Bush Lake Chapter - Izaak Walton League of America Blog

2025 Year in Review

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 23:57:20 GMT

We experienced another successful year at Bush Lake. We extend our sincere appreciation to all members and community volunteers whose contributions made this possible. Below is a summary of our activities, outreach efforts, and programs for the year.

We began the year with a bang by hiring Tony and Denise Brough as our new Chapter caretakers. Tony and Denise succeeded the Erdmanns after their 15 years of service. The Broughs are only the third caretakers in over 25 years. The transition from the Erdmanns to Broughs presented an opportunity to fix up the Caretakers’ cottage. The folks who led hiring the Broughs and improving the cottage will be recognized during our award ceremony.

In January, several Board members attended the Annual IKE Division meeting at the nearby Minnesota Valley Chapter. A highlight of the meeting was when our own Jill Crafton was reelected to a National Director position. During the month, a lot of tree work was done on the Chapter grounds. Special thanks to Tony who hauled multiple wheelbarrows of wood chips to cover our nature trails.

In February we held the annual Wood Duck Days on Normandale Lake and Bush Lake. We have around 40 wood duck houses we monitor and maintain on these two lakes. Join us again this winter after the ice thickens.

The Board’s Strategic Planning session took place in March. Many initiatives are complete, while others still require additional time and funding. Also in March, two Bush Lake Water Quality Input Sessions were conducted by Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. One session was here in our lodge for our members. The other was at Richardson Nature Center for area residents. The takeaway is that Bush Lake is a beautiful resilient lake but not immune to human pressures.

In April, we tabled at the Richardson Nature Center's Spring Scavenger Hunt, where we shared information about our Chapter and promoted the importance of pollinator gardens. On Earth Day, we made Bush Lake a little better by cleaning up trash and litter around the lake. 28 adults and 10 kids participated. As always, we found way too much trash! You can help Bush Lake by picking up litter when you see it, leaving single use plastic at home, and checking the beach and grounds before you leave to make sure you and others leave only footprints. Finally in April, our Chapter became a proud sponsor of the Tod Pod. Tod Pod is a free playgroup for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who are accompanied by caregivers. They are celebrating their 5th birthday party this Saturday, September 20, 9-noon at Moir Park. 150 to 200 children are expected to attend with their families. You are all welcome to join them.

Saturday May 13th was a busy day at the chapter. The day began very early with a migratory bird watch, led by member, Stephanie MacPhail. After that we held our annual Chapter Spring clean-up, new member orientation and potluck. Before we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, a special presentation was done. Vienna Volante was awarded Judge John W. Tobin Chapter Volunteer Appreciation Award. The Tobin is an annual national award recognizing an outstanding member.

In June, we once again partnered with the Bloomington Optimists for the annual Bloomington Kids' Fishing Fair. This is a great event that brings in many kids and families for a fun morning of fishing on Bush Lake. Our focus is not only getting kids outdoors fishing, but also raising awareness and getting people to '"Get the Lead Out" by replacing their lead tackle with non-toxic alternatives. Also, in June some of our members volunteered with Nine Mile Creek’s Electrofishing survey as part of Nine Mile’s study of Bush Lake. The study is a good reminder for us all to take The Lake Pledge. It’s a fun, free way to partner with Hennepin County to demonstrate our commitment to keeping Bush Lake free of new Aquatic Invasive Species or AIS.

The IWLA National Convention was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in July. Our Chapter was represented at the convention by Jill Crafton, our Board Treasurer and National Director. At the convention our Chapter received the 2025 IWLA National Defenders Chapter Achievement Award. The League's 2026 convention will be in Minneapolis.

Over the summer we resurfaced the dock. Paul Erdmann held weekly plant posse work. A new martin house was put up. Tony made several beautiful new benches (with more to come) and made plaques on two sections of our nature trails, to honor our last two caretakers, the Erdmanns and Gregg Thompson.

Our upcoming events include:

Chapter Fall Clean Up- Saturday, October 25, 10 am-Noon

Buckthorn Bust-, Saturday, November 15, 1pm-3pm

Christmas Bird Count- December TBD

Thank you to all our members for making this year a great success! We sincerely appreciate your contributions that make our conservation organization a strong one.

2023-2025 Bush Lake Chapter Awards

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Since 2017 we have been giving out awards to our members and others for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter and conservation. Below is a list of the awards, the award winners, and their contributions for 2023-2025. To view the awardees from 2017-2022, Click Here.

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2025

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2025

Gregg Thompson, Esau Underhillwood, and Paul Raymaker- Many people helped with the caretaker position transition, but these three did the most. Gregg and Esau spent countless hours fixing, repairing, and improving the cabin for the new caretakers. Paul lead our efforts for finding the new caretakers- posting the position, finding candidates, scheduling interviews, and keeping our caretaker committee on track.

These three helped the former caretakers, Paul and Liz in numerous ways over the years and with their departure as caretakers. They have also assisted Tony and Denise as they figure out the role and get familiar with the Chapter. Kudos to Gregg, Esau, and Paul for their awesome work!

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- This award is named after our old neighbor, Gordy Bratsch, who was the “unofficial caretaker”- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean and the Chapter running smoothly. This award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

Matt Jones is a neighbor of the Chapter, a long-time member, and also serves on our board of directors. Matt can always be counted on for volunteer events and is generous with his time in keeping an eye on the Chapter, especially when the caretakers are away. He’s assisted with lodge rentals, general upkeep and gives us all peace of mind with his vigilance. He also cares deeply about the lake and surrounding park lands and works to keep them great. Thanks Matt for always going the extra mile. (Matt couldn’t be with us today, but we are honored to have his wife Lisa, another great advocate for the Chapter and lake, accept the award in his honor).

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff or elected officials for their outstanding contributions to water quality, conservation, and the environment.

Joshua J. Kerber, M.S., Research Scientist, Indoor Air Unit, Minnesota Department of Health.

Josh was integral in helping the Chapter figure out the complex radon issue in the Caretaker’s cabin. He came to the Chapter numerous times, identifying the issues and then helping to make it safe for the caretakers (and guests and members that use the guest restroom). Josh goes above and beyond in helping people understand radon and how to mitigate it. Josh also helped the Erdmanns with radon at their new home in East Bloomington. We appreciate Josh’s commitment to public service and his efforts to make the air we breathe healthier!

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Jon Pletcher is the owner and manager of Wild Birds Unlimited, a wonderful wild bird store in Eden Prairie. He’s also a former member, and we hope with this award we can lure him back! Jon has assisted the Chapter through the years with various bird conservation efforts. He’s provided technical assistance with our bird habitat structures and has also donated bird houses and other related items to the Chapter and to Chapter members as give-aways and prizes. This spring, Jon donated a portion of our new purple martin house (you can see over there), something that was really needed as our old one was old- and in disrepair. Jon also helped Tony put together and install the new martin house, a not easy task.

At his store, Jon helps countless customers make sure they are doing the right thing, the right way, for our avian friends. We thank Jon for his Commitment to Conservation!

5) Youth Conservation Award- Awarded to youth for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

Catelin Barnwell is extremely passionate and has a strong sense of affection towards our Chapter and Bush Lake. This is revealing through her actions of coming an hour early before her guests to make sure the grounds look great. Interacting with her, you immediately see enthusiastic engagement on what she loves about this Chapter, and she participates in more than just the minimum volunteer events throughout the years. She even jumped right away into the frigid lake early this Spring to get one aluminum can sitting around 5 ft deep. Catelin definitely has an obsession, in a healthy sense, of kayaking and exploring our favorite lake. Keep up the great work Catelin!

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2024

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2024

Krissy Anderson is a new member and in just a few short months she has become one of our best! At new member orientation, Krissy heard about Paul’s plans for a new turtle raft to be put in the pond, something he has been wanting to do, but hasn’t been able to find the time. Krissy offered to take this on, and with the help from her husband Dave and a couple of other Chapter volunteers, a new turtle/wildlife raft was out on East Bay Pond in short order! Krissy has also helped manage invasive plants at the Chapter, and recently helped clean up after storm damage. Krissy enjoys taking the trail around the Chapter and sharing her nature observations. An honorable mention goes to Dave, Krissy’s husband. Dave also helped with the turtle raft, and Dave and Krissy volunteered at the UMN Starry Trek event in August, where they went out to look for starry stonewort and other Aquatic Invasive Species. Members that are always quick and willing to lend a hand, that what makes for a strong Izaak Walton League Chapter. Thank you, Krissy!

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- This award is named after our old neighbor, Gordy Bratsch, who was the “unofficial caretaker”- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean and the Chapter running smoothly. This award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

Lee Ann Landstrom is a long-time member that is always sure to fulfill her Chapter volunteer requirements but is also involved with the Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC), where she currently serves as a Director at Large, and Environmental Action & Conservation Chair. Lee Ann can’t always make it to our volunteer events, but she is sure to reach out to Paul and ask how she can help out. For several years this was pulling abundant sweet clover around the lake, and, this year, she sat and watched for chimney swifts coming and going from our chimney swift tower to get photo documentation, which she got! At MRVAC, she wears many hats, but a big one is managing their grant program, giving grants to non-profits, schools and governmental organizations for projects that benefit wildlife and promote environmental awareness, education, and advocacy. One such fortunate recipient of a MRVAC grant was the Jefferson High School Earth Corps, where grant funds were used for native plants for their Unity Garden. And of course, Lee Ann volunteered and helped with the garden. This year’s Gordy Bratsch Award goes to Lee Ann Landstrom!

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff or elected officials for their outstanding contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

A) City of Bloomington Solid Waste Program - This award is to recognize the solid waste Bloomington staff for the amazing progress in reducing landfill contributions and putting programs in place that incentivize residents to reduce their footprint. Their efforts started with organized collection- reducing the number of trucks moving through our neighborhoods, making them safer and less polluted, saving wear and tear on roads, and more. Next, they implemented organics drop off sites, and soon after, Bloomington residents were able to have curbside organics recycling. Soon after this, the City and Solid Waste Program studied our “dump all your junk on the curb once a year”- also known as curbside clean up, and found that more than 1/3 of these items put on the curb could be recycled or reused. Their solution- a multifaceted program that combined the previous and popular curbside pickup program with a series of new initiatives aimed at reusing items previously thrown in the landfill. Our City is leading the way in Minnesota on solid waste, and the city now has a goal of recycling or composting 75% of the waste generated in the city by 2030. The City Solid Waste Program is led by Laura Horner- special kudos to her! One of this year’s Public Good Awards goes to the City of Bloomington Solid Waste Program.

B) A member of our chapter, Representative Steve Elkins has worked since the mid-1990’s creating safe, sustainable, efficient transportation solutions: so that everyday people (schoolchildren, workers, disabled, elders, economically disadvantaged, everybody) can get where they need to go safely and efficiently while reducing their carbon footprint through active modes of transportation (walking, cycling).

Here are four points essential to understanding the problem that Steve has worked so long to address and the success he has had which are good for all of us.

1. Climate change mitigation starts with reducing carbon emissions.

2. In Minnesota, any realistic effort to reduce carbon emissions must place transportation front and center. According to MnDOT: “Transportation is the top source of carbon pollution in Minnesota and the United States. Land use patterns and unsafe, inconvenient alternatives make driving alone the most convenient choice for many Minnesotans. Cars in Minnesota are mostly powered by fossil fuels, which emit carbon pollution and other air pollutants.”

3. The personal automobile is the least sustainable--but most popular--mode of transportation in Minnesota. The automobile not only produces emissions—from the tailpipe or, in the case of e-cars, at the powerhouse—but it also requires large swaths of our landscape be paved thereby producing runoff and urban heat island, encourages urban sprawl, creates barriers and risks the personal safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

4. One of the biggest obstacles keeping people from switching from their automobiles to sustainable, active modes of transportation—walking, cycling—is safety. Quite frankly, automobiles preclude the emergence of other modes of transportation by their limiting their access and threatening their safety. In order to get people to choose sustainable climate-friendly modes of transportation, the safety issue must be addressed.

One of Steve’s recent legislative successes is the Bill Dooley Bicycle Safety Act, named after a Black Minnesotan who dedicated much of his life to making cycling accessible to diverse communities. This bill, carried by Steve, put Minnesota at the leading edge of bicycle, and pedestrian safety—especially for children and their safe routes to school. Signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, now we have:

Bicycle safety programs in schools
Two new bike routes added to the state network
A revived citizens advisory board for non-motorized transportation
Federal transportation funds directed specifically to non-motorized transportation and to the safe routes to school program
The “Idaho stop” which allows cyclists to proceed through stop signs without the requirement to come to a complete stop.
Rules establishing the space motorists must yield to cyclists on roadways.

By making “active” transportation safer with the Bill Dooley Bicycle Safety Act, Steve is helping Minnesotans (especially our youngest) make the sustainable choice to switch to active modes of transportation. In addition to the immediate mitigation of carbon emissions, this legislation makes neighborhoods safer, the air and water cleaner, the natural areas quieter, and make it safer for all of us to enjoy outdoor activities. Thank you, Steve. Keep up the good work!

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Julia Bohnen serves as a researcher at the Restoration Ecology & Invasion Biology Department at the Larkin Lab at the University of Minnesota. She manages the Ecological Restoration training program and invasive Phragmites surveillance, control, and research efforts. The University’s Invasive Phragmites program is likely our state’s most successful invasive species Early Detection and Rapid Response Program, taking invasive phragmites head on, finding and removing populations of this species before it becomes widespread. Non-native phragmites is a very large, aggressive grass that has taken over many square miles of shoreland and wetland in other areas of the world. If only we had a program like this for all of our invasive species! The Ecological Restoration training program has trained hundreds of practitioners who are now out in the field restoring land and water and protecting our states biodiversity for years to come. This year’s Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award goes to Julia Bohnen, and we thank her for her dedication and excellent work protecting our natural resources.

5) Youth Conservation Award- Awarded to youth for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

Felix Malcolm-Manzoni is a remarkable young leader whose passion for environmental stewardship and community education is truly inspiring. At just 13 years old, Felix has made significant strides in promoting soil health and ecological awareness. He began this journey at the age of 9 as a volunteer on the Linden Hills abandoned trolley path healthy soil demonstration site, not only helping regenerate the land but also educating others about the importance of healthy soil and mycorrhizal fungi as a keynote speaker at numerous youth workshops and community events.

Felix's commitment extends beyond his local community. For the past three years he has represented the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) at the Department of Agriculture’s “Dig It” exhibit, putting in long hours and captivating audiences with his knowledge and enthusiasm. In the winter of 2023, he showcased regenerative landscaping and native plants at the Minnesota Science Museum. His role as a Southwest community education instructor during the pandemic, his musical performance at the Linden Hills Festival presenting the song he wrote about healthy soil when he was 10 years old, and his efforts in transitioning gardens to support pollinators highlight his innovative approach to environmental advocacy. With upcoming roles in the world premiere of "Seniorita Mariposa" that opens September 19th about the journey of a Monarch butterfly from Canada to Mexico and continued work as a youth environmentalist such as visiting the Boundary Waters each summer and speaking to elementary school classes, Felix exemplifies the spirit of ecological leadership and dedication. This year’s Bush Lake Youth Conservation Award goes to Felix Malcolm Manzoni. Felix, thank you- and keep up the great work!

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2023

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2023

This year’s Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award goes to Glenn Corliss- John Crampton stole/recruited Glenn from the Minnesota Valley Chapter. We don’t think Glenn has missed a volunteer event in the 3 years he’s been a member. He has a can-do attitude, is quick to lend a hand, and is a great guy to work with. We know that Glenn stays busy with other volunteering too, so we appreciate his dedication to the Ikes and our Chapter. Thanks Glenn!

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- This award is named after our old neighbor, Gordy Bratsch, who was the “unofficial caretaker”- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean and the Chapter running smoothly. This award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

It is fitting that we give this year’s Gordy Bratsch award to Steve Dale, as Steve was also neighbors with Gordy, and could probably share some stories! Steve is our neighbor up the road and has been for many years. Steve always donates food and drink for our events that help sustain our volunteers. He can always be counted on to support our mission and our conservation programs. Steve is also a great neighbor of the lake and has a very large native prairie and shoreline buffer that is maintained, so it can thrive and provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, while protecting water quality in the lake. Steve is kept busy with his two young grandsons that live next door to him, along with his daughter Katie and her husband Patrick. Thanks for being a great member and neighbor, Steve!

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff or elected officials for their outstanding contributions to water quality, conservation, and the environment.

This year’s Public Good Award goes to the Friends of Minnetonka Parks. This is recently formed group has already done tremendous work restoring public parks in Minnetonka and advocating for wildlife habitat and conservation, and educating the public on these important topics. They have been able to build community support and engage many volunteers in restoring public land in Minnetonka. I encourage you to check out their cool website where they restoration resources, volunteer events, and more. The Bush Lake Chapter would like to thank the Friends of Minnetonka Parks for their incredible efforts in restoring and preserving public lands for people and wildlife alike.

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

This year’s Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award goes to Dan Shaw. Dan is the go to guy for all things restoration ecology in Minnesota. Many of the practices and restoration methods we have used on our Chapter property, Dan had something to do with.

For the Board of Water and Soil Resources and the State of Minnesota, Dan is the Senior Ecologist and Vegetation Specialist. He also teaches ecology courses at the University of Minnesota. He has written and illustrated several ecology-focused publications. He has helped to create and coordinate numerous conservation programs, focusing on native vegetation, invasive species management, pollinator habitat, habitat-friendly solar, water management and climate resiliency. He has taught many students who you can now find working as professionals in the field, restoring land and water throughout the state. One of Dan’s most recent and most successful programs is Lawns to Legumes, which encourages Minnesotans to provide pollinator habitat in their own backyards. Dan is a legend in the conservation and botany world in Minnesota. We are all better off, and our cherished natural resources are much better off, thanks to Dan, his hard work, and his commitment to conservation.

5) Youth Conservation Award- Awarded to youth for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

This year’s Youth Conservation Award goes to Camille Morton. Camille is a freshman at Purdue University. She is the founding President of the Minnesota River Valley’s Green Crew. She currently serves on the Minnesota Valley’s Board of Directors. She co- chaired a committee for the Minnesota Division and was appointed as Minnesota Valley Chapter’s representative to the Minnesota Division Board.

Camille was one of three Green Crew members who attended this summer’s national convention in Nebraska. In her presentation, she challenged attendees to add youth to their chapter, state and national leadership teams.

For outstanding character, dedication and volunteer leadership, Camille truly deserves the 2023 Bush Lake Izaak Walton League Youth Conservation Award.

Migratory Bird Day - Big Day 2025 Report

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 01:20:19 GMT

Report by Steph MacPhail

Global Big Day is a yearly event put on by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where birdwatchers from all over the world team up to see how many different bird species they can spot in just one day.

The 2nd Annual Big Day at Bush Lake Izaak Walton was on May 10th, 2025. We had four participants and although migration wasn't cooperating as I hoped it would have, some warblers put on a good show for us and fun was had by all! 50 bird species were found on the property between 8 and 10 a.m. on the 10th, down from the 58 species recorded last year (see earlier blog post). Check out the full list of species documented in 2025 below.

Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Green Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern House Wren
American Robin
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal

2024 Year In Review

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:18:02 GMT

We had another great year on Bush Lake, many thanks to all our members and volunteers from the community that makes it all possible. Here is a brief recap of our activities, outreach and programs this year.

We started the year at the Richardson Nature Center Ice Harvesting Day teaching folks about how to use less salt in winter to protect our waters. We followed this with our annual Wood Duck Days on Normandale Lake and Bush Lake. We have around 40 wood duck houses we monitor and maintain on these two lakes. Join us again this winter after the ice thickens.

In March, we tabled at the Richardson Nature Center's Spring Scavenger Hunt, where we shared information about our Chapter and promoted the importance of pollinator gardens.

In April, on Earth Day, we made Bush Lake a little better by cleaning up trash and litter around the lake. As always, we found way too much trash! You can help Bush Lake by picking up litter when you see it, leaving single use plastic at home, and checking the beach and grounds before you leave to make sure you and others leave only footprints. Also in April, our Board Treasurer, Vicki Bonk, was awarded the Judge John W. Tobin Award. The Tobin Award goes to League members whose outstanding volunteer contributions make a difference. Not only is Vicki our Board secretary, but is an incredible advocate for native plants, pollinators and other wildlife. In May, we held our Chapter Spring Clean Up and new member orientation and potluck.

The IWLA National Convention was held in Maryland in July. Our Chapter was represented at the convention by Jill Crafton, our Board Treasurer and National Director. The League's 2025 convention will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In August, we hosted a Reptiles and Amphibians program. Attendees learned all about turtles, tortoises, frogs, toads, lizards and more. We saw rescued turtles and a snake then toured our property to hear about our turtle and wildlife conservation work. We found a baby snapping turtle which was safely returned to the lake!

Throughout the year, we encouraged our members and Bush Lake residents and users to Take the Pledge to protect Bush Lake from Aquatic Invasive Species. Lake Pledge is a set of short, entertaining videos showing how to protect our lake from Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). AIS can impact swimming, paddling, fishing and aesthetics and cause irreparable damage to the lake ecosystem. Thank you to everyone that took the pledge. If you haven't yet, it is not too late: Lake Pledge

We were also elated to have had chimney swifts and purple martins nesting at the Chapter for the first time, in modern times. Stay tuned to a future newsletter for more info on these cool birds that need our help.

Thank you to all our members for making this year a great success! We sincerely appreciate your contributions that make our conservation organization a strong one.

Migratory Bird Day

Thu, 23 May 2024 00:42:46 GMT

Many Birds Observed at Our First World Migratory Bird Day (2024)

Humans were sparse, but birds were abundant for our first World Migratory Bird Day on May 11th! Global Big Day is a yearly event put on by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where birdwatchers from all over the world team up to see how many different bird species they can spot in just one day. This year's spring event was on May 11th, right about peak time for migration in Minnesota. Our birding team observed 58 different species of birds at the Chapter during the event, and many of them were nesting! Check out the full list and some great photos below.

Special thanks to Paul Raymaker for taking photos, and Steph MacPhail and her birding team for creating this event and for counting so many birds! Steph observed a total of 78 species of birds around the Bush Lake area- now that is a Big Day!

Birds Need Your Help

Much of the work we do here at the Chapter is "for the birds." From removing invasive plants, planting native plants, putting up bird houses and maintaining them, putting decals on windows to prevent bird strikes and working to Get the Lead Out of hunting and fishing- our conservation efforts help wild birds.

You can help too!

Make your windows safer- day and night. Up to 1 billion birds are estimated to die each year after hitting windows in the USA and Canada. At night, close your blinds and limit outdoor lights
Keep cats indoors! Predation by domestic cats is the number-one direct, human-caused threat to birds in the United States and Canada.
Reduce your lawn, plant native plants.
Build a birdhouse and monitor and maintain it. Avoid buying cheap junky ones from big box stores as they don't last long and may even harm wildlife.
Avoid pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals is your yard and garden. This helps water quality too!
Get the Lead Out of Fishing and Hunting (use non-toxic alternatives)
Do not use poison to control rodents
Drink bird friendly-certified shade-grown coffee
If you feed birds, keep those feeders and bird baths clean!
Volunteer at/Donate to the Raptor Center, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, or other great organizations (such as the Bush Lake Chapter!).

Species Observed (* indicates nesting)

Baltimore Oriole

Spotted Sandpiper

Palm Warbler

Tree Swallow*

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Eastern Kingbird

Yellow Warbler

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue Jay

Mallard

Brown-headed Cowbird

Great Egret

Wood Duck

Song Sparrow

Great-crested Flycatcher

Red-tailed Hawk

Eastern Bluebird*

House Wren

Red-winged Blackbird

Pileated Woodpecker

Wilson's Warbler

Eastern Phoebe*

Canada Goose

Mourning Dove

American Goldfinch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-throated Vireo

American Redstart

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Hooded Merganser

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Scarlet Tanager

Chimney Swift

Warbling Vireo

American Robin*

Ring-billed Gull

Northern Flicker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Killdeer

House Finch

Magnolia Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Barn Swallow

Tennessee Warbler

Bald Eagle

Black-capped Chickadee

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Cardinal

American Crow

Common Yellowthroat

Trumpeter Swan

Least Flycatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

White-throated Sparrow

Barred owl

Photos from the event below: Eastern bluebird eggs in one of our houses, a Scarlet tanager, , Great egret soars over East Bay Pond, a tree swallow on its house, Steph and her team look and listen for birds,

Bring Nature Home- Vicki's Shady Garden

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 18:29:02 GMT

Vicki's April 2024 Update- "A Soft Landings Planting Beneath Keystone Tree- Connecting Habitat Neighbor to Neighbor" can be found by opening this PDF.

