Nine Mile Creek Corridor - Moving Bloomington Forward

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  In Favor of MTB Trails!

  by RE, almost 2 years ago
  In Favor of Mountain Bike Trails!!!

  Think of the younger generations and the progression of this sport. Let’s create a safe place to learn, ride, and enjoy nature!

  In Favor of Mountain Bike Trails!!!

  Think of the younger generations and the progression of this sport. Let’s create a safe place to learn, ride, and enjoy nature!
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  Silent sports

  by Dansondy, almost 2 years ago

  I walk my dog and spend quite a bit of time here, I am also an avid mountain biker. This area would definitely be perfect to experience via mountain bike. The sport is silent so it does not disturb nature or make noises that would disturb hikers and dog walkers. The trail builders do an incredible job to make sure erosion issues are taken care of, they also remove invasive species such as buckthorn. Having these bike trails in this area would be awesome and it is a great idea, it’s a perfect place to enjoy nature and the outdoors.

  I walk my dog and spend quite a bit of time here, I am also an avid mountain biker. This area would definitely be perfect to experience via mountain bike. The sport is silent so it does not disturb nature or make noises that would disturb hikers and dog walkers. The trail builders do an incredible job to make sure erosion issues are taken care of, they also remove invasive species such as buckthorn. Having these bike trails in this area would be awesome and it is a great idea, it’s a perfect place to enjoy nature and the outdoors.
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  Ancient Trails

  by T. Smith, almost 2 years ago
  I grew up in the Village of Bloomington when rainbow trout could be found in the "Crick". The place to be as a young boy. We would be in the woods most every day exploring every nook and cranny of the Crick and forest to the river, there was an amazing amount of wildlife. I was with my buddy Tim when going rock hunting in a big erosion ravine behind the rock bridge on Overlook when we found something odd. Tim showed it to his father who took it to the U of M. Tim got his photo in the... Continue reading

  I grew up in the Village of Bloomington when rainbow trout could be found in the "Crick". The place to be as a young boy. We would be in the woods most every day exploring every nook and cranny of the Crick and forest to the river, there was an amazing amount of wildlife. I was with my buddy Tim when going rock hunting in a big erosion ravine behind the rock bridge on Overlook when we found something odd. Tim showed it to his father who took it to the U of M. Tim got his photo in the Sun newspaper holding a nine-inch copper spearhead dated at 7000 by the U of M. We were ten years old, and this only enhanced our childhood adventures and imaginations. We thought that we discovered this enchanted place, but we were walking on ancient trails of the first native people, respect for Mother Earth is a way of life. My friend and I ventured upstream past Moir Park till it started to look civilized. There was an old man glaring at us walking the Crick with just cut-off jeans on, so we went back to our neck of the woods. I now am the old man mowing that grass in the same yard. This is the furthest I came upstream, and this is where I spawned and have lived on the Crick over 40 years and have witnessed the changes in the downgrade of aquatic life which saddens me. This Crick was and is a special, spiritual place of quiet beauty and should be respected and kept as is for the future children explorers.
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  Serenity

  by Wcwhite, almost 2 years ago
  I have been walking the Nine mile creek corridor for 27 years, with my dogs over the years. To me, it is such a beautiful, peaceful place, the best in the city. There is no other place within miles that is so lovely. There are so many other wonderful places to bike in the city, along with other ways to get to the river, I can’t understand why anyone would want to disrupt this place. It is special. Let’s keep it that way.

  I have been walking the Nine mile creek corridor for 27 years, with my dogs over the years. To me, it is such a beautiful, peaceful place, the best in the city. There is no other place within miles that is so lovely. There are so many other wonderful places to bike in the city, along with other ways to get to the river, I can’t understand why anyone would want to disrupt this place. It is special. Let’s keep it that way.
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  My Thoughts

  by BGW, almost 2 years ago

  My memories of the Nine Mile Creek Corridor extend back to the early 1960s. As a child, I fished and played along the creek with my friends several times a week. We would begin our summer days by 09:00 and we’d leave the Corridor just in time to make it home for dinner. I usually arrived wet and muddy. Often, I smelled of fish, stagnant water, and garter snake musk. In the winter, we routinely followed the creek home afterschool. Walking on the ice was irresistible, especially when it was thin, and my pants were commonly frozen from the knees... Continue reading

  My memories of the Nine Mile Creek Corridor extend back to the early 1960s. As a child, I fished and played along the creek with my friends several times a week. We would begin our summer days by 09:00 and we’d leave the Corridor just in time to make it home for dinner. I usually arrived wet and muddy. Often, I smelled of fish, stagnant water, and garter snake musk. In the winter, we routinely followed the creek home afterschool. Walking on the ice was irresistible, especially when it was thin, and my pants were commonly frozen from the knees down when I got home. Fortunately, my mother believed in the educational value of mud, water, and wildlife. She washed my clothes without complaint, after pulling loose the beggar ticks and stick-tights I had collected. I was still in grade school when I developed my first hypothesis regarding human nature. Boys in a creek will always find water deep enough to over-top their boots by at least 0.5 inches.

