Diamond in the rough

Central Park is a “diamond in the rough”. It is a refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Its charm is its’ “wildness”. Where else in the city can I see such a diversity of wildlife in a natural setting?

Maintenance in this park has been neglected for too long. The creek banks are eroding badly in areas and invasives have taken hold everywhere. Between the buckthorn, garlic mustard, honey suckle bushes and Dame’s violet, it’s hard to appreciate the native plants. Removal of these invasive plants will take a very concentrated effort, but must be done before it’s too late. Garlic mustard has had a banner year and is now bearing many seed pods to further its spread. The recently scheduled garlic mustard pull got rained out-so why not schedule another such event? These invasives are not going anywhere on their own. We need a committed community effort in this ongoing battle. And we need to do it NOW while there’s still some native vegetation to encourage biodiversity. There is no easy way out!

I have a vision for Central Park that does not include bikes. There are currently miles and miles of bike trails around the Twin Cities, many of them interconnected. Why spend millions of dollars so bikers have just another 2.5 miles to bike? Bike trails are typically a minimum of 10 feet wide and building of them requires 5 feet on either side, so involves 20 feet of width. A paved bike trail will of necessity eliminate many shade trees. It will be miserable to walk this on a hot summer day. Currently this park is walkable 365 days of the year and it is definitely used for that year round. People of all ages walk it and it is a regular route for many runners and dog walkers. Every dollar spent on a bike trail is a dollar not spent on restoring the park and getting rid of invasive species.