‘Environment’ Archives
Design Plans for Owámniyomni Restoration Unveiled
By OWÁMNIYOMNI OKHÓDAYAPI The Owámniyomni Project, View of the Mill Race. Rendering: GGN After nearly a decade of relationship building, community conversations, and reimagining what the riverfront could be, Dakota-led nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi has unveiled its design for restoring the land and water at Owámniyomni, just north of the Phillips neighborhood. The project area includes a five-acre site adjacent to the Upper Lock on the Mississippi Riverfront, along with three additional acres managed by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. Owámniyomni, known to many as St. Anthony Falls, has been a sacred place for Dakota and other Indigenous peoples since long before Minneapolis existed. The land holds significant spiritual power for the community as a space where families have gathered to pray, hold ceremonies, and welcome new life into the world. Settler industrialization of the Mississippi River reshaped the land for milling, power, and other industries [...]
A New Public-Private Park Opens at Columbus and Lake
By MATTIE WONG Black locust poles, boulders, teff and native buffalo grass create an interesting group of textures seen here after the first frost. PHOTO: Radicle Land Collective This past year, the Lake Street Council has been supporting the transformation of empty lots on Lake Street through their Lake Street LIFT! initiative. One lot, at the corner of Lake and Columbus, explores what a public/private park could look like and how it might operate. Designed to be a temporary park because the original owner wishes to redevelop it in the future, this park had to be safe, sturdy, interesting, and removable. The lot had some challenges that made these goals difficult. Hypodermic needles covered the lot, meaning that to make the site safe, the top six inches of the original soil would have to be scooped and mounded into a hill, compacted, and then capped with one foot of uncontaminated top soil. This method starts the park off on a safe foot. A closeup of the delicate [...]
What’s new with the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm Project this month?
By EAST PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD INSTITUTE East Phillips Neighborhood Institute is building toward a healthier future and overdue environmental justice by converting the empty Roof Depot warehouse (located on 27th St and Longfellow Ave) into a community hub that brings fresh food and good jobs to East Phillips. Learn more and get involved! Join EPNI’s Outdoor Farm Team for “Seed Saturdays” in the afternoon on July 5th and July 19 to help in the gardens and learn about our outreach effortsFind details about Seed Saturdays, community meetings and other July events on our website (epnifarm.org/calendar) Come build a brighter future with us! Find updates, ways to get involved and how to follow along online at linktr.ee/epnifarm