  Almost every trip into the Nine Mile Creek Corridor led to something interesting. My friends and I watched flightless ducklings jump from a nest hole thirty feet over our heads. They bounced when they hit the ground, and somehow scrambled away uninjured. We saw fish that could sit almost motionless in fast running water, insects that could skate across the water’s surface, herons that stood in icy water without seeming to get cold, and “bees” that didn’t sting. The Corridor made us ask how and why more times than I can possibly recall. It made us think and it primed our interest in the natural sciences. Of course, when curious minds are fed they expand, and the hunger for knowledge grows accordingly. Mud, water, and wildlife pushed me and my friends into classrooms and books. My enthusiasm for learning might have waned in the sterility of lecture halls and libraries, but I carried those questions from the Corridor with me. Physics lectures held my interest because I learned about terminal velocity, fluid dynamics, and surface tension, and these concepts explained the fate of falling ducklings, the appearance of stationary fish, and the mystery of water striders. I found my physiology textbook fascinating in no small part because counter-current circulation and rete mirabiles described within explained the heron’s tolerance of freezing cold water. I threw myself into the study of evolution because, in addition to so much else, it explained those non-stinging bees. They were not bees at all. They were Batesian mimics. I cannot say what makes a good student, scientist, physician, or engineer, but I know places like the Nine Mile Creek Corridor are important. They breed intellectual curiosity.

  I still regularly visit the Nine Mile Creek Corridor. I’ve noticed that I have more questions than ever before. Many relate to the sciences, but I’m spending more time pondering philosophy. What, I’ve asked myself, are the limits of moral standing? Do all species have a right to live and blossom, as the deep ecologists contend, or is sentience the locus of moral relevancy? The Nine Mile Creek Corridor is, I think, the perfect place to entertain such questions. I can walk peacefully along the Corridor with my mind in the clouds, and when I reach an intellectual impasse, I can stop to watch the rushing water, listen to the birds, and let nature cleanse my cognitive palate.

  
  

  There are very few places in the Twin Cities that are as peaceful, beautiful, and biologically-rich as the Nine Mile Creek Corridor. It remains a quiet place where curious children can explore and adults can lose their minds in thought. This will all change if bicycle trails are constructed within its narrow walls. They’ll erode the beauty and diversity of the Corridor, eliminate wildlife, and put those distracted by their thoughts at risk.
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  Paradise in the Twin Cities

  by CAW, almost 2 years ago

  I was first introduced to the Bloomington Nine Mile Creek area in the 1970’s when I started dating my now current husband. We had just taken an ornithology class together and no better place to practice our birdwatching skills than along Nine Mile Creek. I was amazed at how natural, wild, and unspoiled the area was and that such a place could exist in the Twin Cities. It was so quiet along the creek that I could hear the water running over the rocks and the insects buzzing in the air. The creek easily won me over that day with... Continue reading

  I was first introduced to the Bloomington Nine Mile Creek area in the 1970’s when I started dating my now current husband. We had just taken an ornithology class together and no better place to practice our birdwatching skills than along Nine Mile Creek. I was amazed at how natural, wild, and unspoiled the area was and that such a place could exist in the Twin Cities. It was so quiet along the creek that I could hear the water running over the rocks and the insects buzzing in the air. The creek easily won me over that day with its natural beauty and serenity and, as an avid dog walker, bird watcher, wildlife photographer, and nature enthusiast, I have continued to enjoy the Nine Mile Creek area for more than 40 years. You can find me along the creek in the springtime with my binoculars looking for migrating warblers, vireos, and kinglets, or searching for emerging plants such as skunk cabbage, marsh marigolds, and Jack-in-the-Pulpit. On the path, I am always on the look-out for garter, fox, and red-bellied snakes. Standing on the bridges over the creek, you’ll see me searching for creek chubs, sunfish, mink, and beaver. My progress through the creek area is slow as I spend a lot of time stopping, listening, and looking.

