Conservation
The Conservation Committee meets from 6 – 7 pm on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Everyone is welcome to attend. The committee does not meet in June, July, or August. The next meeting will be September 28 at the Uptown Lunds (Lake St & Lagoon Av) in the community room upstairs. For questions about the committee, contact Conservation.
GARLIC MUSTARD PULLS at ROBERTS this June
TIME & PLACE
We’ll continue to pull garlic mustard as long as the plants haven’t gone to seed. We’ll be pulling along the main trail so if you want to join us, look for us there.
There are no scheduled dates or times right now; the pulls will be set up on short notice so check back often.
DIRECTIONS
The address for Roberts visitors shelter is 4124 Roseway Road. Roseway Road can be accessed from either Lake Harriet Parkway by the Rose Gardens or from Dupont Av S (also called King’s Highway along this stretch) between West 40th and West 41st streets. Google Maps is a good way to get more detailed directions.
Lake Harriet Parkway is a one way going counter-clockwise around the lake.
PARKING
There is a parking lot at the visitors shelter. It has a paybox. There is free parking on Lake Harriet Parkway. There is some free parking on residential streets around the Rose Gardens – but watch out for restrictions.
RESTROOMS & WATER
There is a porta-potty at the visitors shelter. There are indoor toilets and a drinking fountain by the Lake Harriet band shell & picnic grounds (outside the west end of Roberts ~ 1/8 mile away). Probably want to bring your own water.
WHAT TO BRING
Bring water!!!! It’ll be cooler in the sanctuary than outside it but if the forecast for Saturday is accurate, it will still be warm inside. There is a drinking fountain outside Roberts about 1/8 from the west end);
Please bring your own gloves if you have them; there will be some gloves available;
Garlic mustard has shallow roots so it is usually easy to pull; however, you may want to bring a weeder or something similar;
Sunscreen & bug spray (limited amount available);
DISPOSAL BAGS WILL BE PROVIDED
We will be bagging and removing the pulled g.m.; bags will be provided.
WEATHER POLICY
The pull will take place in light rain. The pull will not take place if it is raining heavily or if there is lightning and/or thunder in the area.
Questions? Contact Volunteer at Roberts.
Go on a Saturday morning bird tour at Roberts. Tours start at 8 am at the visitors shelter. Read below for the dates and details.
Steve Greenfield, an Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis (ACM) member, leads tours at Roberts on Saturday mornings from April 24 through June 5 for the migrating birds and then on the following Saturdays for the local birds – June 19, July 17, and August 21. All tours start at 8 am in the visitors shelter. The tours are free and birders of all levels are welcome.
The Minneapolis Audubon Society (an organization not affiliated with the National Audubon Society but with whom the ACM often partners) also leads tours at Roberts on Tuesdays in April and May at 9 am.
Roberts Bird Sanctuary is located on the north side of Lake Harriet. It is part of the park formally known as Lyndale Park. The Rose Gardens and the Peace (Rock ) Garden are also part of Lyndale Park. All three sites share a parking lot on Roseway Road, one block east of Lake Harriet Parkway. This is where the visitors shelter is located. Parking for Roberts is also available at the west entrance to the sanctuary near the Lake Harriet band shell. Both parking lots have a paybox.
Our chapter has successfully adopted Roberts through the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Adopt-a-Park program. The adoption allows us to hold two invasive plant removals, one on May 22 for garlic mustard and one in the fall for buckthorn. We’ll also hold clean-up events three times a year, and best of all,scheduled birds tours from May through September. (If you are interested in leading tours at Roberts, contact Volunteer at Roberts.)
We’ll also be conducting bird surveys and collecting phenological observations from sanctuary visitors. The information will be used to update an out-of-print informational booklet on Roberts. When we have enough current information and funding, we’ll reissue the booklet and make copies available at the visitors’ center.
There are many ways to be involved at Roberts: Volunteer your time, provide some expertise on birds or plants, donate money, give us your feedback!
We welcome both experienced and inexperienced volunteers! We’re also always looking for bird tour guides. If this is something you’re interested in doing but feel you don’t have enough experience, we can direct you to some helpful training sessions.
You’re also welcome to submit phenological observations about any place at any time on the Phenology page of this website. If your observation occurred at Roberts, please be certain to include that information so we can keep track of what’s happening at the sanctuary for the booklet.
See you soon at Roberts!
Events at William Berry Woods ( located between lakes Harriet and Calhoun, northwest of Roberts Bird Sanctuary)
Located south of William Berry Parkway between Richfield Road and 40th Street West, William Berry Woods is a small urban forest with one of the few remaining native plant community remnants in the Minneapolis park system. Like Roberts, it serves as a resting and feeding place for migrating birds. The Environment Committee of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC) has adopted William Berry using the same program our chapter used to adopt Roberts (the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s Adopt-a-Park program). The committee held two events this spring – a garlic mustard pull and a wildflower tour.
For more information about future events at William Berry Woods, contact Connie Pepin at 612.922.1253 or cpepin@bitstream.net
The Environment Committee of LHiNC and the Conservation Committee of the ACM formed a partnership to work with the MPRB on the adoption procedures for William Berry Woods and Roberts Bird Sanctuary. Both sites are important to the bird population and worthy of our time and energy. Visit often and please consider volunteering at some events!
Remember, you can submit phenological observations about William Berry Woods on this website (click on ”Phenology” on the home page). The submissions will provide us with more information about the area surrounding Roberts.
Volunteering at Eloise Butler Wildflower and Bird Sanctuary
The Eloise Butler Wildflower and Bird Sanctuary is located within Theodore Wirth Park, which is on the western edge of Minneapolis, right before Golden Valley.
The Garden is now open for the season! Jim Proctor, coordinator of the Invasive Plant Action Group at the garden, has scheduled the following garlic mustard pulls this spring:
Sunday, April 11 1-3 pm
Sunday, April 18 1-3 pm
Sunday, May 16 1-3 pm
Sunday, May 23 1-3 pm
For questions about the pulls, contact Jim at jim_proctor@hotmail.com
You can find out more about Eloise Bulter and the Friends of Eloise Butler by visiting:
Volunteering at the Naturescape at Lake Nokomis
The Naturescape at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis is located on the east side of the lake near the intersection of Lake Nokomis Parkway and East 50th Street. The Naturescape is comprised of two prairie gardens and a hillside oak savanna restoration site. Members from the Twin Cities chapter of the Wild Ones volunteer at the site one evening a week from May through September. This friendly group of people is always looking for help with the gardening chores including weeding and planting. In return for your help, you have the chance to learn about native plants from the experts!
Vicki Bonk and the Wild Ones will be gardening at the Naturescape on Tuesday evenings starting May 4.
Contact Vicki at vbonk@usiwireless.comfor more information about the Naturescape.
For more information about Wild Ones, go to:
www.for-wild.org Click on “Wild Chapters” to find the Twin Cities chapter.