NOW SCHEDULING FREE YARD CONSULTATIONS - NOW IS ALWAYS A GREAT TIME TO START PLANNING. CALL OR TEXT DAN AT 612-408-0233.
WE ARE IN NEED OF MORE PEOPLE TO HELP BRAINSTORM, PLAN, AND FACILITATE EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE AND CERTIFY NEIGHBORHOOD YARDS AND BUSINESSES. IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING WILDLIFE (AND ALL THE OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT ENTAILS) AND RE-CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH NATURE, PLEASE CALL OR TEXT DAN AT 612-408-0233.
WE ARE IN NEED OF MORE PEOPLE TO HELP BRAINSTORM, PLAN, AND FACILITATE EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE AND CERTIFY NEIGHBORHOOD YARDS AND BUSINESSES. IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING WILDLIFE (AND ALL THE OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT ENTAILS) AND RE-CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH NATURE, PLEASE CALL OR TEXT DAN AT 612-408-0233.
This site is dedicated to Bessie the Bison, the last wild Bison to be recorded as killed in the Longfellow area in 1841. I often wonder what the shooter was thinking and feeling at that moment, whether it was excitement, fear, anguish, or pure matter-of-factness.
I don’t know if her name was Bessie, but it’s certain there
are no longer herds of Bison roaming Minneapolis, they were sacrificed in the
name of “progress”. That’s how the
“West” was won in those days, and all of us now living and playing in
Longfellow must acknowledge the debt we owe to Bessie, and all the other animals
disrupted and killed to prepare for our intensive and “rational” methods of
human habitation. Vast tracts of prairie
and forest in the Twin Cities region were converted to houses, streets, boulevards, and
grassy lawn, and the pattern continues as urban sprawl spreads ever further
outward.
North America once boasted Bison herds numbering in the tens
of millions before the arrival of European settlers. In a remarkably short amount of time, the
entire species was reduced to a few dozen in Yellowstone National Park and a
handful of isolated spots. The last
recorded sighting of a wild Bison in Minnesota was in 1880 in Norman County. Cattle ranchers out west saw the impending
extinction of the Bison, and began breeding some of them with cattle. Many Bison today, particularly those raised
for meat, are more docile and possess some genetic material of Cattle.
It is said that a few genetically pure Bison were saved, and
the herd slowly expanded in Yellowstone Park.
In more recent times, more and more places are making room for the Buffalo
to roam again. In Minnesota, you can see
wild Bison herds by trekking over to Blue Mound State Park and Minneopa State
Park. In 2016, President Obama declared
the Bison as the National Mammal of the United States.
The original Bison habitat has been restored in parts of
Longfellow. You can see some of the old
Bur Oak trees still standing in the neighborhood, which made up the original
Oak Savanna habitat. The “giggling
hills” also has a restored Oak Savanna and Prairie on 36th st by the
river, and be sure to see the National Park Service’s Coldwater Spring (on the
old Bureau of Mines site). As you look
out over the native grasses and flowers, you can almost picture a Bison
standing there munching on Little Bluestem grasses.
What does the future hold for the wildlife of Greater Longfellow?
HABITAT TEAM:
DANIEL SCHULTZ, Project Leader and Master Naturalist. Dan grew up on 34th ave across from the old A&W on Hiawatha ave. Most of the houses had been demolished on that block, the city's dream of a light rail train was decades in the making. For some reason, one last "double bungalow" was left on that corner. The backyard therefore consisted of a large meadow in the summertime, always full of butterflies, moths, bees, gophers, and yes, cats. He remembers some Elm trees, which are still there to this day, as well as a Bur Oak that was always a ready source of acorns. He spent many days wandering around the Falls, the River Gorge, and Ft Snelling State Park, and other natural wonders Minneapolis is blessed with. It seemed like he was living out "in the country" in the middle of the city. No wonder he was so shocked to find out how little "wild" was left. In 2009, hearing Douglas Tallamy talk about his book "Bringing Nature Home," it became clear that the cherished woods and wildlife were in peril, and something had to be done about it. Dan trained as a Master Naturalist volunteer (similar to the Master Gardener program format), and thanks to local buckthorn pulls with the River Gorge Committee, Great River Greening, and the National Park Service, the poor quality of even our few remaining wild spaces became evident. After attending a Pollinator Forum in 2016, put together by local community leaders, Dan realized just how urgently more things needed to be done for pollinators and wildlife habitat. Thanks to some excellent leadership and teamwork by the Environment Committee that summer (Nadya Trytan, Leslie MacKenzie, and Anni Murray-Rudegair, Dan proposed certifying with the NWF, and the committee and eventually the Board voted to officially register to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat.
DANIEL SCHULTZ, Project Leader and Master Naturalist. Dan grew up on 34th ave across from the old A&W on Hiawatha ave. Most of the houses had been demolished on that block, the city's dream of a light rail train was decades in the making. For some reason, one last "double bungalow" was left on that corner. The backyard therefore consisted of a large meadow in the summertime, always full of butterflies, moths, bees, gophers, and yes, cats. He remembers some Elm trees, which are still there to this day, as well as a Bur Oak that was always a ready source of acorns. He spent many days wandering around the Falls, the River Gorge, and Ft Snelling State Park, and other natural wonders Minneapolis is blessed with. It seemed like he was living out "in the country" in the middle of the city. No wonder he was so shocked to find out how little "wild" was left. In 2009, hearing Douglas Tallamy talk about his book "Bringing Nature Home," it became clear that the cherished woods and wildlife were in peril, and something had to be done about it. Dan trained as a Master Naturalist volunteer (similar to the Master Gardener program format), and thanks to local buckthorn pulls with the River Gorge Committee, Great River Greening, and the National Park Service, the poor quality of even our few remaining wild spaces became evident. After attending a Pollinator Forum in 2016, put together by local community leaders, Dan realized just how urgently more things needed to be done for pollinators and wildlife habitat. Thanks to some excellent leadership and teamwork by the Environment Committee that summer (Nadya Trytan, Leslie MacKenzie, and Anni Murray-Rudegair, Dan proposed certifying with the NWF, and the committee and eventually the Board voted to officially register to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat.
DISCLAIMER:
While we try our best to provide the most accurate information and practical advice on this site, including from numerous scientific sources, the ideas presented on this site are ultimately the opinion of local concerned neighbors that want to help wildlife survive and thrive. Users of this website may glean what they like from this site, but must always use their own common sense and further research before undertaking any major landscaping project or attempt to attract wildlife to their yard. The "Certified Wildlife Habitat" and "Garden For Wildlife" concepts are systems and trademarks produced by the National Wildlife Federation, and in partnership with Wild Ones. The Longfellow Community Council has agreed to pursue the goal of certifying the Greater Longfellow Area as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, but are not responsible for, or liable for, the content of this website whatsoever.
Native plants and animals should also never be taken out of a park or location where they occur naturally. Native Plant nurseries that use locally sourced seeds are the best way to acquire new native plants for your yard or project (in rare instances, a permit can also be gleaned from the state in order to transplant and save native plants that are about to be destroyed at a forthcoming construction site).