  When my kids were young, we did a lot of exploring along the creek. I have a favorite picture of my son sitting and playing in Nine Mile Creek. I fondly remember playing “explorer” with our kids using our walkie-talkies to keep in touch as they adventured on the lower creek trail and my husband and I kept an eye on them from the upper trail. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, if the weather was good, our family tradition was to walk along the creek after a big holiday meal. Although my children have grown up and I’m in a different stage of my life, I still love walking along the creek, identifying plants, animals, and insects with my husband, daughter, and our three dogs. This past weekend, we took my two-month old grandson (our first one!) on a stroller ride along the creek, and plan on many more trips along the creek with him. Thanks to this beautiful, natural area, my entire family has a deeper appreciation and love for nature.

  Although there are other trails in Bloomington, I choose the Nine Mile Creek trail because it is quiet, peaceful, shaded and I don’t have to worry about bike traffic on the path. When I walk shared-use trails, I constantly have to stop what I am doing to move out of the way for bikes. Sometimes, I can’t hear the bikes coming (bad hearing) and am startled when they zoom by me without warning. At my age, I worry about falling and breaking a bone and don’t feel safe on paths where bikes are coming at 10-15 mph, or even faster.

  I’m not sure which former city officials had the foresight to set aside and preserve the Nine Mile Creek area, but they were very wise and I hope that current and future city officials have this same foresight so that we can continue to preserve and enjoy this natural, quiet, and beautiful area.
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  Central Park - A Peaceful Inner-City Sanctuary

  by John Graves, almost 2 years ago

  I moved to Bloomington two years ago and walked the Nine Mile Creek corridor (Central Park) for the first time last year. I entered the park at the 106th Street entrance and as I walked down the shaded inclined path, I immediately felt that this inner-city park had something special to offer. That something is a peace of mind that allows me to leave the rest of the world behind and focus on the natural beauty that the park has to offer. As I walk the narrow valley path I feel enveloped by the trees that are so close to... Continue reading

  I moved to Bloomington two years ago and walked the Nine Mile Creek corridor (Central Park) for the first time last year. I entered the park at the 106th Street entrance and as I walked down the shaded inclined path, I immediately felt that this inner-city park had something special to offer. That something is a peace of mind that allows me to leave the rest of the world behind and focus on the natural beauty that the park has to offer. As I walk the narrow valley path I feel enveloped by the trees that are so close to it while enjoying their shade. The peacefulness of the park allows me to enjoy the songs of birds and the sound of the stream as it flows. The bridges were beautifully designed and the meandering stream is a lesson in earth science. In many ways, Central Park is my sanctuary in this complicated world.

  That sanctuary may be threatened though as I am hearing rumblings that a bike path may be added to the walking path or placed somewhere else within the park. I can't begin to imagine the level of destruction that would have to take place to accommodate bikes in the park as the current path would have to be widened and much of it straightened if dual purpose walk/ride. There are areas where the current path is bounded by the stream and a hillside. How much of that hillside would have to be destroyed to widen the path to accommodate bikes and then be further desecrated with the placement of a retaining wall. The addition of bikes would no longer allow me to let my two year old granddaughter walk ahead to explore the park as her safety would be in jeopardy. People that currently walk their dogs would no longer be able to relax as they would have to constantly be vigilant for bikes on the path. I can see eliminating invasive species, rebuilding stairs, making areas of the park ADA compliant but the addition of a bike trail would ruin the refuge I seek and enjoy.
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  Serenity in the City

  by esiew, almost 2 years ago

  In times of stress I find my escape on the walking trails of Moir/Central Park. The relaxing sound of a creek, little voices playing in the distance, a dog finding new scents and the delight of spotting our wildlife neighbors. I choose these trails because it's peaceful, slow paced and an escape from the hustle of the city. I feel safe here and am allowed a space to breathe in all that is good from Mother Nature. Please preserve and protect a centrally located park for both the earth and humans who prefer a slower pace to life.

  I used... Continue reading

  In times of stress I find my escape on the walking trails of Moir/Central Park. The relaxing sound of a creek, little voices playing in the distance, a dog finding new scents and the delight of spotting our wildlife neighbors. I choose these trails because it's peaceful, slow paced and an escape from the hustle of the city. I feel safe here and am allowed a space to breathe in all that is good from Mother Nature. Please preserve and protect a centrally located park for both the earth and humans who prefer a slower pace to life.