For previous entries, please see the main Blog menu under the "What's New" drop down.

Bring Nature Home- Sue's Sunny Garden

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 18:14:41 GMT

April 2024

This is an update to my 2023 blog. For previous entries, please see the main Blog menu under the "What's New" drop down.

Wood Chip Paths: Last year I did not bring compost or wood chips into our garden because I did not want to introduce jumping worms to our yard. Click for info on jumping worms.

This winter, I noticed a tree being removed just up the street from our home. The limbs came down and were immediately chipped. Because the ground was frozen and the limbs only sat on the ground a few minutes, there is little chance that they picked up any jumping-worm eggs. I talked to the tree trimming company and they dumped those chips in my driveway. When I distributed the light colored chips on the paths, the gardens looked small in comparison to the paths. This effect will diminish as the chips darken with age, but I decided to expand the garden, redesign the shape and simplify the path.

Redesign: We have an underground utility running the entire width of our yard about 14’ from the curb. I will need to get it marked again but I plan to move the front portion of the garden path so that it lays on top of the underground utilities. This will lessen the chance that I accidentally hit the utility while digging. It also positions the path for the final garden size.

Changing the design will convert an additional 1,100 square feet of lawn into garden. If I continue at my current pace of just over 200 square feet a year, it will take me five years to transform this lawn area into garden. Or, I could smother the entire area this summer and seed / plant it this fall or next spring. The upside of taking five years is that I can experiment on 200 square feet every year and watch for what works well in our yard. I can also save money by seeding (from my existing plants or winter sowing) and by dividing some existing plants every year.

Graphic: Original design - too many paths (in pink)

Graphic: More garden, less lawn, simplified paths

Next Steps: The next step will be to select the 200 square feet to plant this year. Then, research previously untried full sun native plants, calculate the number I need and pre-order plugs. I have six species currently seeded in winter sown containers, if they thrive, some of those will be planted along with some plant divisions and transplants from the back yard.

I will repeat that process for part shade species that go under our crabapple tree. I plan to pre-order in April and pick my plants up at the Burnsville Native Plant sale on Saturday May 18.

The Wild Ones Twin Cities website has a good resource page that lists multiple locations that sell native plant plugs.

Good Luck and Happy Gardening

Sue

P.S. It is too late to winter sow this year. More information on winter sowing can be found here.

Christmas Bird Count

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 01:00:00 GMT

Since 2014, the Bush Lake Chapter has participated in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the longest running survey of American bird populations ever conducted. Chapter members and friends head out a week before Christmas and count all birds heard and seen around Bush Lake and area parks. We are part of the Excelsior Area Christmas Bird Count, Bush Lake is located on the eastern edge of the count circle.

2023 CBC

Overall a dreary and damp CBC! Volunteers were happy that the rain stopped shortly after we started the county. Highlights in the Bush Lake area included 3 barred owls, 1 Great horned owl, 1 Sharp-shinned hawk, 2 Northern flickers, and 52 mallards. The Chapter would like to thank Chapter member, Steph MacPhail for coordinating this year's Bush Lake count.

Below is the summary of the 2023 Excelsior Area CBC, which Bush Lake is a part of. Courtesy Howard T., Excelsior Area CBC coordinator. Howard is retiring as coordinator- we thank him for his years of dedication!

"The 72nd edition of the Excelsior Christmas Bird Count was held on December 16, 2023. The temperatures ranged from 37° to 39°, the warmest temps that we’ve had for a count in quite a while. The skies were gray, dreary, drizzly, and misty – pretty much yukky, but despite this our intrepid band of 81 field counters and 9 feeder watchers did a remarkable job of turning up some expected and unusual birds. Participants included 23 counters working at Carver Park under the direction of Park Naturalist Kirk Mona, 13 counters from the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League coordinated by Paul Erdmann and Steph MacPhail, and 6 counters from the West Metro Chapter of the Minnesota Master Naturalist organized by Mary Beth Pottratz. And a shout out to Katrina Stern, a biology teacher at Edina HS, who organized a group of 8 staff and students to cover one of our territories. The combined efforts of all resulted in a total of 59 species and 13,124 individuals being observed. The 59 species was the highest total since the record-breaking year of 2020, when 68 species were observed, and above the 20-year average of 56 species for our count. This total was boosted by a few remarkable finds (see below) and considering the almost complete absence of winter finches is a quite respectable tally. The total number of individuals counted varies tremendously from year-to-year depending on whether there is any open water on the bigger lakes. By comparison, last year when everything was frozen, totals were 55 species and 7,562 individuals.

Some of the more notable sightings and other observations from this year’s count:

· The highlight of the count was undoubtedly a White-winged Scoter first spotted by Abigail Anderson at the Blue Lake Water Treatment Facility in Shakopee. Not only is this the first White-winged Scoter ever recorded in 72 years of our count, it is also the first scoter of any kind. Really a remarkable sighting. We appreciate the help of the folks at the Blue Lake Facility, especially Dave Simons and Steve Eppel, in arranging access for our counters.

· Not to be outdone, Avery and Jon Blumenthal had a pretty good day themselves. They spotted a Double-crested Cormorant at Bryant Lake, only the third in our count history and the first since 2002. They also observed a pair of Common Ravens at the park. Last year we recorded our first ever raven on the count, so this is a second record of this species that has increased dramatically in the Twin Cities Area in the past 10-15 years.

· Another rarity for the Excelsior count was a pair of Northern Pintails found at Rice Lake in the Minnesota Valley NWR by William Marengo and Esther Gesick. Pintails have only been observed twice in the past 20 years of the count.

· For the fourth consecutive year, only one Ring-necked Pheasant was found, this one by Chris and Laurie Pelton working with the Carver Park crew. Pheasants used to be quite abundant on the count (301 were tallied in 1978), but they have been steadily decreasing in the past 15-20 years with increased urbanization in the circle. We’ve never totally missed on them, but I suspect it will happen in the near future.

· In the world of sparrows, Denny and Barb Martin have been hosting a trio of Fox Sparrows at their feeders this early winter season that were cooperative enough to show up for count day. The last sighting for this species on the count was 2019 and they have been seen in about half of the counts for the past twenty years. And two counters, newcomer Andrew Peterson and Avery Blumenthal, dug up single Swamp Sparrows, seen on only five counts in the past twenty.

· A nice find for the venerable team of Bonnie Mulligan, Charlie Greenman and Dick Sandve, along with the more than 1500 Common Mergansers that they counted in Lake Minnetonka, was a single Herring Gull. This species has only been found once in the past 16 years. On the other hand, Ring- billed Gulls were numerous, being observed in ten areas of the circle for a total of 160 birds.

· A single Northern Harrier found by Laura Hanson and her family in the Chaska area was the first since 2020 and only the fifth in the past twenty years.

· A record high number of Trumpeter Swans – 531 - were counted, smashing the previous high of 323 set in 2017. Before 2008, we had never counted more than 10 swans in any year. In the last five years, we’ve never had less than 100. Obviously, the open water this year played a significant role in this record, but the recovery of this species in the state, spearheaded by Carrol Henderson, is a remarkable conservation story. Nineteen Eastern Bluebirds spotted separately at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Carver Park marked a high mark for this species (previous record 9 in 2002). Another species reaching a record high number, to no one’s surprise I’m sure, was Wild Turkey with 173 individuals surpassing the previous high of 155 set in 2018.

· The highest number of individuals for any species was 2,479 Canada Geese, which were enjoying the mild conditions and open water as well. Among the passerines Black-capped Chickadees, as usual, led the way 571 individuals.

· Misses: every year there a few birds that don’t cooperate and this year was no exception. No one turned up a Cooper’s Hawk, a species seen in 16 out of the last 20 years. For the second year in a row, we zipped on White-throated Sparrows, a species that has also been recorded in 16 out of the last 20 years. Rough-legged Hawks were not seen (15 out of the last 20 years), although this is hardly surprising given the lack of snow and mild conditions haven’t pushed many south for the winter.

2022 CBC

'Twas a slow day for birding, but a few hearty Chapter members ventured out on Saturday, December 17th, for our Annual Christmas Bird Count. Highlights included 4 barred owls, 1 Great horned owl, 96 chickadees, and 91 Canada geese!

Few birds, but the scenery was beautiful due to recent snow. Thanks to everyone that came out and those that submitted photos. Below is the summary of the 2022 Excelsior Area CBC, which Bush Lake is a part of. Courtesy Howard T., Excelsior Area CBC coordinator.

"The 71st edition of the Excelsior Christmas Bird Count was held on December 17, 2022, under weather conditions that were quite normal for this time of year. Apparently, we were quite lucky in picking a day between a snow event and the start of an arctic blast. Seventy-six field counters and 14 feeder watchers participated, including 24 counters working at Carver Park under the direction of Park Naturalist Kirk Mona, 12 counters from the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League coordinated by Paul Erdmann, and five counters from the West Metro Chapter of the Minnesota Master Naturalist organized by Mary Beth Pottratz. The combined efforts of all resulted in a total of 55 species and 7,562 individuals being observed. The 55 species was nearly identical to the 20-year average of 57 species for our count and considering the almost complete absence of winter finches is a respectable total. The 7,562 individuals counted was a strong total for a year when Lake Minnetonka is frozen, sending large numbers of Common Mergansers that stage there on their way south. By comparison, last year’s total was 5,758 individuals.

Some of the more notable sightings and other observations from this year’s count:

· Our total of 55 species was greatly aided by 15 waterfowl species made possible by continued open water at the Blue Lake Water Treatment Facility and Shakopee Mill Pond. We are grateful for the folks at the Blue Water facility for allowing access to our counters. Among the more unusual waterfowl species observed this year: a single Green-winged Teal for the second year in a row following a gap of ten years without a sighting; a single Wood Duck at the Mill Pond, the seventh in the past 20 years; and two Ruddy Ducks that were only the fifth in the past 20 years.

· A new record for our circle was an eBird report of a Common Raven flying over Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie. Although new to the count, this was not a particularly surprising find, as ravens have been steadily moving south in the state over the past 10-15 years and are now quite regular at Crow-Hassan and Lake Rebecca Park Reserves.

· Another species which seems to be increasing on the Excelsior count, Merlin, was observed in two areas. This marks the fourth consecutive winter for spotting this falcon, but there were only four sightings in the previous 67 years of the count.

· Another rarity for the Excelsior CBC was a Chipping Sparrow visiting the feeders of Chris and Laurie Pelton in Minnetonka. This was only the second occurrence for this species in our count’s history, the previous sighting being from 2008. Song Sparrows were observed for the twelfth time in the past 20 years, but we struck out on White-throated Sparrows for only the third time in the same period.

· For the third consecutive year, only one Ring-necked Pheasant was found, again by the Carver Park crew. Pheasants used to be quite abundant on the count (301 were tallied in 1978), but they have been steadily decreasing in the past 15-20 years with increased urbanization in the circle. We’ve never totally missed on them, but I suspect it will happen in the near future.

· The only species on this year’s count that set record high numbers was Ring-necked Duck with a total of 86, exceeding the previous high of 68 from 2012. Trumpeter Swans continued to have strong showings with 312 individuals and reports from 10 areas; the high for this species was 323 in 2017, but before 1994 there were virtually no reports.

· The highest number for any species was 1,733 Mallards, which must have been finding enough open water to keep them happy. Among the passerines Black-capped Chickadees, not surprisingly, led the way 757 individuals. Cedar Waxwings had a decent showing with 474 being the highest total since 2015 when 768 were counted, and 24 Purple Finches was the highest total since 2002 when 36 were recorded.

· Near misses: only a single Rough-legged Hawk and a single Sharp-shinned Hawk were found by the Carver Park crew. Likewise, only a single Belted Kingfisher was located along the Minnesota River by Renner Anderson’s group. A single Common Grackle was found in the Hopkins area by Avery and Jon Blumenthal, the fourth in the past 10 years. And we barely scraped up two Pine Siskins, which was better than last year’s zero.

· Misses: every year there a few birds that don’t cooperate. Common Mergansers had all passed through, only the third time in 20 years we missed on this species. In 2015, over 13,000 were counted on Lake Minnetonka. Winter finches were not cooperative this year. We had no Common Redpolls at all, a species that we record on about 50% of our counts. And as mentioned above, we zipped on White-throated Sparrow for only the second time in the past 15 years.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the time spent helping on the count. The efforts of everyone are important and greatly appreciated. The CBCs are not primarily about finding rare birds; they’re about censusing birds in our environment over the years. A count like the Excelsior CBC with its history going back over 70 years provides important information about the changes occurring over time in our increasingly urbanized area. Thank you for participating and I hope you will join us again next year!"

2021 CBC

In 2021, the highlights of the Bush Lake count were a Red-shouldered hawk (likely one of a pair that nests here in the summer) and a Northern shrike, which was spotted in the prairie on the south side of the lake. Steph also spotted Common redpolls on the south side of the lake. If you feed birds, keep an eye out for these sporadic visitors from Canada. Thanks to the brave souls that participated!

Below is the summary of the 2021 Excelsior Area CBC, which Bush Lake is a part of. Courtesy Howard T., Excelsior Area CBC coordinator.

"The 70th edition of the Excelsior Christmas Bird Count was held on December 18, 2021, under weather conditions that were quite normal for this time of year. Seventy-four field counters and 14 feeder watchers participated, including 25 counters working at Carver Park under the direction of Park Naturalist Kirk, ten counters from the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League coordinated by Paul, and nine counters from the West Metro Chapter of the Minnesota Master Naturalist organized by Mary Beth. The combined efforts of all resulted in a total of 56 species and 5,758 individuals being observed during the day. While 56 species fell far short of last year’s record-tying and state-leading 68 species, it was almost identical to the 20-year average of 57 species for our count. The 5,758 individuals counted was quite typical of years when Lake Minnetonka is frozen, sending large numbers of Common Mergansers that stage there on their way south. By comparison, last year’s total was 15,991 individuals, the second highest total ever for this count. This year there were a total of 20 Common Mergansers compared to last year’s total of 2,810; there were 146 Canada Geese compared to last year’s total of 2,012; and there were 1,863 Mallards, far less than last year’s total of 4,495.

Some of the more notable sightings and other observations from this year’s count:

· Renner and Martha found two Green-winged Teal south of the Minnesota River near Shakopee. These were the first on the count since 2010.

· The count’s only American Coot was found by the team of Dick, Charlie and Bonnie who have been doing the count together since Noah’s ark landed – well almost. Coots have been found on the count every year since 1991, so having only a single bird was noteworthy.

· Speaking of single birds, only one Ring-necked Pheasant was reported for the second year in a row by the Carver Park crew. Pheasant used to be quite abundant on the count (301 were tallied in 1978), but they have been steadily decreasing in the past 15-20 years with increased urbanization in the circle. We’ve never totally missed on them, but I suspect it will happen in the near future.

· For the third consecutive year, only a single Red-shouldered Hawk was seen, this one by the Izaak Walton group. This species has been seen on 10 of the past 20 years, but never more than one or two birds. The Izaak Walton crew also found the count’s only Common Redpolls, a group of 10.

· A Northern Saw-Whet Owl was found by Michelle and Rod at Carver Park, only the third one found in the past 20 years on count day. These cuties are probably more common than those figures would indicate at Carver, but their small size and reclusive nature make them a tough find.

· One of the most remarkable observations on the count came from feeder watcher Sue who photographed a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in her yard. This was only the second sighting in the 70 years of the Excelsior count. Although a few sapsuckers linger in Minnesota every winter, they have been avoiding our count assiduously.

· Another uncommon bird on the Excelsior count, the Merlin, was observed by Nathan and Barb in the Chaska area. This marks the third consecutive winter for spotting this falcon, but only the sixth in the past 20 years.

· A Carolina Wren that has been seen nearly daily at the feeders of Bruce and Lori in Minnetonka cooperated on count day, providing only the third record in the past 20 years. With the warming climate in Minnesota, expect to see more and more of this southern species.

· A group of four Eastern Bluebirds seen at Carver Park was the fourth record in the past ten years. This is another species that we’re likely to see more and more of in Minnesota winters with milder conditions. The counts only Red-winged Blackbirds also were found at Carver Park.

· Two late White-throated Sparrows seen at the feeders of Paul in Chanhassen were the only reported on the count. We’ve only missed this species three times in the past 20 years, as a few usually stick around at feeders long enough for our CBC.

· A single Common Grackle was located by Ken in the Big Willow Park area, only the third in the past ten years.

· Another remarkable observation from a feeder watcher came from Denny and Barb, but unfortunately a day late for the official count. They observed and photographed a Rusty Blackbird in their Shorewood yard on Sunday, making it a ‘count-week’ bird. The last Rusty Blackbird on the count was also a ‘count-week’ bird seen in 1999. The last one with the sense to show up on count day was 30 years ago in 1990.

· No species on this year’s count set record high counts (which is a bit unusual), but Trumpeter Swan came close with a total of 310, the second highest number to 323 in 2017. Four Cooper’s Hawk observations equaled the highest count set six different times in the past 20 years. This is a species that seems to be adapting well to increased urbanization and urban feeders.

· Misses: every year there a few birds that don’t cooperate. No Northern Shovelers were spotted in the usually reliable Blue Lake area after a run of eight consecutive years. Buffleheads were missed for the first time in nine years. Note that part of the problem stems from our not accessing the Blue Lake water treatment facility during Covid times. Pine Siskins were conspicuously missing, although this is a species that we only find on about 75% of counts. No Song Sparrows were noted, a species that is seen on about 50% of counts.

And whether your name appears above or not, please realize that your efforts are important and appreciated. The CBCs are not primarily about finding rare birds; they’re about censusing birds in our environment over the years. A count like the Excelsior CBC with its history going back 70 years provides important information about the changes occurring over time in our increasingly urbanized area. Thank you for participating and I hope you will join us again next year!"

2023 Year in Review

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

We had another great year on Bush Lake, many thanks to all of our members and volunteers from the community that make it all possible. Here is a brief recap of our activities, outreach and programs this year.

We started the year teaching folks about how to use less salt in the winter to protect our waters at the Richardson Nature Center Ice Harvesting Day. We followed this with our annual Wood Duck Days on Normandale Lake and Bush Lake. We have around 40 wood duck houses we monitor and maintain on these two lakes- join us this winter- if the ice ever gets thick enough!

On Earth Day, we made Bush Lake a little bit better by cleaning up trash and litter in and around the lake (click here for a video). As always, we found way too much trash! You can help keep Bush Lake by picking up litter when you see it, and leaving single use plastic and home, and checking the beach and grounds before you leave to make sure you and other left only footprints!

We hosted the Minnesota Division Izaak Walton Board of Directors for a meeting in April. After the meeting, we did a tour of the grounds, showing Ikes from across the state the great work we have been doing removing invasive plants, planting native plants, and providing habitat for pollinator and other wildlife. In May we had our Chapter spring clean-up, new member orientation, and potluck.

June was a busy month with 4 events! We once again partnered with the Bloomington Optimists and the Pollution Control Agency’s Get the Lead Out Program for the Annual Bloomington Kids’ Fishing Fair. This is always a great event that brings in many kids and families for a fun day of fishing on Bush Lake. Our focus is not only getting kids outdoors fishing, but also raising awareness and getting people to Get the Lead Out and replacing their lead tackle with non-toxic alternatives.

We had a whole bunch of members come out and plant our new rain garden in June. This rain garden will both protect our beach from erosion, and also protect the water quality of Bush Lake- and provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. It was made possible by donations from our members and a grant from Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. Volunteers planting and taking care of the raingarden are critically important to get the job done- and also count as our match for the grant.

We also hosted two programs in June- a Monarch Butterfly Program that was thanks to Chapter Member Vienna Volante, and an Aquatic Invasive Species workshop, that was in partnership with Hennepin County and Bolton and Menk. At this workshop we taught people how to look for Aquatic Invasive Species and what to do if they find them (click for video). Have you taken the Lake Pledge yet?

We wrapped the year up with the Annual EV Expo at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, and held our Annual Member Meeting, with awards, potluck and canoe race. Chapter members got the grounds and lodge ready for winter at our Fall Clean Up and removed buckthorn at our fall Buckthorn Bust. Let's not forget the incredible blog series- "Bring Nature Home" by board members Vicki Bonk and Sue Van Baerle, where they walked us through the steps of adding native plants to your yard. See an earlier blog entry all about it,

We closed the year with our Christmas Bird Count. See an earlier blog entry all about it and previous year's counts.

We want to thank all of our members for making this year a great success! We do appreciate your contributions that make our conservation organization a strong one.

Bring Nature Home- Sue's Sunny Garden

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:01:56 GMT

Bring Nature Home- Sue's Sunny Garden

by Sue Van Baerle

For Parts 1 and 2, please see previous blog entries

Part 3- Planning, Design, Maps And Plants

Click for Part 4- May Maps and Tips

Click for Part 5- June Prep & Planting

Click for Part 6- Summer Recap and Fall Plan

Create a Top-Down Map: You do not need to create a map of your yard to make decisions about your new garden. However, a map might help you create a plan. For example, you might want to add one hundred square feet of native plants every year for the next few years. Before you plant your first year, you want to have an idea of the overall direction you are headed. Having a top-down plan will help you visualize how your garden will look in several years. You can plan how traffic will flow around the yard or map the mature size of trees to plan for sun and shade areas in years to come.

Most landscape plans you see are created by professionals to communicate and sell their ideas to the client. They can be very detailed and beautifully executed. Since you don’t need to communicate with or sell to anyone, you may be fine without one or with a simple design plan. A more accurate map of the planting area may help you think about where to place various species and calculate how many of each you want. You don’t need perfect drawings, computer drawings or beautiful colors but you probably want the relative sizes to be close to accurate.

For years, I went without a plan. I kept expanding the garden but after four or five years I had to tear out edging and paths because the overall garden wasn’t expanding in a coherent fashion. If I had created an overall plan before I started, I could have saved myself hours of labor. Then again, when I started, I had no idea how big my garden would become.

In the past I have used simple sketches to design; moving forward, I will use my new maps to design and record ideas. For example, one idea involves seeing my little bluestem backlit in the fall. I mark on the map where the sun sets in October and where I would need to plant little bluestem to see them backlit from our chairs. I might make note of how many plants I want but I do not map the exact location of each plant. The following spring, I know how many plants to purchase, and I have a good idea where to plant.

Overview - Creating Your Top-Down Map: To create the top down map you will create a rough sketch of the points you need; make a point list; go outside and take measurements; and then transfer the point list measurements to graph paper. You can photocopy the final map and try out new designs on the photocopy or you can use tracing paper to design on top of the map. If you design on your original map, you will have to redraw the map every time you sketch a design.

Rough Sketch (not to scale) Points Labeled: Create a rough sketch of the existing features you need to measure. You can create a sketch of just your new garden area, or you could include a large part of the yard around your new garden. The upside of a smaller area is there are fewer points to locate and draw on graph paper; the downside is you may forget about something that could impact the design. For example, the water from the downspout on your house or the shade from a neighbor’s tree. The upside of including a larger area is that you will have a reminder of how other features impact / interact with your new garden; the downside of a larger area, the longer it takes to collect the measurements and transfer them to graph paper. Just ask yourself how much information you need and how much time you have.

Your preliminary sketch will not be to scale. Label the points you want to locate and create a list of those points. When you go outside and measure the distances, you will use your point list to record the distances. In this simple example, I labeled the corners of the house, House1 and House2; the corners of the porch, Porch1 and Porch 2; etc. My point list leaves space for me to calculate and record the X, Y coordinates for each point. You can opt for fewer points at first and go back and get more points if you need them.

