This is the first of a series of posts about the Great Blue Heron. More to come soon!

On May 22, a tornado ripped through Minneapolis’ North Side, devastating many parts of probably the most economically challenged part of the city. Downed trees and powerlines, roofs ripped off buildings, and homes and small businesses with a range of damage – up to the flattening of some. For three days, a curfew was in place to clear the debris, and city buses (a lifeline for many residents of the North Side) could not get through. The North Side is still recovering over a month later.

Another story of hardship relating to this storm was that of the devastation of a long held rookery of Great Blue Heron nests on an island in Mississippi River Park. 200 nests were destroyed, and 180 Herons lost their lives, many of them heron chicks. Wildlife workers reported that this was a devastating loss to the heron community. Sharon Stiteler’s “Bird Chick Blog” has a very thorough post with photos about the damage. As she says, “It is just beyond words.”

At the same time.. there is now hope!

About two dozen Great Blue Herons have renested on an island downstream on the Mississippi River, near the Xcel Energy plant. These nests are visible from Marshall Terrace Park in Minneapolis (take a trail then a walkway of steps down to the River to see them – bring binoculars if you like).

Some Herons have made some interesting “artificial nests” – a testament to their steadfast attempts at recovery.

While many Herons appear to be incubating, Great Blue Heron chicks reach maturity after three months. Many are hoping for a mild fall so that these new fledgelings will be able to join their elders in migrating southward for Winter.

Today I ventured to Marshall Terrace Park to see the new nests. I did catch glimpses of a Heron flying above the trees, but they move fast! Next time I hope to snap a photo, as I will be back. If you look closely, you can see a Great Blue Heron nesting at the top treeline near the left in the closeup photo below (click the photo for a larger image or download the full image here – 1 MB JPG).

I believe there is so much we can learn about resilience, loss, devastation, and the rebuilding of life from the experience of the Heron in Minneapolis. I will be sharing more soon, as the Great Blue Heron will be my focus in a number of ways in the next coming weeks with NorthernDruid.  Stay tuned.

I visited Coldwater Spring this week in Minneapolis. Coldwater Spring is the last natural spring in the city of Minneapolis, and was the site of much controversy during the building of the new Highway 55 which passes nearby. In the late 1990s, Camp Coldwater and the area near Coldwater Spring was the site of the largest urban occupation of land in recorded history in the United States. Through the many efforts of neighbors, the native community, and environmental activists, Coldwater Spring was preserved, and the original plans for the highway were revised to avoid the spring.

Though it was saved, the area has been under the control of the Bureau of Mines until recently. Now, the National Parks Service is both maintaining, improving, and preserving the site. Over the next few years they will be tearing down the old abandoned buildings and making way for a natural grassland prairie in the 43 acres around the spring. However, controversies still exist about public opinion of who should have control of Camp Coldwater.

Enjoy the photos on Flickr.

For more information:
Friends of Coldwater Spring
Preserve Camp Coldwater

Last week I was in Minneapolis for the 2010 Mayday Parade. This annual parade is a celebration of life and is put together by In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. With over 50,000 spectators and attendees at the festival in Powderhorn Park, I’d say that MayDay was a huge success!

Enjoy the photos on my Flickr Photo space!