on how to get involved.) We are very excited to apply the energy and talents of our amazing volunteers to another site in the river gorge, and to help improve the ecological health, quality of habitat, and aesthetic beauty of this significant Minneapolis park!


Photo Copyright Regents of the University of Minnesota. Used with permission of the Metropolitan Design Center.