Measuring Your Physical Space: First, a short reminder about high school geometry. To create a top-down map with all positive values, you will put the 0 value for x (horizontal axis of your drawing) and the 0 value for y (vertical axis) in the lower left-hand corner of your graph paper. Then all the numbers for both X and Y will be positive. Knowing that you want 0,0 near the lower left-hand corner of your graph paper; go outside and place a stake / flag (or other marker) in the ground at the point that will be the physical 0,0 of your yard. Most often maps have North at the top of the page but it doesn’t have to be North. For example, I draw my map as if I am looking at the property from the street. In my case, East is to the top of the paper. Be sure to label the compass directions; it will help you remember where the shadow from a house or tree will be located.

It helps to have two people when you measure the area. One person can hold the end of the tape measure and the other can pull the tape measure and write the distances on your point list. The longer the tape measure, the quicker it is to measure. Don’t forget that your yard may not be square and your house might not sit square to the street. You can get a general overview of the property lines on zillow.com and more accurate property information from county records (web search for your county "property map.")

Graphing: If you measure the X and Y distances from 0,0 to point House2 and then from point House2 to point House1, you will have to do some addition to figure out the X,Y coordinates of House1. After you take all your measurements, calculate the largest final X and largest Y distance you want on your map. You will use the largest distances to determine if your graph paper will have Landscape (X is larger) orientation or Portrait (Y is larger) orientation. On the graph paper, count the number of squares you have available from the 0,0 point in the lower left corner to upper right corner of your drawing area. Based on the real-world distance and the number of graph paper squares you have available, you can decide the scale of each square. For example, each square might represents one foot or each square might represents 5 feet. Then plot your points on the graph paper and connect with lines to create the House, Porch etc. DON’T draw your new design on the graph paper. Put a piece of tracing paper over your graph paper and sketch your new design or photocopy your original map and draw on the photocopy. This way you can easily get back to your original map.

Designing The Shape: After you make a few sketches, look at both the positive and negative shape. Do you like the shape of the garden and do you like the shape of the area (perhaps lawn) that is not the garden. You want the lawn area to be easy to mow so check that there are no areas that are too small or curves that are too sharp for a mower. You can try shapes based on rectangles, circles, curves or combinations.

There are usually community rules about the height of your lawn grass. If you plant a meadow without borders, it might be mistaken for an unkept lawn. The plants could fall over a sidewalk, street or into your neighbor’s yard. If you make the shape of your new garden intentional, you will be less likely to have problems with neighbors thinking you have an unkept lawn. You will want to check with your community for the exact rules in your area. A few communities have updated their rules to allow for more native meadow style plantings.

Garden Size: This information is for a city or suburban style planting, a large meadow or prairie style planting is maintained with mowing and sometimes fire. For a smaller garden, you will want to be able to reach into your garden to weed, water or replant. You can do that from the sidewalk, lawn, driveway, and paths or you can wander in as you would a large prairie. Generally speaking in a city or suburban yard, a bed that is less than three feet deep feels narrow, and a 16’ deep bed is hard to maintain without stepping on plants. Some people keep their beds smaller so that they don’t have to step into them to reach the majority of the plants. Traditional gardeners often recommend a bed that is 7 to 8 feet deep.

Path Design: One of the great things about mulched paths is that they dry out early and you don’t have to worry about stepping on plants or compacting soil. Paths most often start at a right angle to the garden bed line. If I run a 3’ wide path down the center of a 23’ wide bed that is surrounded by lawn, I divide the garden into a path and two beds that are each 10’ wide. I can take one step off the path or one step off the lawn and reach about 5’ or to the center of the 10’ wide bed. Of course, I want my path to be a bit more interesting. First it encourages me to look this way, then curve and view the garden from another direction, then maybe curve around to reveal a focal point. I don’t want the path to be so curved that I can’t move a wheelbarrow along it or so unpredictable that I have to focus on where I am stepping.

Sue’s Garden: This month one of my first chores will be finishing a more accurate map of the two new garden areas; one on each side of the front yard. I am confident in the width of the two new gardens because the width is a refinement of the area that I planted the past two years. I may eventually change how close to the street I want to plant. I acknowledge that I will have to change the paths if I change the size of the garden.

It does not take much to greatly increase the number of points you need to measure and graph. My current sketch has 11 garden bed points, 6 trees with the associated canopy diameter, 5 baby oak tree locations, house, porch step and sidewalk points. After I finalize the path shape, I will add location points for the center of the paths and sketch them in. Location of other details (water spigot, shrubs etc.) easily double these input numbers. So, I need to consider how much detail I need and how much time I have to create my map. I know that my final drawing will be helpful for years to come. I know that in my physical yard the two beds are much farther apart than they are on my rough sketch. I want to see how the proportion and spacing of the two beds looks when drawn to scale.

I plan to gather X,Y for:

House H1 H2

Porch P1, P2, P3, P4

Sidewalk S1, S2, S3, S4

Garden G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8, G9, G10, G11

Trees T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6

Baby Quercus Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5

If this looks like too much work, you may be able to map a smaller area or leave out detail.

My New Garden for 2023: For the entire new garden, I would need to remove the lawn and plant 940 square feet. This is more of a commitment in both time and money than I want to make in one year. I plan to do one third each year over the next 3 years. One third of 940 is 313 square feet. At approximately $6 a square foot my maximum budget is $1878. I estimate that 33 square feet will be path, so I need plants for (313 - 33 = 280) 280 square feet. I’m hoping I can spend less money because I can transplant some plants from the backyard, and I can use pollinator friendly annuals started from seeds. For 280 square feet I estimate that I need 140 plants but calculating for transplants and annuals, I’m going to order 100 plant plugs.

What I’m Behind On: We haven’t talked about the third dimension – “hills and valleys” or how they change water flow and plant selection. You’ll want to make note of high and low spots on your map and select plants accordingly.

My final plant selection list is not complete but here are some selections

Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum is low and I’ll put some near the path (photo)
White Wild Indigo Baptisia alba is a favorite but it gets taller than I want 4’- I’m thinking a group or three peaking above the rest of the garden would add interest.
Cream Wild Indigo Baptisia bracteata struggles a bit in the back yard but it might do better with full sun - 2’ tall.
I will get a few of these asters and see if the deer eat them.
Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium full sun 2’
Silky Aster Symphyotrichum sericeum full part sun 12”
I read that one of the Liatris - Liatris ligulistylis is deer resistant but it is 5’ tall. I’ll plant it near the house near an existing Switch Grass Panicum virgatum.
Amethyst Shooting Star Dodecatheon amethystinum full part or shade 12” - I currently have it in part shade in the back yard. It is still there so the deer haven’t eaten all of it. This year I will try it in full sun.
I will try a few of each of these spiderworts - I can move Ohio spiderwort from the back yard.
Western Spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis full sun 2’
Ohio Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis full or part sun 3’
Prairie Spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata full sun 1’
Prairie Onion Allium stellatum full or part sun 14”
Multiple Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Planted so it is has backlight in the fall. I’m tempted to get cultivars which are 2’ rather than 3’ tall. Perhaps mixing Carousel and Smoke Signal. But the true native is lovely and well…. native.

I have annual salvia started from seeds in my basement and next week I’ll start Lilliput Zinnia and Mexican Sunflower which are all pollinator favorites. In my back vegetable garden, I run short of sunny, deer protected areas; so, I’ll plant basil and sage in the front yard. More plant decisions yet to come.

Garden Chores For This Month:

1. Before you dig you should have your utilities located. It’s good to know what is right below the surface of your new garden. This is especially true if you are planting a tree or bringing in heavy digging equipment. https://www.gopherstateonecall.org/. They recommend that you always call before you dig.

After you make arrangements with Gopher One, several people may come to your property, one person might mark the water line, someone else may mark the gas lines, etc. They will place color coded flags over the various buried utilities in the area you specify. You will need to wait the amount of time specified by Gopher One to make sure all the utilities have been marked at your house.

They will not locate private utilities. For example, a friend once cut a buried plastic gas line that went from the gas meter to an outdoor grill. Luckily, they could smell that something was wrong. The gas line had been installed by the previous homeowner and neither the new homeowner nor the utility company had a record of it. Another time, a friend cut a cable TV wire in half while outlining a new garden bed. The wire had been laid on top of the ground and then covered with sod. I don’t know if Gopher One would have known about it and marked that cable location.

2. I try not to walk on really wet soils because I may compact them. Having said that, I’ll admit I do walk around on my lawn to pick up sticks and watch for what is coming up. Pick up sticks from your lawn but don’t clean up last year’s native plant stems yet. You want to leave them until the insects nesting inside have emerged. More about that in May.

3. This info is for a garden style rather than for a prairie or meadow style garden - Cut back bunch grasses before the new leaves grow very long. This is the right time to cut back cool season grasses but because late spring is so full of other chores; I hand cut both cool and warm season bunch grasses in early to mid-April.

4. Creeping Charlie turns green right after the snow melts making it easy to spot and pull. In my wet sandy soil, it comes out with lots of its roots. It won’t solve the creeping Charlie issue but I feel triumphant when a long chain of creeping Charlie pulls out with roots intact.

Happy start to the 2023 gardening season!

Part 4- May Maps and Tips

In February, I covered questions to ask yourself before you start designing your new sunny native plant garden; how to calculate the cost in terms of time and money; how to start looking for native plants, and how to start sketching ideas for your garden. In March I covered options for mulch, edging, paths, plant selection and garden size. In April I covered the basics of creating a top down map of your garden and discussed how you can use maps to help design your new garden. It is very possible that with a smaller project, you did not need to create a map.

My Top Down Map: I decided to make a top down map of my front yard. When I started inputting points I discovered that I needed more points than I originally anticipated. I added points for the driveway and side yard trees; points for the front door, and the light pole. Of course it took longer than I anticipated because some of my measurements were not square or exactly accurate. I ended up measuring a number of things twice.

I drew my base map (house, garage, sidewalk, and existing trees) on a 11” x 17” graph paper. This allowed me to scale the drawing so that each grid line represented two feet. The 11” x 17” paper was too large for my home scanner / copier so I scanned and photocopied the base map at FedEx Office. I drew my new design on a photocopy of the original base map. Once I saw the new design drawn to scale; I made a few changes to the garden size and path shape. I wanted the front door of the house to have a clear view to the street and I wanted the entire design to feel balanced. I wanted to be able to reach most of the garden with only one step into the garden from either the lawn or a path. I wanted the path to let you look in various directions, to be winding but not create trip hazards.

About 1/3 of this garden was planted in the past three years. From my design map drawn to scale, I was able to calculate the exact unplanted area by counting the graph squares. In the larger garden I have 544 square feet to plant and the smaller garden I have 312 feet left to plant.

Plants: Last month I decided to plant 280 square feet this year and I will stick to that number for now. When I went to order plants in late April, some of the selections, particularly the garden kits were sold out. I was able to place an order to be delivered to the May 20 Burnsville Native Plant Market. I did not order all the species but I did order 84 plants for a total (with taxes) of $215.00.

The species included:

Thimbleweed (Anemone Virginiana),
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata),
Midland Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia),
Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida),
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum),
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis),
Large-Flowered Beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)
Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve),
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium),
Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense),
June Grass (Koeleria macrantha).

I plan to move some plants from my backyard and purchase between 16 and 40 more plants this spring. I will be keeping my eye out for the following species. Some of these are shade tolerant, I will try them under the crabapple tree:

Doll’s Eyes (Actaea pachypoda),
Pasque Flower (Anemone patens),
Prairie Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta),
Wild White Indigo (Baptisia alba),
Cream White Indigo (Baptisia bracteata),
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea),
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida),
Cream Gentian (Gentiana flavida),
Prairie Allumroot (Heuchera richardsonii),
Upland White Goldenrod (Oligoneuro album),
Fragile Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia fragilis),
Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea),
Prairie Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata),
Long-Beaked Sedge (Carex sprengelii),
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).

Removing your lawn: There are a number of ways to remove your lawn. Many of them are covered here . An internet search will also bring up video instructions.

Removing my lawn: I opted to use two methods to remove my lawn. On one section, I will remove my lawn by renting a manual sod cutter also known as a sod kicker. On a second section, I will use the sheet mulching technique with paper / cardboard. I will place the turf grass that I remove with the sod cutter on top of the paper / cardboard section. That way, I have a section that is ready to plant now and a section that will be ready to plant later. The paper will not blow away and the topsoil I removed with the sod cutter will not be wasted.

Getting Started: Before you dig, don’t forget that you should contact https://www.gopherstateonecall.org/ to have your underground utilities located.

I hope you feel ready to create your new sunny garden. You can follow my February, March, April and May blog to complete your: time and money budget; top down plan with bed design; plant list with vendors and locations; edging and mulch selection.

Planting: The plants should be planted at ground level never deeper. The mulch can be pulled away from the base of the plants if the plants are small. I recommend 1” to 2” of mulch. Be sure to keep the young plants watered because they do not yet have deep roots. Watch out for weeds. One of the advantages of planting a group of the same species together is that the planting pattern can help you tell your baby plants from your baby weeds.

Garden Chores:

Now that the weather is consistently warm you can clean up your leaves and stems from last year. I let mine lay where they land or I move them to our compost pile.
Plant your herbs and veggies
Plant your annual seeds. For example I plant sunflowers, Mexican sunflower and zinnia for the butterflies. (And the people)

Good Luck!

Part 5- June Prep & Planting

Preparing the beds: Last month, I mentioned that I planned to remove 280 square feet of sod using a rented sod kicker. Things did not go as smoothly as I imagined; it was more difficult to kick the blade forward than it was 20 years ago. I felt it in my knees and hips. I removed over 100 square feet of sod in just over 2 hours. Over the next three weeks, I continued to remove sod a little at a time, with a shovel. I placed the sod on top of the layered paper to smoother the next section of lawn.

Plants: On May 20, I picked up my 84 pre-ordered plants at the Burnsville Native Plant Market. I also purchased 2 each of Meadow Blazing Star Liatris ligulistylis; Fringed Puccoon Lithospermum incisum; and Hoary Puccoon Lithospermum canescens. I placed all the plants in the shade of a tree and kept them watered.

Working a few hours a day, it took over two weeks to get everything planted. It was slow because I was removing lawn as I planted and I was spending time planting vegetables and weeding in other garden areas. After almost 3 weeks, all the plants look great with the exception of the whorled milkweed. I might have overwatered it or a critter gave it a taste test. I thought I was down to 5 out of 8 plants but now I see some of them are starting to regrow.

Planting: While laying out the new path through my existing bed, I needed to transplant about a dozen plants. Some of the plants were split in two others in to four. The transplanted pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida and little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium are not responding well to being transplanted. But, it has been hot so I will give them more time to rebound.

I lined the edge of the smaller bed with brick and got good feedback from neighbors and friends. I will probably continue edging with bricks but I am not sure when the edging will be completed. My friend who was going to rent a chipper shredder does not have time to do that now; so, I need to find an alternate source of mulch or plant cover. We have a very small chipper that chips branches up to about a one inch diameter. I used chips from that machine for the path but I don’t have enough small material to chip to finish all the paths and beds. Due to jumping worms, which I mentioned in an earlier blog, bringing dirt or mulch into our yard makes me very nervous. I have not yet decided on a solution. The downside to not putting mulch down right away is weeds. Hoeing can take care of a good portion of the weeds but that is only a temporary solution.

New bed in the foreground. Smothering sod with paper weighted down with sod pieces in the background.

Costs:

Plants $215.00 plus $48

Sod kicker rental $25

Bricks

Plastic pots: Now that the plants are in, I have a pile of plastic pots. I can wash and sterilize them to use next year or I can recycle them. According to the company websites, both Home Depot and Lowe’s recycle plastic pots. I took mine to the Bloomington Home Depot on American Blvd. actual address is 400 West 79th street. I drove around the Garden side of the building and the recycling location was not obvious. I was told to leave my pots on the empty racks on the side of the building. As more people leave pots to be recycled, the location should become more obvious.

Garden Chores for June and July:

1. Weed

2. Water

3. Mulch or plant ground cover plants

4. Recycle pots

5. Add additional plants; as needed, as an experiment, or just for fun

Wishing everyone a great gardening summer!

Part 6- October - Summer Recap and Fall Plan

Drought: We had a hot dry summer and before the recent rain, parts of my garden were showing the impacts of drought. I spent many early mornings watering my new plantings in the front yard, my existing plantings in the backyard, the young trees, my raised vegetable garden, and my patio annuals. After several years of summer drought, I’ve had a number of species dry up or simply disappear. Species that I did not see this summer include Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana); and Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica).

I’ve decided not to replace species that do not thrive without consistent watering. I may move some of the drought stressed species to one area that I can easily water during times of low rainfall. Moving forward, I plan to make sure the plants I purchase can thrive in medium-dry soils.

Hardscape and Paths: I have not completed any of the paths due to two factors. First, July and August were too hot to transplant the plants that are in the way of the future path. Second, my source for wood chips did not work out and I hesitate to purchase wood chips that might have jumping worm eggs. When it cools down, I will transplant the plants that are in the pathway and lay bricks along the edges. I hope I will have wood chips from my own yard in the near future.

Lawn Removal and Weeds: In the areas where I dug up lawn, planted natives and then added wood chips; I needed to do only minor weeding. In areas where I did not add wood chips or mulch, I had a great crop of crabgrass which was fairly easy to pull when the plants were young. It has not returned a second time.

In areas where I piled the lawn turf on top of paper, I had two very different results. Where the removed lawn was healthy and without crabgrass, the clumps have dried up and can now be composted or incorporated back into the soil. The lawn clumps that contained crabgrass have developed into a thick crop of crabgrass that is difficult to pull from the clumps. Now unfortunately, I have crabgrass going to seed. I can’t mow over the clumps and remove the seed heads because the surface is too uneven. The idea of removing lawn from one area to hold down the paper (to smother a second area), only works if you have a healthy lawn (no crabgrass or weeds) to start with.

Trees and Shrubs: I have been watering the trees all summer and most are doing well. I lost most of the leaves on my pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) but after the recent rain it is looking better. I have been less attentive to the shrubs and several became stressed and they lost leaves early. This fall and possibly next summer, I will focus on watering the shrubs when I water the trees.

I now have native tree seedlings that need to be either transplanted or removed. The native seedlings include green ash, hackberry, sugar maple, silver maple, red oak, bur oak, black walnut and cottonwood. I also have non-native and invasive species like white mulberry, and Norway maple which I will remove. With such a great crop of seedlings, I do not plan to purchase any trees in the near future. I may replace some of my non-native shrubs (cotoneaster, lilac, spirea) with natives.

New Plantings: So far, I’ve had a 95% success rate with the native plugs I purchased this spring. The only plants that I lost were 3 whorled milkweed. Everything else looks good. The whorled milkweed plants that did survive bloomed and now have seed pods on them. All three aster species are either blooming or are about to bloom. I expect everything else to bloom next year.

Deadheading: I still need to deadhead species that spread excessively. I will leave the stems and foliage intact until the insect emerge late next May or early June.

My Actions for this fall

1. Decide location and shape of the “water more frequently area”.

2. Take note of which plants need to be moved to the area that I will water more frequently.

3. Transplant plants.

4. Purchase and lay brick on the edge of walkways

5. Water shrubs when I water trees.

6. Transplant or remove tree seedlings.

7. Weed.

8. Deadhead plants that reseed excessively. In my yard, that would include: Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata); Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis); and Big-leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla).

Bring Nature Home- Vicki's Shady Garden

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 22:41:28 GMT

A Soft Landings Planting Beneath a Keystone Tree

Connecting Habitat Neighbor-to-Neighbor

by Vicki Bonk

Part 1- February 2023 Part 2- March 2023 Part 3-April 2023 Part 4-May 2023 Part 5-October 2023

Part 1- February 2023

Now, is a very good time to consider spring planting plans. First, you can momentarily transport yourself to the spring greening and warming of the landscape. Secondly, you can get ready to make the most of the growing season soon to arrive.

We all begin our gardening plans at different places. I’ll relay our small, urban home plans to enhance our native plantings. We began growing native habitat in the late 90s. This year we’ve decided to do another Soft Landings Project, like the one pictured. For a wealth of valuable information about this inspirational vision of two Minnesota locals, working alongside Douglas Tallamy*, please visit https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/softlandings.html. Succinctly, the idea is to plant native species beneath keystone trees (those that support a significant number of butterfly and moth larvae), in order to allow these insects the opportunity to complete their life cycle. This shady planting also attracts and helps sustain a diversity of native pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds, throughout the year.

Here is our Northside Soft Landings Project site in May and September. The plantings are under a Pin Oak and an Autumn Blaze Serviceberry (cultivar). Plants were chosen to offer blooms throughout the season.

The spring bloomer list includes: Solomon’s Seal, Wild Columbine, Wild Geranium, Jacob’s Ladder, Meadow Rue, Jack-in-the Pulpit, Violets, Woodland Strawberry, Pennsylvania Sedge, Blood Root, Wild Ramps, Bellwort, Wild Ginger and Wild Blue Phlox.

Later in the year, Heart-leaved Aster, Big-leaved Aster and Zig-zag Goldenrod show up among the present Lady Ferns, Maiden Hair Ferns and sedge varieties.

These plants thrive in our increasingly shady yard. The same plant species are prevalent in nearby wild areas along the Mississippi River. I have found this selection works quite well so the plan is to extend more on the increasingly shady southside that lies heavily shaded under our neighbor’s Sugar Maple. Since the neighbor is on board, we’ll plant in her yard too! This location of our next Soft Landings project is indeed, connecting and growing habitat!

Watch a Douglas Tallamy video about native keystone plants.

https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Resources/native-keystone-plants

A photo shows the Soft Landings pictured previously. In front, is a sloped rock retaining wall, constructed with local limestone. Importantly, there is signage that tell passersby what this landscape is about - HABITAT! We maintain clean but natural edges.

We also have a GROW HABITAT Free Info Box, conveniently located next to the sidewalk.

Here’s the lay of the land:

We have no lawn, basically “green mulch” is provided by low groundcovers including Blue and Canada Violets, Woodland Strawberries and Wild Ginger.
Fallen leaves are left as mulch to rebuild the soil, help retain moisture and provide insect habitat.
Future plantings will be additionally mulched by oak leaves from nearby, as well as the maple.
Log habitat features are in this area, now hidden under the snow.
Native plants, preferring part-shade to shade growing conditions, here now include: Heart-leaved Aster, Zig-Zag Goldenrod, Elm-leaved Goldenrod, American Bellflower, Thimbleweed, Oval Sedge, Alumroot, Poke Milkweed, Lady’s Fern, Jack-in-the Pulpit, Wild Ramps. Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle is on a sunnier edge.
A number of plants requiring more sun are here but not thriving. This area received more sun in earlier days before the maple shade grew. The species include Wild Bergamot, Culver’s Root, Brown-eyed Susan, New England Aster, and Common Milkweed. There was a Red-twigged Dogwood with changing conditions so we reluctantly removed last fall. We will eventually relocate plants not doing well.
We are seeking native species to plant here that can tolerate drier soil conditions. Our soil is a little sandy and droughtier conditions have prevailed the last few years. Climate change is happening and we’re going to plant accordingly.
We are looking for an understory tree or shrub to plant. Being considered at the moment, is the native Witch Hazel that is tolerant to a range of sun and soil conditions. It has ornamental value and the yellow flowers bloom in late fall, attracting the few remaining pollinators. Nice to end the season on a colorful bloom note!
We did some Winter Sowing in containers this year that included Short’s Aster, a shady aster new to our yard and to be planted here.
Next step is looking for plants to add diversity. A go-to resource is Prairie Moon Nursery catalog and is also online. https://www.prairiemoon.com We’ll be ordering their Bellwort for a dormant bare roots delivery. Their catalog helps me document and select our list of yard plants. We are fortunate to have many native plant nurseries in the area and we seek their offerings often. Wild Ones Twin Cities has many resources including a nursery guide and design templates. http://www.wildonestwincities.org
Additional resources, including planting templates and plant lists, can be found on BWSR's Lawns to Legumes website
During the next month, will be making further plans and selections!

Workshop?

If there is interest, we could do an in-person workshop on design and plant selection. Please email Sue if you are interested in attending a workshop at our chapter.