  I used to find my solace along the river bottom trails but the zipping bikes scare me along the hills and have kept me away.
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  Bloomington Treasure

  by Laura Pasternacki, almost 2 years ago
  For 30 years our family has been fortunate to live just steps away from an entrance trail to Nine Mile Creek. It has been a gift to have such a peaceful and natural trail to walk on. Our son played on the banks of the creek on hot summer days as we escaped down to the cool shade for relief. The garter snakes that appear early spring were a favorite for he and his friends. There are such a variety of birds, as well as owls, beavers, deer, ducks and fish swimming in the creek. Sometimes a fox or a... Continue reading

  For 30 years our family has been fortunate to live just steps away from an entrance trail to Nine Mile Creek. It has been a gift to have such a peaceful and natural trail to walk on. Our son played on the banks of the creek on hot summer days as we escaped down to the cool shade for relief. The garter snakes that appear early spring were a favorite for he and his friends. There are such a variety of birds, as well as owls, beavers, deer, ducks and fish swimming in the creek. Sometimes a fox or a coyote. We love bringing family and friends from out of town down to the creek. People are in awe of how it feels like an instant escape from city life.

  
  

  We always feel safe walking the nine mile corridor trail. Friendly walkers. Some with dogs, and or children . But everyone is enjoying being in nature and the winding creek trails.

  It's understandable improvements and updates are needed, but hopefully not at the expense of major ecological damage and destroying habitat for wildlife. Moir Park is a fantastic area and updates there would be beneficial.

  I love to ride my E-bike and easily access the river trails from Lyndale Ave. Bikes and pedestrians near each other don't mix well so I would not use a bike trail through the corridor. The trail/off road/ mountain bikers I run into down at the MN river are enthusiastic bikers and generally ride quite fast.

  Regardless of referendums and available funds, I hope Bloomington will be very thoughtful about forever altering one of Bloomington's best natural outdoor spaces.
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  A Walk On Nine Mile Creek (In January)

  by John Arthur, almost 2 years ago
  

  A Winter Walk to the Mouth of Nine Mile Creek

  On Saturday, January 24, 2004, Pamela Deerwood and I went for a walk along Nine Mile Creek. We started at the entry off Morgan Rd. just south of 106^th St. near a church. A light snow had fallen on Friday, so we knew that any tracks we observed were fairly fresh.

  Rather than walk to the creek right away, we followed a trail that stays near the top of the hill to a Goat Prairie when we see Pasque Flowers in the spring. We found Thimble Weed, Hoary Vervain... Continue reading

  A Winter Walk to the Mouth of Nine Mile Creek

  On Saturday, January 24, 2004, Pamela Deerwood and I went for a walk along Nine Mile Creek. We started at the entry off Morgan Rd. just south of 106^th St. near a church. A light snow had fallen on Friday, so we knew that any tracks we observed were fairly fresh.

  Rather than walk to the creek right away, we followed a trail that stays near the top of the hill to a Goat Prairie when we see Pasque Flowers in the spring. We found Thimble Weed, Hoary Vervain and Lead Plant remnants still standing. We looked for some of the Gramma Grass stalks, but they had been broken down by the winter and were not to be found.

  Then we backtracked to a set of wooden steps that runs down the hill to the creek. The place is a sliding spot enjoyed by many for its long run through the woods. Someone had left a green plastic sled that we thought about riding, but let our good sense and a wish for no injuries guide our judgment to not take a ride.

  The trail leading down to the creek was a bit slippery at times and we could see the extended tracks in the snow where others had slipped. Our tracks also showed the occasional extension where we took longer steps than expected.

  On our descent into the valley, we were watched by a towering tree snag with features that looked very much like a Polynesian Tiki Spirit. The spirits must have been with us as the sun was shining, the temperature was above zero and the wind was light.

  At the bottom, we found more native plants in their winter state. The Tall Coneflower seed heads stood taller than our heads. The Echinacea seed head we found was either a Purpurea or a Pallida, since we were only out for an fun winter walk, it didn’t matter.

  We heard the voices of White-breasted Nuthatches and Black-capped Chickadees calling. Woodpeckers could also be heard tapping on surrounding trees announcing their presence.

  A short distance from the last bridge where the trail splits to either go up the hill or go to the river, there is a marvelous hollow Silver Maple tree that tree-huggers would appreciate by stepping inside, and having the tree hug the hugger.

  After reaching the river and not wanting to turn around and head back, we decided to follow the river trail to the mouth of Nine Mile Creek. This is a long flat trail frequented by joggers, doggers and the rare but not uncommon mountain biker.

  On we walked, both on and to the side of the creek. We were delighted by the sound of a Red-tailed Hawk that flew over our heads on its way up to the bluff. Looking back, I wonder if we had

  interrupted its feeding when we reached a beaver dam. Climbing over the dam, we found tracks of a mouse or vole that ended abruptly with wing feather marks in the snow. Was the story of the Red-tailed Hawk filled in by this discovery, or were we seeing last night’s owl breakfast?

  After speculating about the tracks for a while, we continued our journey. We started walking away from the creek through the woods to reach the trail back to the top.

  It was a long walk, but the experience was worth every step.