Planning for a Greener Park System Continues

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) are preparing the first-ever Ecological System Plan. This plan will set a vision for making parks and public lands more friendly to the environment.

 An appointed Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will help guide the plan, with the second of several CAC meetings scheduled for 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, August 27, at Park Board Headquarters, 2117 West River Road in Minneapolis.The public may attend CAC meetings, which feature a brief public comment period at the end of each meeting. 

 The August 27 meeting will help MPRB staff prepare to visit with the public at neighborhood festivals, farmers markets, and other events throughout the fall. The meeting will discuss:

  • A set of ecologically focused maps of the city
  • The detailed plan for visiting with the community throughout the fall
  • What questions to ask the community about nature in the city

The Ecological System Plan will seek to first understand the ecology of the city and watershed, then plan for parks and public lands management and improvements that benefit both humans and nature. It will address specific threats such as climate change, decreasing water quality, explosion of invasive species, increasing runoff, and fragmentation of habitat. It will envision a more environmentally sound way of managing the impacts of the city, so that the city can be cleaner, greener, cooler, and more efficient.

 Specifically, the ecological system plan will:

  • Compile, create, and illustrate city-wide ecological data;
  • Craft a vision for natural resources and public lands within the watershed and city;
  • Outline guiding principles for management; and

In addition to attending this CAC meeting, the public may provide input and stay informed about the project in the following ways:

  •  Visit the project website to stay up to date on the project and see some of the amazing maps and drawings we plan to create. Go to www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects and select “Ecological System Plan.”
  •  Attend future CAC meetings. The next scheduled meeting is on October 16 in the evening, location and time to be determined. Keep informed by subscribing (see below) or visiting the project website.
  •  Attend any of the planned community events that will take place in the parks over the next year and a half. More details will be made available on the project website and by govdelivery as these events are scheduled and planned.
  •  Sign up to receive e-mail updates by subscribing on the project website or at www.minneapolisparks.org/subscribe or, if you are already a subscriber, by adding “Ecological System Plan” to your subscription preferences.