Part 2- March 2023

Recap: This is the second article on the habitat gardening plans to augment a shady understory area beneath our neighbor’s Sugar Maple that extends into our bit of Minneapolis urban land. It’s a process! To learn more about Soft Landings and the project refer to the March blog.

A 2023 native plant catalog arrived in the mailbox today, and brought with it, a refreshed outlook. The cover photo featured American Bellflower (Campanula americana), whose deep blue blooms were being visited by the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis). Double wow! This bellflower is not to be confused with the highly invasive Creeping Bellflower, (Campanula rapunculoides), seen throughout our area and zeroing in right next door. The captivating cover resonated on two opposing fronts. First, the American Bellflower does well in shade and is a welcome addition to a Soft Landings planting. Secondly, the Creeping Bellflower persists in my neighbor’s yard and managing this ecologically troublesome plant, is difficult and time consuming. * A job for the pitchfork, then down on your hands and knees, to dig through soil searching for every last remnant of the plant. (Our Chapter Caretaker, Paul Erdmann has renamed Creeping Bellflower- Creeping “Hellflower” and notes that it is one of the worst weeds at the Chapter, and it was likely planted by some good intentioned, but clueless, person). In that one glance at the catalog cover, I went through the glory and the pain of stewarding land. Yet not to be discouraged by creeping bellflower but encouraged by the potential our bit of land connecting with neighbor’s has now and can hold in the future.

Plant Considerations

With plant selection, I look into four main areas: what to keep, what to add, what to manage (reduce or remove) and what do we especially wish to see take place at our place. What plants to keep are often those that are thriving. Why are they doing so well? What are the plant requirements in terms of light and soil conditions? How are they part of a developing plant community and what wildlife are they inviting? What plants to add, looks at the present plant community with an eye to what is realistically possible and then asks what is missing in seasonal blooms, in wildlife benefit, in canopy level (groundcover, plant heights, shrubs, tree) and design interest. What plants to reduce or remove, considers what over-zealous plants might be hindering a more biodiverse plant community and whether invasive plants are present that require management. Finally, a heartfelt look at what you enjoy having around your homeland, serves to inspire the planning process and encourage your curiosity to learn more. Ask yourself, “what do I love and want to see unfold on my bit of land”?

The Central Keystone Tree

This project centers on a Soft Landings planting beneath an existing mature Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), a keystone species, a native plant all-star, as in highly significant (and often critical) to their food web. How is the sugar maple ecologically valuable? Beginning with the indigenous people, many North Americans, have a long history of harvesting and enjoying maple syrup. We easily recognize the awesome value of the Sugar Maple’s spectacular fall color. Yet, many of the ecological services aren’t so obvious. Bees, butterflies, and birds also drink in the energy-giving sap. Maples flower in early spring, attracting a variety of bee species including mining, sweat, cellophane and mason. The leafy foliage serves as the host plant food for over 220 moth and butterfly species in our area alone. This is vital to these lepidoptera insects AND to the food web. The National Wildlife Fund states that 96% of U.S. terrestrial birds rely on insects supported by keystone plants. These birds require a fatty, protein-rich food source to feed their young and nothing tops juicy caterpillars. The maple fruit is eaten by adult songbirds. Many birds like to nest in the trees, right alongside their food sources. The fruit, buds and twigs are eaten by several mammals including deer, chipmunks, and squirrels. Decomposing maple leaves enrich the surrounding soil by raising the soil’s mineral content and making it less acidic. This gives plant roots increased access to nutrients and water. Maples help prevent erosion sequester carbon and help manage storm water runoff - all with their expansive root system. Much of this done, all in a day, quite quietly.

The Soft Landings project aims to plant specific natives, surrounding this tree, so that beneficial insects that begin their life cycle in the upper tree canopy, can complete their life cycle below. This planting will also build a healthier soil, provide moisture-retaining green mulch, give food and shelter for a variety of pollinators, beneficial insects and birds, and further carbon sequestration.

Plant Stories

More diverse and effective habitats have varying height levels where wildlife can interact to find food and shelter. The Sugar Maple is providing the tallest level. In our spatially limited setting, there is room for one understory tree or a tall shrub, a bit past the Maple canopy dripline and also for several short shrubs nearby. Within the dripline area, plants of various heights and shorter ground covers will complete the layered stories. Small seedlings only will be planted within the dripline, to avoid digging into the ground too deeply and disturbing the maple roots.

Understory Trees and Shrubs

Our site specifics of partial shade to full shade and medium to medium/dry soil, plus wildlife value, narrow plant selection choices. At this time, a strong contender for a larger attractive shrub is Round-leaved Dogwood (Cornus rugosa), which does well in drier soil and less sun while offering strong wildlife and ecological value. Here is Prairie Moon’s write-up “This woodland understory tree-like-shrub has full-season interest: lovely white clusters of flowers in spring, bushy green foliage in summer, attractive berry-like drupe clusters in fall, and yellow-green branches with reddish-purple markings that are striking against the white winter snow. Round-leaved Dogwood prefers thin canopies with dappled sunlight and woodland edges. Sometimes this Dogwood will grow from one branch, appearing more like a tree. Other times it will grow from multiple stems, appearing more like a shrub. Pruning will encourage a more dense, shrubby appearance.

The Round-leaved Dogwood is a great plant for insects and wildlife. It is one of the host species for the Spring Azure butterfly and Gossamer Wing butterfly. The fruits are eaten by multiple species of grouse, and the twigs are eaten by mammals like deer and rabbit. In some Eastern states, Round-leaved Dogwood is rare or endangered.”

We currently have one shorter shrub variety in this area, Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), an easy-to-grow shrub adaptable to many soil types and all light levels plus is drought tolerant. The flowers attract bumble bees, butterflies, moths and butterflies. Considering adding two more but need to factor growing spatial width since they are suckering plants. That could be an advantage on the sloped area. I bought this shrub at a new nursery in our Minneapolis neighborhood, The Agrarian, who have a good selection of natives.

Understory Forbs, Ferns, Sedges and Groundcovers

Awaiting the highly anticipated arrival of spring in our yard, means looking for the emergence of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria candensis), one of the first Minnesota native plants to bloom. The love of this plant influences some further understory planting deliberations. As the weather warms, we faithfully check the bloodroot progress from their leafy bed, happening anytime from late March to late April, depending on that year’s weather. Bloodroot has a sweet spot in our front rock garden’s north corner, nestled between Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) and Maidenhair Fern (Adiatum pedatum). The newly inspired gardening plan is for the trio to have a spot on the south corner of the rock garden, which extends into the Maple Soft Landing’s location. These plants could attractively bookend our urban lot. No rigidity but a continuity that could help organize the small space. The plan is to gently dig-up, then divide some of the wild ginger and maidenhair fern, just as they break soil in the spring, their best time to transplant. We’ll wait to transplant Bloodroot, their best transplant time is early summer, when the plant is starting to go dormant.

By propagating and transplanting natives that are growing well here, we are planting species that are suited to the site while saving money and avoiding plastic pot waste from purchased plants. There are other spring bloom plants that will be part of this plan. Wild Geranium and Solomon’s Seal will be divided and transplanted this spring. Jack-in-the Pulpit is better propagated from ripe seed gathered in early September. While Wild Columbine often produces seedlings, they don’t often transplant successfully, so will wait to collect seeds and winter sow for next year.

There is more on the Soft Landings plant wish list that will be either ordered bare root or purchased at a native plant nursery** or at one of the plant sales offered in the Twin Cities metro area this spring.*** I decided to see if a bare root, spring bloomer would be available now from Prairie Moon. Perusing their online catalog, I narrowed down to the best options that fit our site specifics, making good use of their filtering system (as Susan suggests, in her companion blog article). Plants were selected for our specifics: part-shade and shade, medium and medium-dry soil moisture, Minnesota native range, bloom time April - June, a range of heights, attractive to pollinators and birds, and finally, growing zone 4. Thirty-six plants presented themselves, but the choice narrowed to one - Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), an early spring bloomer, is shipped as a barre root plant, i.e. a dormant live root, packed in peat moss. This is what Prairie Moon had to say “Bellwort is an excellent early-blooming native shade plant for the woodland garden, shaded border front, wildflower garden or naturalized area. It spreads slowly by rhizomes so you can achieve a mass planting look under shade trees or along wood margins in a relatively short amount of time. The Bellwort flowers and leaves have an overall droopy appearance when in bloom. However, after seeds are set, the leaves of Uvularia take on a different look, somewhat like a needle threading the stem through the leaves…..Bumblebees, Mason bees, Halictid bees, and Andrenid bees feed from the nectar and collect pollen from the flowers which bloom April to May. Uvularia grandiflora is easily grown in average, well-drained soil in partial to full shade.” Our yard is home to several Bellworts on the northside Soft Landings. Now to introduce to the southside.

Several low-growing ground covers make their way around our yard, and I am grateful for their multiple ecological services. Common Blue Violet, Canada Violet, Pennsylvania Sedge, Ivory Sedge and Wild Strawberry stand out. These plants are valuable as insect host plants, wildlife food resources, green mulch, garden edging and more. This spring, I’ll be helping them meander to select spots, including to the Sugar Maple Soft Landings.

These are the current Soft Landings planting plans, top-to-bottom. More to grow on next month!

* The University of Wisconsin Extension has a pdf that offers several ways of managing creeping bellflower including the non-chemical method by thorough removal of all rhizomes and perennial roots.

** Most native plant nurseries are located outside of the city. I suggest taking this opportunity to visit natural areas near them, and to experience evolved native plant communities. Inspirational and educational! A visit to Outback Nursery then entails a trip to Grey Cloud Dunes, Landscape Alternatives then visit Interstate Park, Prairie Restorations on to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge - you get the idea!

*** At the Landscape Revival on June 10th, you can meet a number of growers, native plant experts and purchase plants in one place.

Part 3-April 2023

Native Plant Gardening is Habitat Gardening

The April Fool’s Day winter storm of 8.5” of heavy, wet snow probably didn’t take many Twin City natives - plants and people - by surprise. The clean, white blanket of snow decorating the landscape was beautifully awesome and increased water tables suffering from a few years of drought. Unfortunately, the weight of the thick snow coating was too much for many tree and shrub limbs. The neighbor Sugar Maple lost a couple of large limbs yet should weather the damage.

The storm-downed tree limbs in the neighborhood did offer the opportunity to find a few sculptural tree limbs to add to the new Soft Landings site. Besides adding natural interest, the wood is a beneficial insect habitat feature.

On March 28th, 2023, my son took this photo of a newly eclosed Black Swallowtail, seen at his Rushford MN farm, an hour’s drive from the TC area. Insects over-winter in a variety of forms and ways. The Black Swallowtail, shown here, overwinters as a chrysalis and could be hidden among plant stems & branches, under an eave or another protected spot. Please, Do Not Disturb!

The juxtaposition of these two MN occurrences underscores a vital habitat point in spring gardening. As far as hands-on-gardening goes, take it slow & easy until mid-May. April and early May are good times to observe what is coming up in your yard and think further about the landscape you envision. Don’t rake and tromp around on wet soil. Prune with caution, looking for hidden chrysalis and more. Maintaining a native garden is like traditional gardening in some ways but has essential differences that place us within nature. How to care for plantings in a way that recognizes leaf litter, stems, and grass clumps as homes for beneficial wildlife and still have a tended, manageable landscape? How to encourage a local ecology to thrive? How to know when to step aside, observe what is happening and let the process unroll?

This is a Great Spangled Fritillary caterpillar that overwinters as a tiny caterpillar on or near violets, their only host plant. No violets=no fritillaries. So don’t mess with the violets in the spring! Photo by Sara Bright, Alabama Butterfly Atlas, used with permission.

Useful PDFs: a US Forest Service colorful habitat garden diagram “Attracting Pollinators to Your Yard Using Native Plants” and an article written by me, "Spring and Fall Habitat Garden Care for Pollinator Conservation” for the Nokomis Naturescape.

Further Plant Considerations

Planning early helps one mull the choices. As stated last month, we will make use of plants proliferating and what flourishes. This will add a nice continuity joining our yard with our neighbor’s. We’ll see what the next month brings in transplanting from our yard to next door.

When choosing plants for within the maple tree’s dripline, it is vital to plant small seedlings so tree root disturbance is minimal - use a trowel and plant 3 feet away from the trunk (more info on Soft Landings).

We will also enjoy spreading something newer to the landscape, such as Bellwort (commonly called “Merry Bells” which you give you the idea they are delightful plants). The bare root plants are expected to arrive from Prairie Moon soon.

In the next month, I’m envisioning a couple of native plant nursery trips, to Outback Nursery for shrubs and a wildflower hike in nearby Grey Cloud Dunes to look for Pasque flowers and also to Prairie Restoration in Princeton with a jaunt to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge’ s Wildlife Drive.

Sue Van Baerle and I will both have tables at Wild Ones Twin Cities “Spring Native Plant Resource Fair” at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, on April 18th, 6-8pm. Come by and say “hi” and see all that the gathering has to offer. Bush Lake Izaak Walton will be represented too! Click here for more info.

Part 4 - May 2023

One of the biggest perks of being a native plant habitat gardener is welcoming back the overwintering plants, seeing who’s there, how they fared and observing who is visiting them. What’s not to love about this time of fresh greenery, early bloomers, arriving insect life and migrating birds?

At our home front, the existing Soft Landings (SL), is doing wonderfully and looking like the established, dynamic native plant community we intended. This SL acts as a template and a plant resource center for the new planting. In the rock garden along the public sidewalk, we added plant ID signs and also have a Habitat Garden Info box. This week we learned that a couple on the block is adding a pollinator native plant boulevard and were influenced by our yard and available info. Now that’s encouraging!

The new shady Soft Landings is of special interest with the goal of documenting the existing plant life, further consider new additions and design options. The area under the maple in our neighbor’s yard is returning nicely. Plants from our yard were allowed to spread in previous years, either on their own or with a little two-legged help. There is the expected meandering of wild ginger, wild geranium, zig-zag goldenrod, heart-leaved aster, and common blue violets. The ostrich fern had spread, surprisingly more this year. They are delightful in spring/early summer yet tend to dry out as the season progresses. This may not be the best place for them but they’re staying put now. The unwanted creeping Charlie and tree seedlings were sparse and easily manageable. Notably, the sloped area with west sun exposure, had a thriving population of migrated and robust thimbleweed.

The early May plan included augmenting this area with several species of early spring blooming transplants from our garden; Wild Ginger, Wild Geranium and Solomon’s Seal. I planted about thirty small starts that would require little digging and maple root disturbance. The Solomon’s Seal will stand tall next to the tree trunk, the Wild Ginger went to a bare “mound” and the Wild Ginger at base of slope near the log and rail tie border, that also serves as a narrow gardening walkway.

When transplanting the wild geranium, I heard a familiar buzz and immediately knew this had to be a queen bumble bee. Sure enough, there she was and I had the opportunity to take a photo with the handy-dandy cellphone. How reaffirming! Our garden areas are effective queen overwintering sites. One suspected site was where I was - the rail tie and small log border that is acts as a fallen leaf catch basin. I will tread carefully here and was reminded to add a few stepping stones to make that easier. Knowing the life cycle of garden inhabitants helps one learn what to look for and then find ways to safeguard their homes.

Weaving throughout and showcased on the edges of the Soft Landings planting, are species that serve beautifully as Green Mulch, a term to signify a low-growing planting that holds moisture and soil in place. Click here to learn about Green Mulch. Our SL sites will hold about a half dozen plant varieties including woodland sedges.

The search continues for a smaller variety understory tree or shrub, a keystone species that is either a dogwood or serviceberry. This will be a focal point of the Soft Landings edge that extends into our yard. We are looking for a 2 gallon size shrub or 5 - 7 gallon tree, larger size for more immediate presence. There is something to be said for planting smaller/younger, as to allow the plant to mature in place, yet have to admit, I am looking forward to having a bit of show here. For now, am in a holding pattern, since native plant nursery options are very limited at this time.

The week ahead holds a few opportunities to research and to add plant selections. First, Wild Ones Twin Cities is offering a program on Tuesday May 16th, is “A - Z on Sourcing Minnesota Plants”. This program may attended in-person, watched in zoom or taken in later via YouTube. Then, on Saturday, May 20th, will head to Burnsville Native Plant Market to explore possibilities and then on to Sogn Valley native plant sale to pick up a preorder, maybe be persuaded by a few more plants and then on to Nerstrand Woods State Park for inspiration.

Part 5-October 2023

The 3rd Summer of Drought: The entire summer was over-shadowed by the dreadful drought’s ongoing toll on plant life and the accompanying concerns of what’s ahead in our changing climate. Finally, the Minneapolis area received substantial rain at the end of September, more than we experienced all summer long. The land and our souls soaked in the healing water. While more rain is sorely needed to make up the deficit, plant life now has a fighting chance going into the winter season.

The small size of our urban lot gave us the ability to water judiciously and purposefully to keep the plants blooming and seeding for wildlife and to relieve the stress on trees, an essential part of the water cycle. Additionally, the Soft Landings shade plantings themselves act as a protective green mulch (see Part 4 above) to retain moisture.

Our neighbor is quite enthused about the Soft Landings project and proudly made a Facebook post about it!

Drought Hardy Plants: Late summer and early fall is the time of goldenrods and asters. Our yard is heavily sprinkled with the wandering lavender-hued heart-leafed and large-leafed asters, that happily mingle with the yellow zig-zag and elm-leafed goldenrods. I enjoy the colorful continuity and so do the pollinators. Truly our yard is abuzz with this diversity of pollinator life. We definitely see more condensed insect life here, now, than any other landscape we enter. I am compiling a photo journal, together with a list of those invertebrates we can now call by name. (See the photo of a bumble bee looking at the Four-toothed Wasp. Earlier this summer, we reported a siting of this wasp, that may be the first record in Minnesota! )

These deeply appreciated plants are quite drought resilient. In certain areas of our yard, where they actually seeded themselves, I thankfully observed, that they did not require additional watering. To note, these were locations receiving the softer east morning sunlight and shaded from the harsher west afternoon sun. These species find themselves right at home in our urban yard, as they do nearby, in Mississippi River area parks. They are signature plants in my perspective.

Late Spring/Summer Plantings: The Soft Landings was augmented with the following purchased plants: bottle brush grass, wild columbine, fox sedge, large leaved aster, large bellflower and notably a downy serviceberry, a small understory tree. The following species were transplanted: wild ginger, wild geranium, maiden hair fern, common blue violets, wild strawberry, Jacob’s ladder, and meadow rue. The Short’s aster planted, was a container winter-sowed species. All were checked on frequently and watered when needed, essential practice for the new arrivals. Again, all of these species are thriving in nearby natural areas and like our yard too. Through the thirty years of tending our yard, these are the ones that fare best. I’m going along with that. Not to say, new species don’t make their way into the mix.

This year we planted a mistflower, a native found in bordering states yet often introduced to native gar-dens here. This pretty plant appears to like it near our birdbath, therefore we’re considering planting more. What was an endearing clincher for us, was the observation of a common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) nectaring on the flowers (photo below). She appeared to be a gyne, an inseminated female who will overwinter and become next year's queen. I'm not 100% sure, but she is larger than other bumbles currently foraging and close to that time of year. Her fall job is to build up winter fat stores when there are the resources. All other bumbles that are not gynes will die as the weather cools. This is their last hurrah and our yard is giving them a nice send-off, among their comrades, with favorite last meals of aster and goldenrod. The population depends on the gynes and undisturbed nesting sites.

Fall Plantings: Often overlooked for planting, autumn is an optimal time to do so. Newly planted seedlings first develop their root system and this continues over the winter season. Plants have a healthy head start and can concentrate on the above ground growth in the coming spring. Another plus, after thorough watering (or rain) your work is done and nature takes over for the winter. This fall, I still plan to add more wild geranium, wild ginger, violets, Solomon’s seal and large-leaved aster - all divided from our yard. We have a beautiful lime-colored hosta, that I may divide as well. This non-native plays fair, doesn’t take over and could act as an orderly anchor in a garden corner. We have in our front rock garden and added to our neighbors yard would add to the organic feeling of flow we are striving for with the plants.

Over Winter: Our Soft Landings plantings are at their blooming best in the spring and fall. My assignment this winter is to research how to fill the summer gap. Our yard has been transitioning into less and less sun. There remains one large barren area that I’ve had yet to concede to this fact. This winter, the hope is to develop another plan of planting action. For your own winter planting plans, I invite you to check out Wild Ones Twin Cities resource page. There are many sources of inspiration, a personal favorite is the Prairie Moon catalog. I can mark up the pages with various colored highlighters to develop a plan that considers what I have and what would be complimentary.

Enjoy the fall colors cast in the most complimentary angle of sunlight.

Bring Nature Home- Sue's Sunny Garden

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 21:49:05 GMT

Bring Nature Home- Sue's Sunny Garden

by Sue Van Baerle

Part 1- Garden Planning & Design (Feb. 2023)
Part 2- Mulch, Edging, Paths, And Plant Selection (March 2023)

Part 1- Garden Planning & Design

How to Plan the size of your new garden and guesstimate costs

How many plants and the size of a new garden depends on the amount of time, energy and money you want to put into your project. If you plan for just plant plugs and mulch you can guesstimate $6/square foot in costs. If you want to include high cost species, new trees, concrete, natural stone edging, stepping stones, bird bath, fountain, sculpture or tool rental you will have those items as additional costs.

Time required can vary greatly. You could spend days or weeks researching and selecting plants, and days designing your bed lines. Or, you could purchase a kit where the plant selection and design layout have already been selected for you. Depending on your situation, you may need time to smother or remove existing vegetation, perhaps trench and install edging, transport your plants home, dig plant holes, plant and possibly add mulch or plant labels that document the species locations. After planting, you will need time to clean and recycle the plastic containers. And last, but not least, you will need time to water and weed into late fall. You may also want to take the time to collect and clean seeds so that you can expand your garden and trade seeds with friends for next year.

Plants: You don’t need to decide how big your garden will be right now but to give you an idea about garden size, we will look at two garden kits. This is one of several companies that sells garden kits. https://www.prairiemoon.com/garden-kits.

There are other nurseries closer to the Twin Cities with garden kits available and there will be resources for finding them later in this article.

Example 1 Garden Kit- Pollinator Patch Garden Kit - 18 plants for $119.00 plus shipping

Covers 40 to 50 square feet (Example: 7’ by 7’ garden bed which is about the floor space in a small bathroom or walk-in closet.) https://www.prairiemoon.com/pollinator-patch

Example 2 Garden Kit- The Colossal Pollinator Garden Kit - 50 plants for $189.00 plus shipping

Covers 120 to 150 square feet (Example 11’ x 13’ garden bed or about the floor space in a dining room or guest bedroom.)

https://www.prairiemoon.com/colossal-pollinator-garden-kit-50-plants

If you opt to purchase Individual plants, they are generally between $4.50 and $7.00 each. Depending on the species an individual plant might take less than 1 square foot or it might take 4 or more square feet. You can generalize at about 2 or 2.5 square feet per plant.

Create a rough sketches of your garden area

At this point, you do not need an accurate drawing of your new garden. Some quick sketches and an idea of your budget will help get you started. You can look up your address on Google Maps, zoom in and create a quick sketch your house and garden area. Make a graphic to show North, South, East and West. As you plan your garden, it is better to start small, learn and add more plants next year. If you find you do not have enough time to water or weed, you may end up with more weeds than desired plants.

Designing your bed: Think of your early sketches not as a final design but as a way to figure out what you want. There is plenty of time to finalize garden size, shape and plants. Keep your money and time budget in mind as you decide on size. The size will also help you decide how many species you want to research. Additional resources, including planting templates and plant lists, can be found on BWSR's Lawns to Legumes website.

Thinking about what you want / need:

Here are just a few common questions to ask yourself.
Where do you currently walk to get to your shed, garage, patio etc?
Do you want straight bed lines, curved bed lines or a mixture?
What garden bed shape goes best with your home’s architecture?
Do you want to add: a tree, large shrub, sitting area, sculpture, or bird bath?
Do you want room for a vegetable garden?
Will you view the garden from a particular window?
Do you know where your underground utilities are? (More info later)
Does your new garden shape create a lawn area that would be difficult to mow?
Will the dog or your kids basketball end up in your garden?
Is your garden inside a fenced area?
Do you have problems with deer or rabbits?
What area is in sun and what area is in shade?

