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

The premier episode of the Northern Druid podcast will be available Sunday, October 18! My goal is to have bi-weekly podcast episodes which will feature the following:

• Information, talk, and resource sharing about Druidry and holistic healing
• News and events from the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Lake Superior bioregion
• Observations and reflections about Nature, the Lake, the Waters, Woods, Prairies, and People of the Northland
• Music from local musicians
• A “meditation of the moment” to close each podcast
• And much much more… the lid is off!

My ultimate goal with the upcoming podcast is to do nothing less than have listeners fall in love with Minnesota, the North Shore, and the natural environment of this very magical place. This follows the basic tennant of Reformed Druids, which I follow:

“Nature is good. Likewise, Nature is very good!”

Sunday, October 18 marks the time of the New Moon, and I’ll be talking about the book, New Moon Astrology: The Secret of Astrological Timing to Make All Your Dreams Come True, by Jan Spiller. We’ll even take some time in the meditation to make some wishes under the new moon!

Hope to have you listening! More information on subscribing via iTunes and other methods will be forthcoming!

-Scott Schumacher

I had a wonderful Sunday hiking a few places on the North Shore of Lake Superior with my friends Jeff and Marguerite. They showed me some excellent spots where they spent their first date many years ago at Gooseberry Falls State Park and Sugarloaf Cove.

After hiking, we continued northward to stop in Grand Marais for dinner at Dockside Fish Market. They have wonderful fish & chips at very affordable prices!

We also brought the incredible Junebug along for the adventure, and she was a tired yet very happy dog by the end of the journey.

To see all of the photos from our hiking excursion, visit my Minnesota North Shore Hiking photo album.