Sue’s garden plan: My garden needs to pass the "neighbor test" in an area of well manicured lawns. I want to be able to see over my plants to the street, so I am looking for shorter full sun plants with a few taller species to add variety.

I had two mature trees removed in 2019. The stumps were ground up and garden soil brought in to fill the low spots. (I will say more in another article about the current dangers of bringing in soil.) I started to transplant plants to the open ground without any plan; simply because it was easy. I had the plants and I did not have to remove lawn.

Sue’s tree sketches: In 2019, I created a sketch of where I might add trees. They are grouped together on the north side of the yard leaving a sunny area on the south side of the yard. I decided this sketch had too many trees and would shade the neighbor's yard. Instead, I chose to add two dwarf fruit trees and three native trees spread over the entire area.

In 2020, four oak trees sprouted in the open soil and an additional oak started in the spring of 2021. I decided to leave all five and change the design to accommodate them. In 2022, I wanted an unobstructed view from the front porch to the street. I also noticed that the prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) was spreading rapidly. I created another design to accommodate the young oaks, open the view, and move the coreopsis to the other side of the yard. The linear perimeter shape should make the garden look intentional and the rounded corners will make it easier to mow around. (See below for more sketches).

Sue’s Garden size and costs: I do not plan to use a garden kit this year because I already have many of the species offered in the garden kits. I am planning on adding between 50 and 200 square feet of garden space. So, I will need 20 to 100 plants at about $6.00 each plus tax or approximately $120 to $600 in plants. I may rent a chipper and create mulch with a friend of mine who will transport the chipper. Rental is between $125 and $250 depending on hours / days rented. I will use the chips on new and old paths and beds. I plan to continue using bricks on the walkway.

Sue’s $ Price tag: For 50 square feet of garden the total estimated cost for plants, mulch and walkway bricks is a wishful thinking low of $270.00 ($120 plants + $125 chipper rental + $25 bricks with no edging). It would be less expensive to purchase bags of mulch but I will use additional mulch to refresh other paths and gardens.

For 200 square feet with extras, the high estimated cost is $1,200 ($600 plants + $250 chipper rental + $50 bricks plus $300 extras - tree or shrubs, bird bath, edging outside perimeter of garden.) I can now use these estimated costs to decide how much larger I want to make the garden this year.

Time and energy Price tag: (this is a giant guesstimate)

The amount of time and physical energy depends in part on how I decide to kill / remove the lawn, how much buckthorn I mulch, and if I decide to add edging. It also depends on how long I research plants, how far I drive to pick them up. I will need to lay bricks, lay out the plants, plant, mulch, create labels, clean and recycle empty containers. The lawn removal, plant installation, mulching and clean up will hopefully take 3 hours a day for 3 (50 sq feet) to 12 days (200 sq. Feet).

Look at Plant Catalogs:

Bush Lake is USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4B which is often simplified to Zone 4. There are many great nurseries with websites in our area. I chose to use Prairie Moon as an example because it has a large offering and extensive search filters.

A list of other native plant nurseries can be found at the Wild Ones Twin Cities website http://www.wildonestwincities.org/p/resources_20.html

Bluethumb https://bluethumb.org/plants/ is another good search engine for plant species information. Additional local resources can be found at the Wild Ones Prairie Edge website. https://www.wildonesprairieedge.org/resources.html

To have a native plant garden, you will want to double check that a plant is native to our area. At the Prairie Moon website, you can open up the range map on each species to see where in Minnesota each species is native. There are filters for Sun Exposure, Soil Moisture, Native Range (with a dropdown for Minnesota), Bloom Time, Bloom Color, Height, Advantages, and USDA Zone. You will not need the Germination Code unless you plan to purchase seeds.

Sue’s search filters example: https://www.prairiemoon.com/plants/

Category - no selection or 3 Packs (no selection includes species available as seeds only)
Sun Exposure - Full
Soil Moisture - Medium Dry (I want minimum watering and I have sandy loam and a slope)
Native Range - Midwest (with a dropdown select Minnesota),
Bloom Time - no selection
Bloom Color - no selection
Height - zero to 3’
Advantages - the house with the heart (recommended for home gardens) and the Deer with the line through it. (Deer are less likely to eat)
USDA Zone - 4

The results from this filtered search give me a great place to start looking at the shorter plant species that will work in my front yard. I’ll change search criteria, for example, I’ll select Bird Favorite and Bee Favorite. Don’t forget to click on the species and open up the Range Map for each species. You may want to start by looking up the species that come in a kit. The kits will familiarize you with some of the most popular natives for home gardens. Learning everything about all the natives can be very time consuming. Keep in mind the amount of space, time and money you want to budget. How many species do you want to add this year?

Good Luck and Happy Garden Planning

Workshop?

If there is interest, we could do an in person workshop on design and plant selection in March or April. Please email Sue if you are interested in attending a workshop at our chapter.

Rough Sketches of Bed Lines and Paths

Sketch- Curved single bed with path

Sketch- Island design with lawn paths

Sketch- Linear design

Sketch- More complete Linear design with curved paths

Sketch- Unobstructed view, Making room for oaks, intentional look, round corners for easier mowing

Part 2- Mulch, Edging, Paths, And Plant Selection

Mulch: You may want to mulch your new garden, or you could add a layer of ground cover plants to help stop weeds. Mulch also helps retain moisture, which helps your new plants. You can transport bags of mulch in a car. To transport larger quantities (by the cubic yard) you would use a pickup truck or pay to have mulch delivered. Unless you are ordering multiple cubic yards of mulch, delivery greatly increases the price per cubic foot. One popular mulch option is shredded bark mulch because the long strands tend to stay in place on a slopes when small chips would wash out of the bed. A bag of mulch generally holds 1.5 to 2 cubic feet and sells in box stores and garden centers for about $4.00 and up. A cubic foot of mulch is 1’ wide, 1’ deep and 1’ tall. One cubic foot of mulch applied 12 inches (1’) deep would cover one square foot of ground. If you apply mulch 4” or 1/3 of a foot deep; one cubic foot would cover 3 square feet, a 2 cubic foot bag would cover 6 square feet. Applied 2” deep or 1/6 of a foot; one cubic foot would cover 6 square feet, and a 2 foot cubic bag of mulch would cover 12 square feet. In general, most native plant gardeners do not add mulch after plants are established. Plants will fill in and die back, creating their own mulch. We also have many ground nesting pollinators, and adding mulch year after year can make it difficult for them to nest. Avoid dyed mulch or treated mulch- the dye usually washes off in the first rain and can contain other things that are bad for our environment. With mulch, the more natural, the better.

Cubic Yard of Mulch: One cubic yard of mulch is 3’ wide x 3’ deep x 3’ tall (3 x 3 x 3 = 27) so 1 cubic yard of mulch equals 27 cubic feet of mulch.

Example: A 10’ x 12’ garden has 120 square feet of space. Covered 4” deep in mulch, it would need (120 / 3 = 40) 40 cubic feet of mulch. To convert from cubic feet to cubic yards, 40 cubic feet / 27 cubic feet per cubic yard = 1.48 cubic yards of mulch. You would purchase 1.5 cubic yards of mulch.

Edging: If you want to add plastic, bricks, or aluminum edging, you will have to add that cost. Plastic edging lasts a long time but takes effort to dig the trench and install. You can purchase it coiled or in long straight pieces. If you are doing lots of long straight borders, straight pieces are easier to work with. If you want a long continuous curve, the coiled edging comes in much longer pieces. When you want to remove edging from your garden, it pulls out but can have permanent bends making it hard to reuse and hard or impossible to recycle. Sunny beds surrounded by lawn are more likely to need edging than shady gardens, due to the speed the lawn will spread into your garden. You can go without any edging if you have the time to dig / repair a small trench between the garden and lawn two or three times a summer. Prices for plastic edging vary greatly as does the size and thickness of the plastic. Prices start at about $.65 a running foot and go up over $1.50 a running foot. Bricks and concrete edging start at a similar price per running foot. Prices for natural stone are much higher.

Sue’s mulch plan: Ground cover plants will be added, but I’m not yet sure which species. I currently have native strawberry which is spreading quickly through the bed and right out into the lawn. I am OK with that, but my neighbor may not be happy about that. In planting areas where I decide to use mulch, I will apply it 2” deep. It only needs to stop the weeds until the plants fill in and shade the ground. I will also apply mulch to the garden path. I plan to rent a chipper and chip a friend’s buckthorn to use as mulch. I plan to only use the buckthorn mulch in the paths, as that nasty buckthorn is allelopathic, which means it exudes chemicals that prevent other plants from growing. Buckthorn mulch may have the same effect. My cost will be the expenses of renting a chipper and my time to chip and move the mulch. See my caution about jumping worms at the end of this month’s entry.

Sue’s edging plan: I have tried plastic edging, bricks laid on top of my sandy loam soil, edging and bricks laid together, and digging a small trench around the garden beds. Sometimes the bricks look terrible because critters dig beneath and move them around. I generally re-lay them the second year and sometimes again after 4 or 5 years. The plastic edging and brick laid together stays in place much longer but is harder to change. I no longer want to purchase plastic that may end up in a landfill, so I will continue to build the walking path with bricks. I can easily pick the bricks up and change the paths. I also use the bricks (or a garden hose) to help me think through where the path will go next year.

I already have garden cloth to put under the mulch to slow down the weeds. If I needed to purchase garden cloth this year, I would try natural burlap. This website has garden tools and supplies including burlap. I don’t know how long it will last.

About 15 years ago, I decided on a smaller red and black brick that would be easy for me to move well into old age. I went with a standard brick from Patio Town in the hopes that I would be able to match it for years to come.

I just checked and Patio Town still offers the same 6.25” x 3” brick at $.58 cents each, or with sales tax $1.25 per linear foot. The new extended walkway will be 10’ to 20’ long. To edge both sides, I will need 20 to 40 running feet of brick costing a total of $25 to $50.00. I can fit 100 bricks in my SUV, so I do not need to pay for delivery.

Plant Selection: Last month, I covered how to do a plant species search with the Prairie Moon website, and I pointed to websites that list additional suppliers. Some of these vendors are closer to, or they travel to the Twin Cities for native plant markets. Prices will vary and you would not have to pay for shipping.

The Burnsville Native Plant Market is on May 20. Their website includes links to vendors that will be at that market. Each vendor website has a list of species and prices. Most, but not every species is native to the Twin Cities. These sales tend to be crowded and plants can sell out, so you may want to pre-order. Not all vendors offer the ability to pre-order.

At the Blazing Star Gardens website, I also found dates for native plant markets in Edina and Oakdale. These sales will have multiple vendors but I could not yet find websites for those plant markets.

The size of the plugs/pots may vary. The smaller the plug, the less expensive it is, but the more care (watering) it may require in the first few weeks. The later the sale, the longer the plant has had to grow and develop roots, but the more likely the selection will be picked over.

Sue’s Plant Selection Plan: From the results of my search, I have started a list of species for my garden. My list is too long, so I will scratch some species off after more research. My reasons to delete a species include being a favorite of rabbits, needing acidic soil (which I do not have), getting too tall, spreading too fast, or not being able to find a supplier. My reason to keep a species include that it is good for birds or pollinators, blooms for a long period of time, is well behaved, and I like the way it looks.

I am trying to fit my native plants into a front yard surrounded by well-manicured lawns, so I will try to make it look more like a garden bed and less like a wild prairie. I will group multiple plants of each species together. I need to decide how many of each species makes a nice size grouping. Because Prairie Moon has a huge plant selection, I will likely purchase some plugs from them.

I have been to several local native plant markets and really enjoy the energy but find them crowded and probably not the place to decide what you want. I plan to pre-order additional plugs, most likely from a vendor that will be at the Burnsville Plant Market where I will go pick them up.

Jumping Worms - Mulch, Compost, Soil and Plant Exchanges: An invasive species called jumping worms is now in our area. Jumping worms are terrible and you don’t want them. They eat everything and will turn your soil to loose coffee grounds. They can be brought to your yard as adult worms or as tiny eggs in soil, compost, or mulch. Plant exchanges in our area are being curtailed because jumping worms can be spread in the soil of plants you exchange. The plugs you purchase will likely be grown in a greenhouse where you are less likely to get jumping worms. You may want to ask the vendor about their materials and process. The most common control is heat treating the material. For example, making sure that compost or soil reaches a temperature that will kill the jumping worms and their eggs.

More info on jumping worms:

MN DNR

University of Minnesota Extension

Video example of jumping worm - U of M project website

Sue’s Mulch, Compost, Soil and Plant Exchange Plan: Because of jumping worms, I do not plan to bring compost or soil into my yard. I will purchase plugs from well-known growers, and I will make my own mulch from an area that has no known jumping worms. I stopped exchanging plants with friends several years ago, but I continue to exchange seeds.

For next month - Some decisions - to order plugs in April, or pick them up in May or June, you will want to know the number of plants you need. After the snow melts, you will want to tape measure or step off the size of your garden area. Keep in mind that things may still change. For example, you may have underground utilities marked and decide not to plant on top of them; you may run into concrete or a boulder just below the soil surface; or the plant vendors may sell out of one of the species you want. Then you create Plan B because lots of options will work out well.

Bush Lake Chapter Awards - 2017-2022

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 21:30:00 GMT

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2022

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2022.

Susan Van Baerle has been a member of our Chapter and on our Board of Directors for several years. Paul E. "I can’t remember when I first met Sue, but it was years ago, and we immediately hit it off with our shared interest of plants and wildlife. I finally got her to join the Chapter- and shortly after that, our board. In the last few years, she has been indispensable in our efforts to restore the Chapter property, as well as our education and outreach events. She is always quick to volunteer and contribute when asked. Sue and her husband, Robin, constructed new mallard hen houses after the other ones were destroyed by flooding- something that had been on the list of things to do for some time. They risked life and limb installing them in East Bay Pond this past spring, and there may have been some breaking through the ice and into the muck during the installation. We thank Robin, for his efforts and for the support he gives to Sue. For her outstanding contributions to the Chapter, the Volunteer of the Year Award goes to Sue Van Baerle. Thank you, Sue, for all of your great work!"

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- This award is named after our old neighbor, Gordy Bratsch, who was the “unofficial caretaker”- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean and the Chapter running smoothly. This award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

No two individuals have contributed more to the ongoing viability and betterment of the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America during the last decade than Elizabeth and Paul Erdmann. The Erdmanns have been our Chapter’s caretakers for the last 12 years. During that time, they helped transition our Chapter from an emphasis on the beach to a focus on environmental sustainability. For the last 12 years they have been the eyes, ears, and heart of our property.

Through the years Liz and Paul have organized a host of member work projects. They have led buckthorn removal and the painstaking replacement of invasive plants with thousands of native plants. They set up the Chapter fall and spring clean ups, supervised Eagle Scout projects, and led and participated in workshops, such as aquatic invasive species identification. Paul and Liz perform water sampling on Bush Lake every 10 days, spring-fall. Recently they went beyond the call of duty to remove a concrete block from the bottom of the lake, which had detached from the swim raft.

Paul has been the Chapter board secretary for many years. He authors the Chapter newsletter, Lake Winds. He manages our Facebook and Instagram accounts. Paul handles new member orientation and manages lodge reservations. Paul’s responsibilities extend well beyond the Chapter’s borders. He has served as a delegate for the Minnesota Division Izaak Walton League for many years. Paul’s career is also conservation related, working for the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Liz has also chosen a life of service. She is a high school English teacher at Jefferson High School in Bloomington. There she started and continues to advise the Jefferson HS Earth Corps. The group received the Bush Lake Chapter 2021 Youth Conservation Award.

We thank Liz and Paul for all of their hard work on behalf of our Chapter and their courageous forward-looking leadership in saving this planet. And they are just really great people!

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff or elected officials for their outstanding contributions to water quality, conservation, and the environment.

This year’s Public Good Award goes to Bill Grant

Jill C.: "It has been my pleasure to know Bill and support his work to advance our government’s renewable energy policy and action from dependency on polluting and climate warming fossil fuels to embracing energy efficiency and wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Getting legislation such as the Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water and Clean Air Acts passed was a challenging first step. Climate Change solutions demand action!

Bill Grant has been a strategical mastermind at taking on the daunting tasks to identify the barriers (such as Utilities and Fossil Fuel Companies) and develop the infrastructure of colleague organizations and allies with MEP member organizations, scientists, and other Taskforces working on a Clean Air agenda and facilitate their collaboration. Success required setting priorities, making hard decisions that impacted disgruntled colleagues, recognizing that funding sources were finite and focusing on efforts that would yield the most return to establish renewable standards, programs and goals. Sounds like days of heartburn!

An essential part of this daunting challenge was 10 years of negotiations with decision-makers at Xcel Energy.

Internally within the Izaak Walton League Bill ran the Midwest Office out of St. Paul, hired exceptional staff, and worked with Chapters and the National staff and Ike leadership. As the Windsource program was made available to allow Xcel Energy consumers to sign up for renewable sources for their electricity, Eric Jensen, Midwest Office Staff, participated in a program to ensure there actually was a new independent wind source for each person who signed up. This was critical to document the program’s accountability.

Bill gained the trust of MN legislators and worked with them to push for state legislation. These relationships were key to advancing Renewable Standards in MN.

Education to raise awareness and address the perceived barriers from utility companies was ramped up through Windustry Conferences in early 2000s, The Utility Companies felt it was impossible to predict and integrate variable energy sources into the grid as well as for consumer and business demand. The Conferences brought presentations by experts reporting on solutions in calculating those probabilities. CERT (Clean Energy Resource Teams) Conferences educated interested members of the public and enabled students to be engaged and talk about ways they reduced energy. Several MN Ikes attended these two-day informative bi-annual conferences. At other events Tribal nation members told their stories of the mercury impacts on their health from eating mercury contaminated fish, a staple of their diet. Another important partner was MN CEE (MN Clean Energy and Environment) with knowledgeable staff to work with businesses to add energy efficiency and become LEED buildings.

Bill was a major contributor to the Prairie Island negotiation which helped advance renewable energy options in MN. He secured $300,000 to fight the building of the Big Stone II coal power plants and supported litigation to prevent importation of energy into MN from coal plant sources. He secured approval from the National IWLA office to accomplish this.

He enlisted the help of Ikes to testify at hearings and fight proposed coal plants in their communities. He helped chapters like Bush Lake Ikes to draft resolutions to build IWLA renewable energy policy and provide a basis for his work on the State and National levels."

Brad Pierson is a waterfowl expert, especially, a wood duck expert. He was a huge help to the Chapter when we decided to install 17 wood duck houses on Normandale Lake- replacing houses that were supposed to be there but were lost to neglect many years ago. Brad found the wood duck house kits for us, and Brad and several of us gathered together in this very spot, during peak Covid- masks outdoors and all- to put the houses together. There’s now a bunch of wood duck houses on Normandale Lake, providing nesting opportunity for wood ducks for years to come. Brad is also a major volunteer with the Three Rivers Park District. He has updated and installed hundreds of wood duck boxes while following the latest box design and management protocols. Since 2013, he has been the primary volunteer responsible for the installation, maintenance and reporting of wood duck boxes in the Park District. It is one thing to just put up a bird house- it is another thing- a conservation thing- to monitor and maintain a bird house for success. For example, in 1968 Three Rivers reported that of the 60 wood duck boxes that had been placed in the parks, only five of them were successful- an 8% success rate. Thanks to the efforts of Brad and other volunteers, this has turned around. In a recent year- they checked 115 boxes. Seventy-six boxes were successfully used – a 66% success rate. This is a great improvement over the 8% success rate in 1968. We want to thank Brad for his commitment to conservation and the great work he has done for wood ducks and other birds through the years. Brad couldn’t be with us today; he is on a fishing trip in Canada- but you can honor his great work by purchasing a Duck Stamp which provides funding for waterfowl habitat- or get involved with our wood duck house monitoring program.

5) Youth Conservation Award- Awarded to youth for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

2 Awards

The Kennedy RoboSharks solar boat regatta team designed, purchased, configured, and raced a solar powered boat that won 3rd place in the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society’s 30th annual solar boat regatta at Riley Lake on May 21st 2022…. One of the coldest May days on record.

The team members include Halima Girled, Amber Balczewski, Zhoujinyi Wen, and Emily Kwon. They competed against 9 other teams in a sprint, a slalom, and a 1-hour long endurance race. The girls took turns running the boat. What made it very impressive was that 3 of the 4 girls had never steered a boat before our test run on Bush Lake a couple nights before the competition.

All of these girls are veterans of the Kennedy Robotics Team, which consists of kids from both Kennedy and Jefferson. They finished 13th in the state robotics competition in 2022. The solar boat team advisors are Ron Balczewski, Paul Lindemann, Sharon Rauenhorst, Pdon Pinkham, and John Crampton.

Ron Balczewski was our real leader. He provided the 14 ft. Alumacraft boat and the electric motor. The Bush Lake Chapter provided the money to buy the solar panels, controller, and brackets designed to tilt and turn the solar panels directly at the sun.

In 2023, the Robosharks may again compete with the goals of build the boat from scratch and also integrating many robotic functions in these solar boats that these girls are so skilled at designing.

The Kennedy Green Club designed, dug, planted, and maintained a huge rain garden located in an area between the school back door and the Kennedy Activity Center. In this process they worked with the school administration and building and grounds staff. The design process went on throughout the winter and spring of 2022. The digging and planting of the rain garden took place on Saturdays May 7th and May 14th. It took place on some very hot days…. It involved over 50 students from both Kennedy and Jefferson working in 2-hour shifts.

The rain garden was funded by Nine Mile Creek Watershed District under the leadership of Gael Zembel. Other funding came from the Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter.

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2021

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2021.

Nancy Carlson has been a member of our Chapter and on our Board of Directors for several years. She is a go-getter and can always be counted on to lend a hand and contribute to improving the Chapter. As our Youth Activity Director, Nancy has put together several fun educational programs for kids. During this pandemic time, with help from Paul Raymaker, she starred in the “Nature Drawing With Nancy” video series, where she demonstrated how to draw and conserve some of our most treasured wildlife species. She recently put together our Little Free Nature Library, which can be found in the lodge. She also helps with member canoe rack storage, a job nobody wants but Nancy does it with spirit. Nancy is also an accomplished and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator who has published more than 60 books. Nancy believes that life should be fun for everyone, but especially for children. This optimistic message permeates her books and her work here at the Chapter, and we are very lucky to have her. The Bush Lake Chapter thanks Nancy for her excellent work!

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- This award is named after our old neighbor, Gordy Bratsch, who was the “unofficial caretaker”- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean and the Chapter running smoothly. This award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

Gregg Thompson became caretaker here in the early 2000s. Gregg, along with John Crampton and Jill Crafton, found a conservation organization that was not so much a conservation organization as it was a private beach club. They worked together to turn the Chapter around and get us back to our conservation mission. As John Crampton says “Our chapter was mowing down to the water’s edge and many of us didn’t know the difference between garlic mustard and lady slippers.” Gregg quit mowing many areas to protect the water quality of Bush Lake and leave some more room for nature and wildlife. He started our restoration work by removing buckthorn and planting native plants. He worked to stabilize the shoreline that was eroding due to all the mowing. He started implementing water smart landscaping practices and taught others on how to do the same in their yards. Over the years, he’s educated hundreds of people on how to save water, money, time and actually help the environment with their home landscaping practices. He also does this great work at his day job with the City of Eagan, where he works to protect and restore the water resources there. Gregg also spearheaded our communication efforts with a new website and social media presence. Because of his work and the work of others, our Chapter has, by far, the best online presence of any IKE chapter in Minnesota. This has helped us attract members who really care about the environment. Gregg was also involved on the state level with the Minnesota Division, where he served as secretary and brought new ideas and new blood to the organization. He also helped Jill and others in getting the annual Watershed Summits at Normandale College off the ground in 2007. Gregg’s work continues today serving on our Board and as Membership Director, Website Administrator, and helps manage the canoe racks. We thank Gregg for all his efforts in bringing our organization into the 21st century, and for his commitment to conservation these many years. We would also like to thank his wife Rachael and children, Addie and Luca, for all of the support they give Gregg.

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff or elected officials for their outstanding contributions to water quality, conservation, and the environment.

The City of Bloomington Water Resources Department works to protect and improve Bloomington’s surface waters- the Minnesota River, Nine Mile Creek, and our many lakes, ponds, and wetlands. They work collaboratively with Watershed Districts, residents, and others to ensure water and the many ecosystems it supports stay healthy. In recent years, the Water Resources Department has collaborated with the Bush Lake Chapter on a number of projects, including the installation of wood duck houses on Normandale Lake. The Department also replaced the outlet structure that connects East Bay Pond to Bush Lake with the installation of a beaver-proof structure. This project protects Bush Lake’s water quality and allows beavers to inhabit the area. The Department also implemented water quality best management practices in West Bush Lake Park to further protect the lake. They also provide funding to maintain native vegetation around Bush Lake, and we are excited they are now planning to manage the invasive cattail around the lake- a win for wildlife, water quality, and recreation. All of this, in addition to the many water quality projects and initiatives the Department is working on throughout Bloomington, makes the Department deserving of this Award. The Bush Lake Chapter would like to thank the Water Resources Department staff- Bryan Gruidl, Steve Gurney, Jack Distel, Dave Gunderson, and Derek Cable- for all their great work!

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Carrol Henderson served as the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program supervisor from 1977 to 2018 when he retired. The work he has done for wildlife in our state and beyond is too extensive to list here today, but here are some highlights. He launched the “Loon Checkoff”- the nongame wildlife checkoff on Minnesota tax forms. Since 1981, state taxpayers have contributed more than $30 million to support projects to benefit native nongame species, such as songbirds and butterflies, frogs and toads, minnows and mussels, snakes and turtles, loons and ospreys. He helped many other states start non-game wildlife programs, and also helped them with endangered and threatened species. Here in Minnesota, when you hear the loud honk of a trumpeter swan, see a peregrine falcon or bald eagle fly overhead, or see river otters frolicking in the Minnesota River, you can thank Carrol for the work he did to reestablish these once endangered species. He also worked to reestablish common loons, bluebirds, blue herons, egrets, sandhill cranes, purple martins, frogs, turtles, bats, ospreys, snakes, and many other species. He also facilitated the acquisition of thousands of acres of land for wildlife and outdoor recreation. Carrol has authored 13 books and donated the proceeds to the non-game program. His work and his books Woodworking for Wildlife and Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality have inspired all of the work we have done here at the Bush Lake Chapter.

Carrol’s work continues today advocating as a private citizen for wildlife, including working to Get the Lead Out of hunting and fishing and leading bird trips around the world.

Carrol will be our featured speaker at our Get the Lead Out virtual program on October 6th, 2021, we hope that you can join us. The Bush Lake Chapter would like to thank Carrol for his commitment to conservation and for all his is outstanding work!

5) Youth Conservation Award- Awarded to youth for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

The Bloomington Jefferson High School Earth Corps, founded in 2019, is a student-led environmental club. The primary goal of Earth Corps is to take meaningful actions to raise climate awareness, reduce solid waste, and encourage members of the school and city to live more sustainably. This year, during the pandemic, the Earth Corps went through many trials and tribulations and spent hundreds of hours to successfully install the Unity Garden on the grounds of Jefferson High School. This beautiful native plant garden was installed in a sea of turfgrass, and now provides habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, improves water quality, and serves as an outdoor classroom and a place for peace and reflection, to be enjoyed by the entire community. In just a couple of years, the Earth Corps has also worked to improve composting and recycling at the school, and to reduce waste. They have been active in advocating for real solutions to climate change by meeting with legislators and attending climate action events. Perhaps most importantly, they have worked to engage the student body and the community on environmental issues and getting students outdoors in nature. Special recognition goes to Maya Hidalgo, Yan Yan Zeng, Katrina Moberg for their work on the Unity Garden, as well as this year’s leaders, Kelsey Bechtold, Amal Mohamed, Micah Draxler, and Megan Zeng. Additionally, we must thank their advisor, our very own Elizabeth Erdmann. The Bush Lake Chapter would like to thank the Earth Corps for their dedication and commitment to improving our shared Earth. Keep fighting the good fight!

Chapter Awards 2020

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2020.

Duayne Wincell, with help from his wife Cindy, spent numerous hours repairing the Chapter’s informational kiosks by constructing new roofs for them. He donated all his time, materials, labor, and travel costs. This was a significant donation and contribution by Duayne and Cindy. The kiosks look better than ever, and Duayne plans to continue improving them. Duayne and Cindy are long time members of the Chapter, and frequently attend our events and support the Chapter. In the past, Duayne made some pollinator houses for the Chapter and has helped with other Chapter improvement and activities, such as the canoe race. He is also the undefeated (in modern times) Annual Canoe Race champion. Due to Covid, we are not having the canoe race this year- so we are happy to give Duayne this award instead! Thank you Duayne for all of your great work, and Cindy, for your support.

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- named after our old neighbor Gordy Bratsch that was the unofficial caretaker- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean- this award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

John Crampton has been involved with the Bush Lake Chapter for many years. He, Jill, and Gregg were part of the “new guard” that came to the Chapter some 20 years ago to find a board of directors that didn’t recite the pledge/our commitment to conservation “because they didn’t believe in it.” Through John’s determination and leadership, the Bush Lake Chapter became a conservation organization again.

John has advanced our conservation mission in many ways. In recent years, his focus has been on climate change, and he came up with the Clean Energy Grant for the Minnesota Division Izaak Walton League that is used by Chapters to implement practices that help combat climate change. He has been an integral part of our Annual Watershed Summit and helps with planning and videography. In 2019 he and Jill Crafton put together the Watershed & Climate Summit, which brought together people from around the state and beyond to discuss protecting our water resources while also combatting climate change. John is also active with environmental advocacy at his church, Oak Grove Presbyterian, creating environmental programs and implementing green infrastructure such as solar panels and raingardens. Thanks to John, the Church has hosted several Izaak Walton League events and a semi-annual Electric Vehicle Expos.

John is always quick to volunteer and help the Chapter and our cause. He comes to most of our volunteer events, and last year he put on our first KidsWind event- which brough kids out to the Chapter to build mini-wind turbines and taught them all about renewable energy. The current board considers John as an “honorary board member” as he attends many of our long meetings and helps to remind of us our mission and what is at stake. John is also good at spreading our environmental message to the public that he does with both passion and a sense of humor. He has a “fire in the belly” that is contagious with all that interact with him. John has served as both Chapter president as well as Division president. We thank John for his commitment to the Izaak Walton League and our environment. We would also like to thank John’s wife, Mary, for all the support she provides John to allow him to do these things- and for keeping him from going off the rails!

Paul Raymaker Thanks to Nancy Carlson, Paul and his family joined the Chapter a few years ago. Also, thanks to Nancy, Paul soon joined our board of directors and has been an integral part of our Chapter ever since! Paul is our official chapter photographer- his incredible images have allowed us to spread our conservation message more effectively on social media and beyond. He runs our Instagram page that is full of awesome content about nature and why it is important to protect. Along with Nancy, Paul plans and manages most of our youth programming, and getting kids outdoors in nature is more important than ever. Paul also put together an excellent virtual Chapter orientation video that we will be unveiling soon. He attends most Chapter events and is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. A busy husband and father of two boys- Paul is always quick to lend a hand and has been a tremendous help to Paul Erdmann the caretaker, and the Chapter in recent years. We thank Paul for his dedication and all his great work! We of course also thank his wife Jackie, and sons Wesley and Waylon for all the support they give Paul!

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

Patty Acomb represents Minnetonka, Plymouth, and Woodland in the Minnesota House of Representative. She is the leader of the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus which has 59 members. As chair she has led the drive to pass 100% Clean Energy in Minnesota by 2050 mandate along with other clean energy transportation, renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and public health initiatives in the 2020 and now the 2021 Minnesota House of Representatives. Patty has served on the Park Board and City Council of Minnetonka as a staunch advocate for sustainable land and water conservation practices. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in natural resources. Patty presented at our Watershed and Climate Summit back in March. We thank Patty for her contributions to conservation and the great state of Minnesota!

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Lisa McEntire is a one-woman army, defending Tierney’s Woods, Hyland Park, and other Bloomington parks and open spaces from alien invaders. Each year, Lisa spends countless hours pulling and managing garlic mustard, narrow leaf bittercress, and other invasive plants to ensure they do not take over our most important wildlife habitat areas. She also reports new invasions of invasive plants, so the proper authorities are aware. She also educates the public on invasive species issues and collaborates with others to protect our natural areas. She monitors bluebird houses and helps wildlife and our natural world in numerous other ways. We thank Lisa for all her great work!

5) Youth Conservation Award- awarded to youth under the age of 21 for their outstanding contribution to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

Yanyan (Xiaoxin Zeng) (pronounced “Yan Yan Zeng”) is a co-founder and president of the newly re-envisioned Jefferson High School Earth Corps. This was once called HOPE (Help Our Planet Earth) Club, but the group said it is too late for hope--that people need to actually get to work. Yanyan is not afraid to do the work. She has continued to serve on the City of Bloomington Sustainability Commission, focusing on climate, getting youth involved, and asking the hard questions. Yanyan's interest in the environment is thoughtful and passionate. She spends her time fighting for climate justice and social justice, behind the screen of her computer or with boots on the ground, even in a pandemic. She practices what she preaches in her diet and daily routines. She was recently recognized as an Earth Action Hero and featured in a City video. She continues this work as she plans for college and her future. She wants her future to be healthy and happy, and she is not going to wait for someone else to make the world a better place. She is going to change the world for herself.

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2019

Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2019.

1- Paul Cress- Paul has been a member for several years and has been a huge asset to the Chapter. He built the paddleboard rack several years ago and always turns out for volunteer events and takes on special projects. He almost single-handedly prepped the South Woodland Restoration in 2019- as others have said “He’s a beast!” He’s been an integral member of the Dock Team as well as the Beaver Dam Team! His attitude, skills, and demeanor are exemplary, and we thank him for all of his great work!

2- Bush Lake Board of Directors- for their outstanding contributions and volunteering the last several years. Special recognition should go to: Paul Raymaker (photos, signs, Kids Crafts, Instagram- Check It Out!), Nancy Carlson (Canoes, Kids Crafts, Graphic Design), Rafael Bustos (signs and lodge/grounds help), Gregg Thompson (website, membership, Canoes, outlet, caretaker assistance/therapy and more), Louise Segreto (newsletter articles, history research, advocacy), Jill Crafton (treasurer, advocacy, watershed summit), Doug Claycomb (AIS monitoring, advocacy, education) Rick Wheeler (leadership, calming the ship, Chapter work), Tim Olish (Neighborhood Watch) and Paul Erdmann (misc).

Gordy Bratsch Award- named after our old neighbor Gordy Bratsch that was the unofficial caretaker- he was committed to keeping Bush Lake clean- this award is given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

Marilynn and Tom Torkelson. They have been members of the Chapter for a few years and are always willing to help. Marilynn has been active with our Plant Posse, this summer she helped out in the South Woodland Restoration, single-handedly removing a patch of non-native/invasive lily of the valley. Marilynn is the President of the Wild Ones Prairie Edge Chapter in the west Metro. Wild Ones works to educate others on native plant landscapes and gardening. Marilynn and Tom have a beautiful yard in Eden Prairie that is almost entirely (if not entirely) native plants that also features rain gardens to improve water quality. They frequently hold tours to educate others on how they can implement environmental practices in their own yards. They are active in their community, advocating for conservation. Marilynn is also a Master Water Steward who works to improve water quality in her community. She is also on the Citizens Advisory Committee at the Riley Purgatory Creek Watershed District, where she has been working on a restoration project at the Scenic Heights Elementary School, involving students and community members in this process. Tom, I'm sure, helps Marilynn with all of this stuff and provides great support! There are also probably quite a few other great things that they do that we don’t know about. Please thank them for being great Defenders and all they do for conservation!

Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

Three Rivers Park District Natural Resource Staff and Richardson Nature Center Staff who are involved with restoration activities and prairie maintenance at Hyland Park/Richardson Nature Center as well as environmental education in our community. Our Chapter caretakers frequently hike and bike in the park (as a nice get away from work at the Chapter) and are always excited and inspired by the beauty and diversity of the prairie and other lands in the park. They have been especially impressed with and happy to see lots of work being done in the woodlands and with buckthorn removal in recent years. Other Chapter members enjoy Hyland and the Nature Center as well. The Bush Lake Chapter is fortunate to have this wonderful oasis of habitat not far from the Chapter, as it acts as anchor and conservation corridor for wildlife and helps to protect water quality. Additionally, Nature Center staff provide excellent nature and natural resources education to our community year-round, another very important asset for conservation! We thank them for all of their great work!

Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Ron Erdmann He has played a huge role in restoring the Chapter property, from removing buckthorn and tree work and building and maintaining wildlife structures. For our Chapter’s wildlife he has built and donated bluebird houses, Great crested flycatcher houses, wren houses, bat houses, and even woodpecker bongos! In the summer he works for the MN DNR doing similar work at St. Croix State Park, and has worked throughout the state restoring the land, putting conservation in the ground, and creating wildlife habitat. He’s planted thousands of trees, shrubs, and native plants, and has killed just as many invasive plants. We often offer to pay him for his great work at the Chapter, but he always refuses and says that he is working for “Ike”- Izaak Walton. Ron has been an inspiration to his brother, Paul, our caretaker, and without Ron, Paul would probably be an accountant or shoveling coal somewhere, and not our caretaker. Let’s all thank Ron for his great contributions to the Chapter and to conservation!

Youth Conservation Award- awarded to youth under the age of 21 for their outstanding contribution to the Chapter, conservation or the environment.

Sam Hodges, whose family belongs to the Chapter, who repaired and renovated the Chapter playground for this Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project. He has been a good communicator and took the initiative to approach the board and propose the idea. This project was really, really needed. He and his crew have did an excellent job on the playground in a very expedient fashion. We thank Sam for his contributions and hope that he remembers the Chapter and conservation in his future plans. Thank you, Sam!

Claire Carlson- Claire is a recent Jefferson High School graduate. She served on the Bloomington Sustainability Commission and recently worked to revive Jefferson's Environmental Club. She came to our planting day and brought friends with! She worked on recycling and solid waste issues at both the Commission and at Jefferson, making some cool videos that teach people the importance of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose. She is a good communicator and has a contagious passion that makes others want to get involved in environmental issues. It’s encouraging to know that there are young people that are working to protect our planet and all of its creatures. Let’s thank Claire for her great work!

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2018

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2018.

Rafael Bustos- he is a new member, but was quick to offer a hand and work on tasks around the chapter.

Worked on bathouses- woodpeckers had pecked holes in all of them, he put aluminum sheeting on all of them.

This is good because Paul and Liz counted 30 bats come out of 1 bathouse this year!

(DOCK STORY)- Paul

He’s more than happy to help any time we ask. Members that are always willing to help and spring into action is exactly what we need!

Louise Segreto- Kick started our fundraising campaign, serves as delegate to the State Division, serves as State Director alternate, is our Chapter historian, has written many great articles for our blog/newsletter, serves as our Wilderness advocate- has been working on the Utah Red Rocks Wilderness issue, and has put together a great Ikes Green Reads Book Club.

Donated the historic sign.

Jill Crafton- Jill Crafton is the treasurer of the Minnesota Division-Izaak Walton and Bush Lake Izaak Walton in which she has served for 15 years....hundreds and hundreds of hours every year.

She is a National Director in the National Izaak Walton League. She served on the Executive Board E-Board of National for several years. And she is a leader in the "progressive" wing of the IKES (the people who actually believe in conservation) .

She is on the board of the UMRI Upper Mississippi River Initiative, funded by MN IKEs and McKnight Foundation.

She is the organizer and champion of the annual Izaak Walton Watershed Summit held every year at Normandale College, which attract the region's top ag water quality experts as presenters.

She serves on the boards of the Riley Purgatory Watershed District in W. Bloomington and Eden Prairie, and BWSR, Minnesota Bureau of Water and Soil Resources, a state agency that has done much to protect Minnesota's waters.

Jill is on the board of the Great Lakes Committee which is fighting against the introduction of invasive species into the Great Lakes.

She also serves on the board of Green Step Cities, a coalition of over 130 Minnesota cities that are pledged to becoming more sustainable. She is also in the leadership of the Minnesota Division Energy and Climate Committee.

Jill has a beautiful prairie in her front yard, and is working on restoring her backyard to provide habitat for birds, pollinators and other wildlife. She has solar panels on the roof of her house, and drives a Prius. She walks the talk and leads by example.

From John Crampton- Above all, she is a warm and loving grandmother of beautiful grandkids in Michigan, the oldest of which she took to Camp Izaak Walton at Deep Portage a year ago. And Jill is a dear friend of mine and has been since we urged the Bush Lake board to say the Izaak Walton pledge at the meeting many years ago..... When they refused, we got rid of them. And Jill went on to replace them all by her work ethic and tremendous passion for protecting our earth.

3) Public Good Award- Award given to city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

Bloomington Sustainability Commission- (being accepted by Steve Flagg who is on the commission and is a member of our chapter) this is a new commission for the City of Bloomington that has made great strides within the city on sustainability issues (Energy, Solid Waste, Water Quality/Conservation, and Ecological Land Stewardship). Here’s a few of the commission’s initiatives it has worked on in less than 2 years-

Created the organics dropoff system- residents of Bloomington are able to drop off their organics at 3 sites across the city- this material is recycled into mulch instead of going to the landfill or being incinerated.

Created an Energy Action Plan- this is a plan that works to reduce energy consumption across the City and reduce our carbon emissions

Working on Water Conservation and Water Quality- the Commission is working to reduce water use across the City- because Bloomington’s water is too great to waste! They are also working to improve water quality in our lakes, creek, wetlands and ponds.

Working on restoring the MN River Valley and other parks and open spaces within the City.

The Bush Lake Chapter would like to thank the Bloomington Sustainability Commission for all of their great work!

Commission Members:

Mary Hurliman- City Staff Liaison

Rob Bouta, Claire Carlson, Paul Erdmann, Steve Flagg, John Jaimez, Dwayne Lowmann, Bob Reid, Tim Sandry, Joe Strommen, and Deanna White.

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Heather and Brent Holm- Heather is an author and educator that has educated hundreds across the country on native pollinator decline and conservation. Her two books have won awards and are revered by both experts and newbies alike. She leads our pollinator field days and has helped us with our pollinator habitat restoration. She has identified several unique pollinator species that live at our chapter. She is one of the founding members of Wild Ones, Prairie Edge chapter, which is a native plant landscaping advocacy group in the West Metro. Heather of course couldn’t do all of this great work without a great partner- Brent was just here for our planting event last weekend. Heather and Brent are members of our chapter and have helped us kill buckthorn and restore habitat. They also volunteer on their own time to restore forgotten City parks in Minnetonka- (story about big hill and other project). Over the last 10 years, Heather and Brent have restored their home landscape by removing invasive species and impervious surface and planting native plants and creating habitat for wildlife. We thank Heather and Brent for their Commitment to Conservation!

2017 Chapter Awards

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2017.

Esau Underhill, for his work on the lodge, commitment to the board, and other activities

2) Gordy Bratsch Award- given to a member that contributes to the chapter and the environment, year after year.

Dick Duerre- Dick has turned out for many events, has worked on the lodge, and has worked on his own to protect the environment

3) Public Good Award- Award given to city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

Nine Mile Creek Watershed District- (Erica Sniegowski, Gael Zembal, Randy Anhorn)

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Bill Bartodziej- Bill is one of the leading restoration ecologists in the metro, has played a leading role in the Lake Phalen shoreline restoration and numerous other restoration and water quality improvement projects (and is a potential new member!)

5) Youth Conservation Award- awarded to youth for their outstanding contribution to conservation or the environment.

Camille Jones- Camille is one of the few young people that regularly turn out for volunteer events. She is on the Environmental Club at Jefferson High School

Bush Lake Chapter Resolutions 2021- Climate Solutions

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 23:41:22 GMT

The Izaak Walton League resolutions process is about more than setting the League’s policy—it is a function that unites us in our mission. League policies also influence national and international environmental policy—policies vetted and approved by the League’s diverse membership provide a barometer for policies that are likely to pass muster with the American people.

Each year, League members draft resolutions outlining the steps they would like the organization to take to address natural resource problems. Resolutions that are formally adopted at the national convention become official policy and, together with the body of policies developed in the past, provide guidance to League staff, officers, and members as they seek solutions at the local, state, and national levels. The process also serves to educate members about critical natural resource issues.

In 2021, Chapter Member and former Chapter & Division President, John Crampton, submitted 5 resolutions that address climate change. The Bush Lake Chapter Board of Directors approved the following 5 resolutions in December, 2021. They will now go to the Minnesota Division and, if passed by the Division, the National Izaak Walton League.

Funding for Rural Electric Co-ops to Make a Rapid Transition to Renewable Energy

Background: Throughout the US rural cooperatives built during the Depression by New Deal programs are particularly reliant on coal powered power plants, in large part because they owe billions of dollars on plants that are increasingly uneconomic (the cost of wind and solar is now lower than the cost of coal generation). One can see this by driving through rural areas with large wind farms and solar gardens, only to realize that the power they generate goes to homes and factories in urban areas and not to local communities.

The US Department of Agriculture administers many loans for these rural co-ops, through its Rural Utilities Service (RUS). In the past these loans supported the construction of power plants - mostly fueled by coal. To operate at the lowest possible costs, the cooperatives signed many long term contracts that locked in the supplies of coal for decades at costs that are now higher than the current costs of wind, solar and battery storage.

Electric cooperatives and generation and transmission associations across the country owe billions of dollars in debt on coal plants, many of which in recent years have become more expensive to run than the cost of building new renewable energy projects. Instead of investing in new clean energy projects, many rural electric co-ops are stuck spending money to repay the debt owed on older coal plants - even when closing those plants would actually reduce energy costs for co-op members.

Now therefore, the Bush Lake Chapter Izaak Walton League of America, approves on this 2nd of December 2021, a request of Congress to approve the funding and authorizations necessary for the Dept. of Agriculture Rural Utility Services, including:

1.) a doubling of the annual finance authority for the Rural Utility Service (RUS) to provide low-cost financing for zero-carbon generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, including distributed renewable energy assets as well as broadband infrastructure for smart grid solutions, and other technologies.

2. Offering debt relief to allow rural electric cooperatives to write down or restructure loans for stranded coal plants and other fossil fuel assets in order to redirect billions of dollars from cooperative members’ bills toward modern clean energy assets, both in front of and behind customer meters.

3. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will support electric cooperatives with technical assistance to make full use of the financing available through the RUS. This includes expanded funding for energy-efficiency upgrades and on-site solar energy and local battery storage investments that lower members’ utility bills and expand economic opportunity, including access to affordable housing in rural areas.

Ban the Sale of Internal Combustion Engines in Minnesota by 2035

Background: Transportation is the largest source of Greenhouse Gas emissions in the US, accounting for approximately 1/3 of all emissions. In addition, the refining of gasoline is the largest source of industrial emissions. Taken together, transportation and gasoline refining generate approx. 1/2 of all US emissions. The most effective way to cut those emissions is to electrify the transportation sector through the sales of BEV (battery electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug in hybrid vehicles) which all major automakers worldwide (except possibly Toyota) are committed to doing in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The logical step is to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as quickly as possible in order to reduce and stop this major source of CO2e emissions, NOx emissions (smog) and particulate matter.

The UN IPC estimates that we need to reduce all our GHG emissions by half before the early 2030s if we want to have a chance to hold global warming increases to 1.5 degrees C.

In addition, stopping the burning of gasoline in ICE cars will help prevent diseases and premature deaths from asthma, lung and heart diseases that cost thousands of lives ever year, especially in disadvantaged communities.

In combination with the greening of the electrical grid, this move to EVs will help stop the flow of billions of dollars to North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Alberta Tar Sands, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and it will preclude the need for pipelines such as Line 3. It will help build the local economies of communities throughout Minnesota that will be generating the renewable energy used by our electrified transportation sector.

Now therefore, the Bush Lake Chapter Izaak Walton League of America, approves on this 2nd of December, 2021 as a first step in moving away from automobiles towards more sustainable modes of transportation that starting on January 1, 2035, the sale of new vehicles that are powered by an internal combustion engine, which includes gasoline, diesel and hybrid electric (non-plug-in) vehicles, be banned in Minnesota.

Links and graphics:

https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/evs-cleaner-than-gasoline.pdf

https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/04/State-Benefits-of-EVs-MN-fixed-2.pdf

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/electric-vehicles#:~:text=Electric%20vehicles%20%28EVs%29%20support%20Minnesota%E2%80%99s%20transition%20away%20from,and%20the%20modernization%20of%20our%20electric%20power%20grid.

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/09/27/tesla-model-3-vs-toyota-camry-5-year-cost-to-own/

Video

Electric Vehicles and Clean Car Standards, Jukka Kukkonen, Plug-In-Connect, Shift2Electric and MN EV Owners Association https://vimeo.com/403847275

100% Clean Energy for Electricity in Minnesota by 2040

Background: Electrical generation in the US is the second largest source of Greenhouse gases (GHG) that are causing a rapidly acceleration of climate change. They presently represent 22% of the GHG in the US.

In Minnesota, approx. 25% of MN electricity is generated from renewables, 23% nuclear, 12% natural gas and 39% from coal, for a total of 51% from fossil fuel sources.

Minnesota needs to stop generating power from coal and natural gas as quickly as possible in order to reduce our Greenhouse gas emissions. The UN IPC estimates that we need to reduce all our GHG emissions by half before the early 2030s if we want to have a chance to hold global warming increases to 1.5 degrees C.

A 100% clean energy mandate in Minnesota is necessary to quickly stop burning fossil fuels, stop the building of fossil fuel powered electrical plants, and to promote the building of more solar, wind and battery storage capabilities- generating sources that are now the cheapest forms of energy on the market.

Stopping the burning of fossil fuels will prevent diseases and premature deaths from asthma, lung and heart diseases.

In addition, solar, wind and battery storage capabilities are abundant in Minnesota, and transitioning to renewables will stop the flow of billions of dollars annually that are spent in other states and countries. In turn, this will help build the local economies of communities throughout Minnesota.

Now therefore, the (Bush Lake Chapter) Izaak Walton League of America, approves on this 2nd of December 2021, a request that the MN State Senate pass and the Governor sign the 100% clean energy by 2040 bill passed by the Minnesota House in 2021 requiring all utilities operating in our state to be 100% carbon-free in their electric generation and sales to Minnesota customers by January 1, 2040.

Links:

https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/SR15_Summary_Volume_Low_Res.pdf

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=HF278&version=0&session_year=2021&session_number=0

https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/Story/15527

https://kstp.com/politics/walz-dfl-leaders-announce-plan-for-100-clean-energy-in-minnesota-by-2040-january-21-2021/5985640/

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/the-climate-what-can-you-lobby-your-politicians-about-to-effect-change

Video:

100% Campaign and Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus Chris Conry, Campaign Director, 100% Campaign & Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL) District: 44B, MN House of Representatives, Chair of Climate Action Caucus Length = 29:00

https://vimeo.com/404025060

Rural Minnesota Electric Vehicle Charging Study

Background: Electric vehicle corridors depend on DC fast chargers that enable EV owners to charge in 10-20 minutes. Commercial charging networks are putting DC fast chargers on major routes (I-35, I-94, I-90, 169) aimed at EV owners who are passing through and travelling long distances. However, this leaves major parts of the state dependent on slower home charging (level 1, level 2). This limits the adoption of EVs by people travelling between regional centers that are not on the major corridors.

At the same time, there are many locations in rural Minnesota that could support DC fast charging- farmers with heavy duty grain driers, state parks that are not using their electrical infrastructure during long periods of the year, technical colleges that are not being fully utilized during periods of time. All these could support high speed DC charging for long periods of time, and their availability could be assessed through the use of broadband communications on screens in the EVs. These chargers could represent an important revenue stream for these property owners and institutions.

This resolution is to commission a study by Minnesota Dept. of Commerce to study these possible EV charging networks that could be vital to Minnesota in achieving its climate goals and to the long-term economic development of rural Minnesota.

Now therefore, the Bush Lake Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America, approves on this 2nd of December 2021, requests that the Minnesota Legislature and Governor commission the Minnesota Dept. of Commerce to appropriate resources to study the potential for DC fast chargers in rural corridors, based on farms, state parks, technical colleges and other properties that have access to high-capacity electrical sources.

Links

https://www.evconnect.com/blog/the-future-of-ev-charging-in-rural-towns-and-how-to-prepare

https://www.cfra.org/blog/paving-way-electric-vehicles-rural-america

https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/pine-city-leads-ev-charging-and-greenstep-cities-work

Electric School Buses by 2030

Background: Internal combustion engine powered school buses are a danger to our students and communities because of their emissions that are pumping Greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. They also emit NOx (smog), particulate matter, carbon monoxide and other toxic gases. We are setting a terrible example for our children who will have to live in a world that is being devastated by our addiction to fossil fuels. It is time to stop.

Converting our school bus fleets to electric vehicles offers many benefits:

- Climate mitigation through a dramatic reduction/elimination of Greenhouse gases.

- Improved health outcomes and lower healthcare costs treating asthma, lung and heart diseases caused by burning fossil fuels, especially among children in disadvantaged neighborhoods that line many of the major highway corridors.

- Electric school buses are cheaper to charge than gasoline costs, and they can be charged with 100% clean energy utility programs such as WindSource (Xcel) or Wellspring (Great River Energy). They can be charged at night when the demand of electricity and costs are low.

- Electric school buses are cheaper to maintain because they have very few moving parts…. No need for tune-ups, oil changes, engine overhauls, etc. When batteries are no longer suitable for EV use, they can be used for battery storage for many years. Recycling of batteries is also available. (The same cannot be said for Greenhouse gases that will be in the atmosphere for thousands of years)

- Electric school buses are available during summer periods of hot weather and high humidity so they can feed power into the grid at times of peak load (V2G). This will enable the school bus companies to charge the utility money to offset and/or eliminates costs of charging throughout the year. In effect, they can be a major source or battery storage to offset the intermittency of some renewable sources. This will be important because of the strains that climate change is putting on our electrical grid in terms of high temperatures/high humidity, massive wildfires and polar vortex events that require increased use of micro-grids and distributed electrical generation.

Now therefore, the Bush Lake Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America, approves on this 2nd of December 2021, a request that the Minnesota Legislature and Governor require that all school buses for public schools in Minnesota be electric battery powered vehicles by 2030.

Links:

https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/earthjustice_electric_school_bus_analysis_fact_sheet.pdf

https://thomasbuiltbuses.com/resources/articles/top-6-benefits-of-electric-school-buses/

https://www.dominionenergy.com/our-stories/electric-school-buses

https://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/benefits-electric-school-buses-zb0z1805zmos

https://driveelectricmn.org/first-electric-school-bus-comes-to-minnesota/#:~:text=Great%20River%20Energy%20%28GRE%29%2C%20a%20partner%20of%20Drive,100%20percent%20wind%20energy%20through%20GRE%E2%80%99s%20Revolt%20program.

THE MAGIC OF FIREFLIES – NATURE’S FIREWORKS

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 19:42:27 GMT

by Louise Segreto and Paul Erdmann

Watching fireworks on the 4th of July seems as American as apple pie. It’s a tradition shared by countless millions across the United States. Debating about where to go each year to view a nearby fireworks display to celebrate the Holiday has been my family tradition for years. Perhaps it was our 125 lb., 10-year-old, beloved Newfoundland dog who is reduced to an anxious shivering wreck when the explosions begin, or maybe it was reading about people suffering from PTSD who are similarly triggered by the loud noises and smells of detonated explosives, but this year I came to think about our fireworks tradition more critically.

Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought to my own environmental ethics and how we share our earth with other living creatures. Can you just imagine how a mother bird in a nest of baby birds or other creatures that live near a fireworks display area are affected? There is some science that you can read online about how fireworks are extremely disruptive to birds and wildlife. However, there is really not enough of science to argue the issue. And, please understand that my goal is not to advocate a ban on what some will argue is our patriotic right to celebrate the Holiday as we always have. My hope is only to raise awareness and share a personal story:

It is a few minutes past 10 PM on July 4th and my daughter and I decide to hike up the ski hill at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington. From the top of where the chairlift drops skiers and snowboarders in winter, there is a panoramic view of the Southdale Area clear to the Mississippi River. We search in the darkness for the narrow-trodden path through the long grass leading to the top. The night is muggy and still, perfect for the voracious mosquitos and gnats to swarm us despite the DEET that I slathered on before I left home. With my eyes trained on the horizon, I am thrilled to see the sky lit up with brilliant light explosions from the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, Edina’s Southdale Show, Richfield and other communities south along the Mississippi River. I can feel the thump, bang and whistle from miles away.

Looking down to swat a biting bug on my leg, I notice that we are surrounded by thousands of fireflies creating their own private light show. It is a magical and spectacular sight!

Also known as lightning bugs or glowworms, fireflies’ tails contain chemicals and enzymes that, when mixed with oxygen, allow them to glow (bioluminescence). Minnesota fireflies are most often yellow, but in other parts of the country and world you may see green, orange, or blue fireflies. Fireflies start displaying their light show in late May and peak in late June and early July.

Fireflies communicate with their light display. Males fly and flash to find females, who are usually sitting on vegetation signaling males that they like with their own display. They also emit light to defend territories and to say to predators “don’t eat me, I taste bad.”

Populations of fireflies are decreasing due to habitat loss and increased light pollution. Here are a few tips to help fireflies and other insects:

Keep your yard dark by turning off exterior and garden lights and closing the blinds at night, making it easier for them to find one another to mate.
Plant native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers to provide habitat fireflies love.
Leave some space for nature. Let some logs, leaves, and tree debris accumulate. Firefly larvae grow up in rotten logs and leaf litter (they glow too!)
Avoid using pesticides and lawn chemicals. Good for wildlife and water quality.

As we approach the 4th of July, keep your eyes out at night for nature’s fireworks. You can find them on the edge of woods and marshy areas. Hyland Park is a great spot. Quietly blinking in the night with a rhythm only lightning bugs can understand, they steal the show. Their natural light show reminds me that subtle and quiet displays of beauty can far surpass what we are taught to enjoy. We stand in awe of the power of nature and its resilience to continue its fight for survival despite awful odds.

Learn more at http://www.xerces.org/endangered-species/fireflies

and https://www.firefly.org/

Photos: Fireflies over East Bay Pond by Paul Raymaker

Adult Firefly on Compass Plant by Paul Erdmann

Protect Our Turtles!

Fri, 21 May 2021 17:30:00 GMT

By Paul Erdmann, Conservation Director

Road mortality is a serious threat to many different species of wildlife. As temperatures warm, turtles, frogs, snakes, and other amphibians and reptiles begin stirring, sunning themselves, and moving across roads. Turtles are especially vulnerable to injury or death by automobile. You can help turtles and other wildlife, but remember- SAFETY FIRST!

In late May and June, female turtles look for open sunny areas to lay their eggs, sometimes up to a mile away from their aquatic home. Males and non-breeding turtles seek out temporary or new habitats. Turtles migrate back to waterbodies in the late summer and early fall. All of this movement puts turtles in danger from our many roads, cars, and distracted drivers. Scientists estimate that painted turtles can live as long as 40 years in the wild, while Blanding’s and snapping turtles can live more than 70! Isn’t it a shame to see one killed by our cars? In 2015, one volunteer logged over 100 dead turtles on the roads around Bush Lake (Bloomington) alone. But she also helped many turtles safely cross the road. The volunteer collected data using a new mapping tool, called HerpMapper, sanctioned by the MN DNR. Collected data on both live and dead turtles can be provided to natural resource managers and city and highway departments, as innovative "turtle tunnels" are now being built in areas of high mortality. Check out all of the cool wildlife the Washington County turtle tunnel has saved on the MDNR Nongame Wildlife Program Facebook page (and lots of other cool wildlife photos): https://www.facebook.com/pg/MinnesotaNongameWildlifeProgram/photos/?tab=albums

How Can You Help Turtles?

Never put yourself or others in danger! If you are driving, safely park and turn on hazard lights to alert others to slow down. Be aware of your surroundings and traffic.
Allow turtles to cross on their own, unassisted, if there is no traffic.
If you need to speed it up, grasp all turtles, EXCEPT snapping turtles, gently along the edge of the shell near the mid-point of the body. Turtles may be excited and use the bathroom, don't drop it!
Snapping turtles should NEVER be picked up by the tail (it damages their spinal cord). Use a branch, broomstick, or snow shovel to prod it along from behind. If it bites the object, use it to drag the animal to the other side of the road.
Maintain direction of travel. Move the turtle to low ground, in a direct line, in the same direction it was traveling. Do NOT remove it from its area of habitat.
Protect turtle nests you find in your yard with a cage or plate. Protecting nests for a few weeks (until the scent of the nest subsides) from predators gives them a better chance at being successful. Moving turtle nests is rarely successful.
Advocate for amphibians and reptiles! Support the MN DNR Nongame Wildlife Program and contribute with the Loon Checkoff on your taxes. Contact local and elected officials and let them know you care about protecting them.
Do a turtle project at your Ike chapter or with a local group. Contact Paul Erdmann at pwerdmann@yahoo.com for ideas

More information:

"Turtles On The Move" video by the City of Bloomington

www.herpmapper.org

www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/index.html

https://mnherpsoc.org/help-a-turtle/

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/helping-turtles-roads.html

Stop the Garlic Mustard Invasion!

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:30:00 GMT

by Paul Erdmann, Conservation Director

Most people are familiar with buckthorn, a non-native invasive plant that has taken over many acres of land in Bloomington and beyond. Another invasive plant to be wary of is garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata. This invader arrived with European settlers in the 1800s, likely for food and medicinal purposes. It is an early season biennial herb that thrives in many conditions, including woodlands, floodplains, and people’s yards. It spreads by seeds which are disbursed by ripe seed pods that can propel seeds several feet away, and by water, animals, and people. Because of its aggressive nature and prolific seeding, and lack of parasites and diseases, it alters ecosystems and chokes out beneficial native plants that pollinators and other wildlife depend on. Garlic mustard exudes chemicals into the soil that suppress native plants. Deer and other animals do not eat this plant. It is edible for people, and you can find pesto and other recipes online. When the leaves are crushed it emits a strong garlic smell. Garlic mustard often moves in after buckthorn removal or other disturbances, so monitoring for this plant and stopping its spread is critical.

The good news is that garlic mustard is more easily managed than buckthorn, especially if caught early, which is important as one plant can become hundreds in just a few years. In the Spring, before seed set, adult plants pull easily, especially when soil is moist. Be sure to pull the entire tap root, or it can re-sprout. Plants that are pulled and left on the ground may still flower and set seed. Flowering plants or plants with seed pods should be removed from the site and properly disposed of to prevent seeding. Since it is a biennial (plants flower under the right conditions, set seed, and die- usually a 2-year life cycle) preventing it from seeding is critical. Seeds may remain viable in the soil for 5 to 10 years. In addition to hand pulling, cutting, herbicide, spot burning, and prescribed fires are used to manage garlic mustard. Many animals, pollinators, and native plants such as wild geranium, Jack-in-the-pulpit, columbine, and wild ginger will be grateful for your efforts! Garlic mustard is a Restricted Noxious Weed in Minnesota, which means it is illegal to intentionally grow it or sell it, and landowners are strongly encouraged to manage it on their properties in order prevent its spread.

For more info, go to:

Controlling Garlic Mustard Video by the City of Bloomington

https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/weedcontrol/noxiouslist/garlicmustard

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/invasive-plants-of-wisconsin-garlic-mustard/

Photos by Minnesota Department of Agriculture (top- flowers and seed pods, and bottom- infestation) and Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org (middle- first year seedlings)

A Native American Perspective on Nature*

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:00:16 GMT

by Louise M. Segreto

We have much to learn from Native Americans regarding our relationship with nature. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet with several Ojibwe and Dakota elders. All told stories about humans’ place in the natural world. They spoke quietly with a sense of reverence, respect and humility. Most Native peoples have an oral tradition, and it is through these stories that wisdom is passed from generation to generation. Additionally, art, dance, ceremony and rituals are other traditional ways of passing down knowledge and cultural norms. These traditional ways of teaching can convey a far deeper sense of spirituality than the mere written word. Listen carefully, and you will begin to understand the natural world and our place in it from a Native American Perspective.

Creation stories of many Native peoples begin with Nanabozho, the first Man-Spirit Being. It is taught that Nanabozho was the last of all living beings to be created in the world. He was introduced into a fully formed world of animals, plants, water, fire, wind, water and sky. Before Nanabozho’s arrival, the ancient world was in perfect balance and harmony. The Creator instructed Nanabozho to “walk through the world in such a way such that each step was a greeting to Mother Earth”. Nanabozho’s steps were to be gentle so as not to hurt the earth upon which he trod. Nanabozho spoke to the animals that he encountered. He learned how to survive in the world from his animal brothers and sisters. For example, wolves and foxes gave him tips on how to hunt, spiders taught him how to weave fishing nets, bears explained how to get through winter. The Creator expected that Nanabozho learn the names of all living beings. The Creator further guided Nanabozho to observe the animals and plants in order to learn both how-to live-in harmony and survive. It was in this way, that Nanabozho discovered the abundance of “gifts” that the natural world could provide to meet his needs.

It is a Native American perspective that humans play just a small role in the greater web of life. This belief fostered the belief that we, therefore, should live in kinship with other living creatures and the physical world. This perspective was foreign to early European settlers. In stark contrast, the fur traders, loggers, and white settlers brought with them a mindset of exploitation to this vast and seemingly endless bountiful land.

After these two very different cultures collided, our Native American perspective was almost totally lost. The removal and cultural genocide of Native Americans in Minnesota occurred over a relatively short period of time. Three generations of Native American children were taken from their families and sent to boarding schools where they were prohibited from speaking their Native languages or participating in traditional Native American cultural rituals, ceremonies, dances and arts. By the early 1900s, Native Americans had lost their lands through a series of dishonorable Federal treaties and discriminatory Native American federal acts & policies. The Ojibwe and Dakota lost their tribal lands and were pushed into Reservations. Compounding this tragic history, life on the reservation was hard and isolated. Poverty, combined with limited economic opportunities and broken families, led to deep social problems. Native American perspectives were largely invisible to most Minnesotans for many years.

Native Americans have a deep sense of connection to the place where they live. Even today, Native Americans will identify what Tribal Band and Reservation they are from when they introduce themselves. But this connectedness goes beyond self-identification. Traditional Native Americans are said to be “indigenous to place”. This means in large part that they possess a heightened understanding and awareness of the natural world that surrounds them. For example, Native wisdom on how to track animals is legendary. And we are just now beginning to catch up with what Native Americans have known about the medicinal value of plants. Tinctures and poultices for treating sickness have been passed on from generation to generation of Native American medicine men. Scientists now know that there is in fact a chemical communication of sorts that occurs between trees. No surprise to Native Americans, they have long known that trees talk to one another. Even how Native Americans name plants and animals reveals a sense of familiarity and connection: chipmunk berries, partridge berry, trout leaves. Compare these descriptive Native American names to the two-part clinical scientific Latin genus and species taxonomic names that Westerners use for the same plants and animals. Naming practice belies the stark contrast between Native American perspective on nature compared to Westerners.

Native Americans lived sustainably off the land for generations before the European settlers arrived. Prior to European settlement, Native Americans lived an inextricably intertwined existence with wildlife, plants, and their natural world. Native Americans’ survival depended upon animals, plants, trees and natural resources being available year after year to sustain them. There was a rhythmic seasonality to their hunter-gatherer subsistence existence. Spring meant a move to “sugar camp” to tap maple trees for syrup and sugar. Birch bark pails were fashioned and used to pour sap into large shallow log troughs hollowed from basswood trees to freeze and cooked down to produce sugar and syrup. Fall was a time to harvest “Mahnomen”- sacred wild rice. Wild rice has always been sacred to Native Americans. Its sustainable harvest was central to their survival in Minnesota. This sustainable way of living was in stark contrast to the exploitive practices of the harvest and extraction of natural resources by the fur trappers, buffalo hunters, loggers, miners, white settlers and farmers.

Prior to the arrival of settlers, food was not purchased by Native Americans from a store. Instead, it was harvested by hunting, fishing, and gathering- wild berries in summer, nuts and wild rice in the fall and maple syrup in the spring. These foods were regarded as “gifts” from Mother Earth. Making use of these “gifts” demanded a harvester’s obligation not only to receive, but also to reciprocate. An “honorable harvest” is based on accountability to both the physical and metaphysical worlds. This “take only what you need” mentality is in sharp contrast to our economic mindset “take everything you can get”.

It was not until recently that Native American culture and perspective have been rediscovered and embraced by Western culture and science. Scientists now acknowledge the complex ecological connections between all life on earth, and the important role that diversity plays in creating a stable and healthy environment. And, finally, there seems to be a growing sense of collective conscience of Native Americans’ contributions and perspectives across the United States.

We would all benefit to incorporate a Native American perspective into our relationship with nature. The next time you look up at the dark sky to star gaze, view the sky as a Native American and try to find Big Bear, Wolf or Loon. In the Spring, when out walking our Minnesota woods searching for the delicate blooms of ephemeral wildflowers, pause and admire the shapes and colors that inspired Native American weaving and beading. Walk gently upon Mother Earth. Honor and respect nature and all its inhabitants. I think that our lives would not only be richer, but the world would be a better place if we remember Native Americans and their perspectives on nature.

Miigwech! (“Thank You”) for reading!

*Note: Louise M. Segreto, the author of this article, is not Native American

Minnesota River Valley photo by Paul Raymaker

Hyland Prairie at Sunset by Paul Erdmann

Resolution of Support of Organized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Recycling Collection

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 21:07:08 GMT

At the October 1, 2020 Board of Directors meeting, the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America passed the following resolution:

Resolution of Support of Organized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Recycling Collection Systems, solid waste source reduction, and increased recycling rates, to reduce environmental pollution

Whereas, in an Organized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Recycling Collection Systems, waste hauling services are coordinated by a public entity through a competitive bidding process. In 2012, nearly 30 percent of the communities in Minnesota have organized MSW and recycling collection systems compared to 72 percent nationally. Whereas, Organized Collection of MSW and Recycling Collection Systems has the following advantages over “Open” Trash Collection:

• Recycling capture rates are typically higher in organized systems with standardized recycling materials collection, sorting instructions, and public education tools and message content;

• Reduced Garbage vendors travelling the same public streets dramatically reduces total fuel consumption, pollution emissions, carbon emissions, noise, risk of accidents, and wear on and degradation of the public streets;

Whereas, the National Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) organization has historically been supportive of reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and resource recovery; Whereas, the National Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) organization has historically been supportive of the reduction of fossil fuel use, due to pollution from spills and emissions;

Whereas, the mission of the Izaak Walton League is: To conserve, restore, and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife;

Be it resolved, the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League will encourage its members to support means, such as Organized MSW and Recycling Collection Systems, solid waste source reduction, and increased recycling rates, to reduce environmental pollution, in a way that is consistent with the mission of the Izaak Walton League;

Be it resolved, the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League will publicly support means, such as Organized MSW and Recycling Collection Systems, solid waste source reduction, and increased recycling rates, to reduce environmental pollution, in a way that is consistent with the mission of the Izaak Walton League

TIPS FOR SEEING MORE IN THE FIELD

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 19:55:37 GMT

By Louise Segreto

More tethered to home during this Covid-19 Pandemic, I have been out in the field doing daily nature observations. I find comfort in the natural rhythms, sounds and sights of nature. Perhaps you do too? Here are some tips from years of trail walking and bushwacking to see more on your outdoor ramblings:

SLOW DOWN. Walk quietly and wear soft shoes that minimize noise. Think moccasins or very soft soled shoes. Stop periodically, sit quietly and listen. You will be amazed about how many critters will come to check you out. And, you will notice things you would likely have missed had you rushed.

LEAVE FIDO HOME. This is a really hard one for me. I have two dogs, a Newf and Aussie, that give me the betrayed “sad eye” when I head out. But, dogs are distracting in the field. They scare and chase wild critters. Marching through the woods with a “large predator,” AKA your dog, even if he/she is trained well, is at best problematic for nature sightings.

THINK HABITAT. Consciously think about what habitat you are headed to and what you might see. I often leave home with an intent to look for a specific species or happening that I know may be present where I am walking that day. And, while frequently I will not find what I originally set out to see, I am always pleasantly surprised to stumble upon something wonderfully unexpected!

VARY THE TIME OF DAY that you go out into the field. There is a lot going on in nature not only during dawn and dusk, but also at night. Yes, I know mosquitos and gnats in Minnesota are annoying at night. So, find an insect repellent that works for you. You will be rewarded with night calls, starry skies, and after-hours happenings that you have been missing.

VISIT THE SAME AREA FREQUENTLY especially in the Spring and Fall. What you see unfold over the course of several weeks or months can be amazing. There is nothing more beautiful than watching woodland patches of spring ephemerals bloom over several weeks, disappearing after the tree canopy fills in and casts them in shade. Or, seeing prairie flowers taking their turns blooming over the course of several months at a nearby restored prairie. Knowing a place intimately, helps you know where to look and gives you a sense of phenological/seasonal changes.

USE TECHNOLOGY as it suits you. I have a love/hate relationship with technology. It tends to take me out of the moment unless I know how to use it without futzing around. However, I always have my iPhone handy for photos, recordings and reference. Experiment with some phone apps that you can take into the field. I use these three: “PictureThis” for plant, shrub and tree identifications (free trial); “Audubon Bird Guide”, been using for years, but there are several other bird apps you might check out and “iNaturalist” a citizen science phone app that helps with identification with whatever you find in the field, let’s you document their locations and create a list, and connects you to other naturalists. (More about phone apps in a future article.)

I am headed out into the field after I finish editing this article! Here’s what I have in my back pack ready to go when I dash out the door:

*Water * Insect Repellent* Sun Block *Binocs *Small Journal and 2 Mechanical Pencils *Several Plastic Zip Lock Bags *Sunglasses *Small Magnifying Glass *Field Guide to Mushrooms *Swiss Army Knife *Benadryl Spray *First Aid Kit *Phone/Camera
Lastly, sharing what you find in the field with others, helps all of us stay more connected with our natural world! Knowing about the fungi, plants, birds and animals that live in your community is the first step towards advocating towards ensuring that they be here for our children and grandchildren. Have you seen something cool? Let me know and we may share on Facebook, Instagram, or our newsletter.

ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 23:53:07 GMT

by Louise Segreto. Art by Ricardo Levins Morales

The tragically unjust death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month has raised a global consciousness about equity and justice. In the wake of his death, even environmental/conservation organizations like our Bush Lake Chapter Izaak Walton League have stepped back to examine what “Environmental Equity” and “Environmental Justice” mean and should look like as we move forward.

While these are not new terms, they are often confused and incorrectly used interchangeably. The fundamental conceptual principle is that we are all entitled, despite who we are, what color we happen to be, how much money we make, how old we are, or any other demographic we can be identified as belonging, to safe drinking water, healthy air quality, and a clean environment. These environmental entitlements are basic human rights. And, the Izaak Walton League (“IWL”) has been proudly involved in Environmental Equity issues and Environmental Justice long before these terms were even used. The IWL has been doing Environmental Justice work years before it came to be referred to as a social movement.

What is the difference between “Environmental Equity” and “Environmental Justice”?

“Environmental Equity” refers to how environmental risks are distributed across diverse population groups and how our policies create or respond to the equitable or unequal distribution of environmental risk. There are many different types of equity, but in recent months we have been focused on inequities that affect racial minorities and low-income populations. Similarly, environmental risks can be wide ranging from broader environmental disasters such as flooding, wildfires, mudslides caused by climate change to more localized environmental hazards such as contaminated water from industrial agriculture or factory effluent pollution, to changes in hunting and fishing regulations that disproportionately affect a disadvantaged northern Minnesota Native American Tribe. The simple fact of the matter is that people that lack economic power or political clout usually bear the brunt of carrying the risks of environmental downsides associated with industrial and capitalistic “progress”.

The term “Environmental Justice” refers to the actions and activism necessary to highlight the inequalities in environmental risk distribution across populations and pave the way to leveling the playing field in achieving environmental equity. Environmental Justice activism can take many forms. For example, advocating for proper oversight and review of Federal, State and local agencies, ensuring proper permitting and licensing, and advocating for changes in rules, regulations and statutes are different strategies. Ideally, Environmental Equity is the outcome of Environmental Justice.

But, striving for Environmental Equity & Environmental Justice are just lofty aspirational words, unless we really focus on these concepts and integrate them into every aspect of our lives and work. As members of the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, let us all pause and think what each of us might do to contribute to achieving Environmental Equity through our work in Environmental Justice today and in years to come.

2020 Watershed and Climate Summit Recap and Videos

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 23:22:29 GMT

by John Crampton

The Bush Lake Izaak Walton League’s 2020 Watershed and Climate Summit on Sat. March 7th at Normandale College was a terrific success. Below are descriptions and links to the videos of the presentations.

Grant & Dawn Breitkreutz of Stoney Creek Farm near Redwood Falls presented Growing a Resilient Farm & Ranch Ecosystem, about using cover crops, rotational grazing and no-till to restore the health of their soils, sequester carbon and limit storm water run-off while dramatically cutting costs.

Video

Holly Hatlewick of the Renville County Soil and Water Conservation District did a Soil Health Demonstration of how healthy soils work to hold nutrients, sequester carbon, and prevent run-off and flooding.

Video

Duane Hovorka, Agriculture Program Director, National Izaak Walton League talked about Leveraging Federal Dollars to Promote Soil Health in Minnesota.

Video

All the morning presenters held a free-wheeling Q and A on the basics of soil health and regenerative farming as a solution to flooding, soil loss and climate change. Discussion: How Functioning Ecosystems Are Providing Climate Solutions

Video

Lissa Pawlisch of CERTs (Clean Energy Resource Teams) talked about the explosive growth of Renewable Energy in Minnesota including many examples form farming and grazing operations statewide.

Video

Jukka Kukkonen of the MN EV Owners Association and Switch2Electric charted the dramatic growth of Electric Vehicles, EV Chargers and Clean Car Standards in our state.

Video

The session wrapped up with presentations by Chris Conry of the 100% Campaign and Rep. Patty Acomb (D-Minnetonka) of the MN House Climate Caucus on the drive to pass 100% Clean Energy in Minnesota by 2050 in the 2020 or 2021 Minnesota Legislature. This crucial effort has been stalled by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Video

Thanks to our partners at CURE (Clean Up Our River Environment) and the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition. Thanks to the Bush Lake volunteers including Jill Crafton, John Crampton, Paul Erdmann, Ben Johnson, Rick Wheeler, Paul Raymaker, John Servais, Jim Roen, Pdon Pinkham, Gregg Thompson and Patrick O’Leary. You were awesome! A special thanks to all of our presenters and to everyone that attended.

The Bush Lake Ikes plan to work with other chapter and environmental groups around the state to put on more in-depth education in all areas of agriculture, timber, mining, renewable energy, clean cars and civic/corporate sustainability.

WRITING EDITORIALS THAT GET PUBLISHED

Fri, 15 May 2020 14:16:16 GMT

By Louise Segreto, Chapter Historian

Editorials can be powerful tools for environmental advocacy. We all have strong opinions on environmental issues and policy, but when was the last time you wrote an editorial to a newspaper or on-line news service and got it published? Now is the time to step out of your comfort zone on a topic or issue that you are impassioned about and spark a conversation in a public forum.

Here are 7 tips for writing editorials from Andrew Rosenthal, former New York Times Editorial Page Editor from 1997-2016:

1. Take a Clear Position. Choose an issue/topic that you have a strong opinion about. Know what you want to say and say it. Be bold in your declaration. You are stating your opinion and trying to persuade others to see the issue from your perspective. Capture your readers’ interest by opening with something that makes them want to read more. Be timely and current with the topic you chose to write about.

2. Be Concise. Laser in on what you want to get out. Get rid of fluff, useless information and archaic language. Anticipate “yeah but” arguments and preemptively refute them. Limit your editorial to 500 words or less. Consider your audience in crafting your writing. Remember that most people’s attention spans are very short. Further, there is limited space allocated to an editorial page.

3. Either Propose a Solution to a Specific Problem or Express a Clear Opinion to an Issue. These are the two most published types of editorials.

4. Research Your Facts. You must prove up your claims and position with credible sources. Triple check your facts. There is nothing that will undermine your writing more than facts that are wrong.

5. Good Writing. Editorials do not need to be in overly formal language, but there is no excuse for poor grammar, misspelling, run-on sentences, or misused punctuation. Do not use slang. Use examples and analogies to support your position. And, avoid writing in the first person; try not to use “I” in stating your opinion.

6. Get an Editor. Every writer needs an editor. Give your editorial to someone you trust to read. Take their suggestions and criticisms to heart.

7. Be Prepared for a Response. A well-thought-out editorial is bound to solicit a response and discussion. So, be ready to defend your position in a respectful and positive way. There is never a reason to be rude. And, insults are counter-productive and not at all persuasive.

The biggest challenge of writing a great editorial is compressing your thoughts into a persuasive argument that others can easily understand. Editorial writing is not for shrinking violets! Most editorial editors require that writers identify themselves by name and provide address and contact information. And, depending on the publication, you may or may not have the ability to submit an image or a headline for your editorial.

The next time you find yourself pontificating to your friends and family about an environmental or climate change related issue, instead consider sitting down and writing an editorial. Well-reasoned and respectful discussions about how to solve complex environmental problems that confront our world are the first step towards solving them. Why not write an editorial and be part of the solution? Not ready to write an editorial? Contact your elected representatives on current important issues that are important to you. They are there for you and need to hear from their constituents.

City of Bloomington Parks Master Plan- Your Input needed

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 22:36:20 GMT

*This page will be updated as new items are added. Please check back regularly.*

Enter Comments by Clicking Here

Bloomington is blessed with many parks and open spaces. They City is creating a new Master Plan for the parks. The purpose of the Park System Master Plan is to establish a clear, 20-year vision for the Bloomington park, trail, recreation, and open space systems. There are nearly 9,000 acres of parkland and open space in Bloomington, of which 3,882 acres are City-owned. Nearly 36% of the City’s 38.3 square miles is parkland or open space.

The Bush Lake Chapter will be advocating for the following. If you support these items, click on the link above and send in your comments:

Parks and Open Space in General

Overall, the City needs to provide more funding for restoration and wildlife habitat. Given all of our parks and open spaces, wouldn't it be great if we had a Natural Resources Manager to oversee all of this, and paid staff committed to natural resources, similar to what Minnetonka and other cities have? The City needs to provide funding for ecological restoration and maintenance. There's also many areas of turf that are not needed/not used that could be converted to habitat.

Bush Lake Area

Bush Lake and its surrounding lands and waters are still in good shape, others need a lot of work. The area is a critically important piece of habitat given its location by Hyland and Tierney's Woods and Anderson Lake. We have documented some rare species in the area- the endangered rusty patched bumblebee, state threatened kittentails, as well as prairie mimosa (Illinois bundleflower, possibly a Hennepin County record), American lotus, and red headed woodpecker to name a few.

Bush Lake is threatened by the spread of invasive species such as Eurasian water milfoil, curly leaf pondweed, and hybrid and narrow-leaved cattail. More should be done to manage these species and to prevent the introduction of zebra mussels into the lake.

The area north of the Chapter and East Bay pond is former oak savanna habitat with several ponds scattered throughout and trails running through it. This 17 acres of City land is overrun with buckthorn. The City should seek grants and partner with the Bush Lake Chapter Izaak Walton League to restore this area for wildlife and to increase the area's conservation corridor.

The City should create better turtle nesting habitat, both on the public beach as well as on the west side of Bush Lake. Three Rivers Park District has done similar work in parks they manage.

The City and Watershed District need to improve the maintenance that is being done around the Bush Lake vegetative buffer in order to control invasive plants, expand native plants, improve aesthetics and to protect water quality.

Ikes Creek and Kelly Farm

Did you know a coldwater stream comes bubbling out of the ground, not far from the Mall of America? And thanks to the Izaak Walton League and others, it is the only stream left in Hennepin County known to support trout. Officially called "Unnamed Creek" is has been known as Ikes Creek since the 1940s when Ike volunteers reared fish in the nearby Bass Ponds to repopulate area lakes and rivers with game fish that had been lost to pollution, over-fishing, and industrialization.

Several years ago, the City, Great River Greening, and volunteers did restoration work in the area- removing buckthorn and seeding native species. Little to no follow up was done, and the area quickly reverted to buckthorn, garlic mustard, and other invasive species. Maintenance is critical the first 3-5 years after restoration to manage the invasive seedbank and let natives establish. A 5-10 year management plan that focuses on this unique resource should be created and enacted. Collaborate/partner with the USFWS.

Nearby, the last farm in Bloomington still operates. This is also the largest remaining open space within the City. It is currently for sale. Should the property sell, the City should consider preserving at least a portion of the area as a City park- starting with the area closest to the bluff and National Wildlife Refuge. Preserving land in this highly developed area will be important for both people and wildlife in the future.

Normandale Lake area

Lots of money and attention has been focused on Normandale Lake the last few years- with a City and Watershed project that brought down the lake in an attempt to improve the water quality and aquatic vegetation in this once a wetland-now shallow lake. Little to no attention is paid to the land surrounding the lake which is overrun by invasive species or is turf grass. Hundreds of people walk around the lake daily. It could be a great example of pollinator and wildlife habitat in an urban area. Buckthorn was removed from areas north of the lake a few years ago, but again- little to no maintenance was done and it is reverting to buckthorn. The City and Watershed District should consider partnering on restoring the land around Normandale lake, for both people and wildlife.

Copper-Sulfide Ore Mining: A Threat to Northern Minnesota

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 17:23:47 GMT

By Louise Segreto

Looking across Burntside Lake from Sigurd Olson’s weathered wood cabin at “Listening Point”, located just outside of Ely, I think about the fate of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in light of northern Minnesota’s most recent threat: Copper-Sulfide Ore Mining. What would Sig Olson say about opening the door to copper-sulfide mining? No doubt, he would vehemently oppose it, and work tirelessly to educate us about why copper-sulfide mining would be a catastrophic mistake, not only for the Boundary Waters, but for all of Minnesota.

Advocacy work to protect the Boundary Waters has been a long road of hard-fought successive battles. The first fight, undertaken by the newly formed Izaak Walton League (“IWL”) in the 1920s, was to halt the construction of roads through the area. Since then, the IWL, joined by many others, have continued for almost 100 years to fight for protections against: logging, damming, air traffic, private property ownership, cell tower construction, snowmobiling and motorboating. The IWL has always been at the head of the charge to protect the Boundary Waters. Herculean efforts of IWL leaders such as Bud Heinselman, Raymond Haik, Wes Libbey and Dave Zentner, to name just a few, are legendary. Finally, in 1978- success! The Boundary Waters was declared a Wilderness Area under the federal Wilderness Act.

But, despite the Boundary Waters being a federally protected Wilderness Area, this alone is not enough to put an immediate halt to the newest threat of copper-sulfide mining. What makes this threat more difficult to fend off, is that both proposed mine locations lie outside of the boundaries of the designated BWCAW. The Twin Metals site is in the Rainy River Watershed, a sub-watershed of the greater Boundary Waters’ Watershed; and the Poly Met site is located just south of Babbitt in the St. Louis River Watershed which flows ultimately into Lake Superior.

Geographical arguments aside, both proposed mining operations nevertheless pose a serious threat to the clean waters of Minnesota. So, why are we opening the door to copper-sulfide mining? Copper-sulfide mines are not like iron ore mining. Vast piles of waste rock are produced in copper-sulfide mining, because of the extremely low percentage of copper contained in the ore. When rain falls on sulfide ore waste, it produces sulfuric acid, which is the same as battery acid. Making matters worse, sulfuric acid leaches out heavy metals such as mercury, lead and arsenic. Because of the unique hydrology of the Boundary Waters, there is a high risk that contaminated water will infiltrate into its watershed and Lake Superior. Furthermore, there is the real risk of tailing wastewater ponding areas that can fail over time and contaminate lakes, rivers and groundwater. If these copper-sulfide mines are allowed to proceed, they will pave the way to other mining operations in the region. Hundreds of prospecting permits have already been filed waiting on the decisions in the Twin Metals and Poly Met cases.

Combine all of this with the fact that there has never been a copper-sulfide mine anywhere that did not pollute surrounding waters. Throw into this toxic mix that both mining operation proposals are largely owned by thinly capitalized foreign national conglomerates who cannot offer sufficient financial assurances for safeguarding the mine areas after they are pillaged and exhausted. We already know that the major owners behind both mines are notorious for their dismal track records of environmental degradation and corruption. Sig Olson would be outraged and demand answers to how these mining proposals ever got as far as they have!

The BWCAW is the most frequently visited wilderness area in the U.S. It is Minnesota’s crown jewel. All Minnesota residents have a stake in the future of the BWCA. For that matter, the Boundary Waters are public lands and belong to every Minnesotan. How we manage and protect our public lands should not be dictated by local interests. Especially in light of the fact that mining has never proven in the past to be the solution to northern Minnesota’s economic health.

The IWL and other environmental groups are fighting back. The Minnesota IWL has signed on as a Plaintiff with the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (“MEP”) to challenge the Department of Interior’s reinstatement of Twin Metals’ mineral leases. Another suit is pending in the Minnesota Court of Appeals brought by MEP and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to reverse Poly Met Minings’ permits to mine. Until a final decision in this appeal, the DNR permits to Poly Met are temporarily on hold. Additionally, the Friends of the Boundary Waters has challenged the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s recent cancellation of a Forest Study that had placed a 20-year moratorium on mineral exploration in the watershed of the Superior National Forest.

As this litigation drags on, it is easy to lose track of what is going on and get confused by the technical arguments upon which these cases will pivot.

A great book which provides a detailed account of what it took to gain Wilderness status for the Boundary Waters:

“Troubled Waters-The Fight for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness” by Kevin Proescholdt, Rip Rapson and Miron L. Heinselman, published by North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc. (1995) 324pp

Contact your legislators and Senators Amy Klobuchar & Tina Smith, and Governor Tim Walz and let them know that you oppose copper sulfide mining in northern Minnesota and explain why.

Do your best to stay informed. For further background and updates, check out:

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness @ www.friends-BWCA.org

Save the Boundary Waters @ www.savetheboundarywaters.org

Photo courtesy Dave Freeman, Save the Boundary Waters

Awards- Bush Lake Chapter Izaak Walton League

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:07:46 GMT

Since 2017 we have been giving out awards to our members and others for their outstanding contributions to the Chapter and conservation. Below is a list of the awards and award winners.

Chapter Awards 2020

1) Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2020.

3) Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

4) Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

5) Youth Conservation Award- awarded to youth under the age of 21 for their outstanding contribution to the Chapter, conservation, or the environment.

Bush Lake Chapter IWLA Awards 2019

Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award- for member with outstanding contributions to the chapter in 2019.

1- Paul Cress- Paul has been a member for several years and has been a huge asset to the Chapter. He built the paddleboard rack several years ago and always turns out for volunteer events and takes on special projects. He almost single-handedly prepped the South Woodland Restoration in 2019- as others have said “He’s a beast!” He’s been an integral member of the Dock Team as well as the Beaver Dam Team! His attitude, skills, and demeanor are exemplary, and we thank him for all of his great work!
2- Bush Lake Board of Directors- for their outstanding contributions and volunteering the last several years. Special recognition should go to: Paul Raymaker (photos, signs, Kids Crafts, Instagram- Check It Out!), Nancy Carlson (Canoes, Kids Crafts, Graphic Design), Rafael Bustos (signs and lodge/grounds help), Gregg Thompson (website, membership, Canoes, outlet, caretaker assistance/therapy and more), Louise Segreto (newsletter articles, history research, advocacy), Jill Crafton (treasurer, advocacy, watershed summit), Doug Claycomb (AIS monitoring, advocacy, education) Rick Wheeler (leadership, calming the ship, Chapter work), Tim Olish (Neighborhood Watch) and Paul Erdmann (misc).

Marilynn and Tom Torkelson. They have been members of the Chapter for a few years and are always willing to help. Marilynn has been active with our Plant Posse, this summer she helped out in the South Woodland Restoration, single-handedly removing a patch of non-native/invasive lily of the valley. Marilynn is the President of the Wild Ones Prairie Edge Chapter in the west Metro. Wild Ones works to educate others on native plant landscapes and gardening. Marilynn and Tom have a beautiful yard in Eden Prairie that is almost entirely (if not entirely) native plants that also features rain gardens to improve water quality. They frequently hold tours to educate others on how they can implement environmental practices in their own yards. They are active in their community, advocating for conservation. Marilynn is also a Master Water Steward who works to improve water quality in her community. She is also on the Citizens Advisory Committee at the Riley Purgatory Creek Watershed District, where she has been working on a restoration project at the Scenic Heights Elementary School, involving students and community members in this process. Tom, I'm sure, helps Marilynn with all of this stuff and provides great support! There are also probably quite a few other great things that they do that we don’t know about. Please thank them for being great Defenders and all they do for conservation!

Public Good Award- Award given to non-profit, city or public staff for their contributions to water quality, conservation, and/or the environment.

Three Rivers Park District Natural Resource Staff and Richardson Nature Center Staff who are involved with restoration activities and prairie maintenance at Hyland Park/Richardson Nature Center as well as environmental education in our community. Our Chapter caretakers frequently hike and bike in the park (as a nice get away from work at the Chapter) and are always excited and inspired by the beauty and diversity of the prairie and other lands in the park. They have been especially impressed with and happy to see lots of work being done in the woodlands and with buckthorn removal in recent years. Other Chapter members enjoy Hyland and the Nature Center as well. The Bush Lake Chapter is fortunate to have this wonderful oasis of habitat not far from the Chapter, as it acts as anchor and conservation corridor for wildlife and helps to protect water quality. Additionally, Nature Center staff provide excellent nature and natural resources education to our community year-round, another very important asset for conservation! We thank them for all of their great work!

Bush Lake Commitment to Conservation Award- Given to an individual or organization inside or outside the organization that has contributed to restoration, habitat, and conservation in Minnesota.

Ron Erdmann He has played a huge role in restoring the Chapter property, from removing buckthorn and tree work and building and maintaining wildlife structures. For our Chapter’s wildlife he has built and donated bluebird houses, Great crested flycatcher houses, wren houses, bat houses, and even woodpecker bongos! In the summer he works for the MN DNR doing similar work at St. Croix State Park, and has worked throughout the state restoring the land, putting conservation in the ground, and creating wildlife habitat. He’s planted thousands of trees, shrubs, and native plants, and has killed just as many invasive plants. We often offer to pay him for his great work at the Chapter, but he always refuses and says that he is working for “Ike”- Izaak Walton. Ron has been an inspiration to his brother, Paul, our caretaker, and without Ron, Paul would probably be an accountant or shoveling coal somewhere, and not our caretaker. Let’s all thank Ron for his great contributions to the Chapter and to conservation!

Youth Conservation Award- awarded to youth under the age of 21 for their outstanding contribution to the Chapter, conservation or the environment.

Sam Hodges, whose family belongs to the Chapter, who repaired and renovated the Chapter playground for this Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project. He has been a good communicator and took the initiative to approach the board and propose the idea. This project was really, really needed. He and his crew have did an excellent job on the playground in a very expedient fashion. We thank Sam for his contributions and hope that he remembers the Chapter and conservation in his future plans. Thank you, Sam!

Claire Carlson- Claire is a recent Jefferson High School graduate. She served on the Bloomington Sustainability Commission and recently worked to revive Jefferson's Environmental Club. She came to our planting day and brought friends with! She worked on recycling and solid waste issues at both the Commission and at Jefferson, making some cool videos that teach people the importance of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose. She is a good communicator and has a contagious passion that makes others want to get involved in environmental issues. It’s encouraging to know that there are young people that are working to protect our planet and all of its creatures. Let’s thank Claire for her great work!