Nature First!
Central Park, along Nine Mile Creek, is a beautiful urban oasis in Bloomington, MN. It is an essential ecosystem for numerous species of animals and plants, including some that are threatened or endangered. Unfortunately, this natural habitat is at risk.
Bloomington recently received funds for a park renewal project. In addition to restoration projects, they will consider widening existing pedestrian trails along Nine Mile Creek and adding paved bike paths or mountain bike trails, which will involve cutting down trees, removing native vegetation, and destroying wildlife habitat.
Restore the Nine is a local grassroots organization formed to safeguard Nine Mile Creek and Central Park's natural woodlands, wetlands, and prairie. We aim to rally residents to speak out and advocate for the City to spend these tax dollars on restoring the park's natural habitats to preserve them for future generations, rather than developing the park by adding more paths and impermeable pavement which will spoil this unique and precious resource.
What’s going on?
In the November 2023 election, Bloomington residents voted to support a local sales-tax to pay for three projects. One of these was the Nine Mile Creek Corridor Renewal Project.
As part of the project, Bloomington is asking residents what they want to see in the park. The initial plans for this project included a bike trail, since removed. Restore the Nine is concerned that construction and development in the park will irrevocably damage the various ecosystems and habitats it supports and radically change the unique character of the park. Part of our mission is to educate residents about the park and encourage participation in City community engagement events.
What is “the Nine”?
“The Nine” is Nine Mile Creek in Central Park, near downtown Bloomington.
If you are unfamiliar with this park or just want to learn more about where it is located, why it is important ecologically, the habitats it contains, and the plants & animals that live there, click Learn More.
Beavers live in Nine Mile Creek in Central Park, as do otters, mink, fox, coyote, deer, raccoons, and many more.
Once it’s gone…
it’s gone forever
Widened trails in the park will do permanent damage to the landscape and the environment.
“Increasing access to natural resource areas can reduce the quality of that resource. Trails invite users into natural areas that can be inadvertent vectors for undesirable species spread. Trail corridors can … disrupt habitat, movement, and behaviors of wildlife. To address this, the City should consider identifying high quality and rare species areas that should be protected, and restrict recreational activities in those areas… including… Nine Mile Creek in Central Park.
“Once these natural areas are lost, they are gone forever.”
-Bloomington Park System Master Plan, 2021, pp 44, 45, 49
Restore the Nine’s position
Restore the Nine would like Bloomington to:
Restore stream banks along Nine Mile Creek and repair eroded areas using bioengineering techniques whenever possible.
Restore the park’s woodlands and wetlands by removing invasive species without the use of heavy machinery that will damage nearby trees and vegetation, and then planting and caring for new native trees from species that are resilient enough to withstand climate change.
Preserve the unique, wild character of the park which would be compromised by widened trails that would cut into steep hills and require tall retaining walls to hold back the slopes.
Maintain the existing infrastructure—keep the park safe by repairing trails, bridges, and stairs.
Designate Central Park as a sanctuary and protected natural area to preserve the revitalized corridor for future generations.
Keep the paths safe for pedestrians, especially for seniors, children, birdwatchers and dog-walkers, by not adding shared pedestrian/bike-paths.
Preserve the quiet, serene nature of the park by not giving access to faster-moving wheeled vehicles that startle both pedestrians and wildlife.
Use the park for nature education. The park has so many ecosystems and such variety of animal life that it would make an ideal setting to educate the public about the importance of nature.
Make Central Park more accessible to wheelchairs on the paved trail north of 106th Street, while keeping the trail to the south unpaved for those with disabilities that prevent them from walking on pavement.
We are neutral about all projects in Moir, such as the park shelter building, as long as they do not involve cutting down native canopy trees.
Bloomington’s proposal
As of April, 2024
A wide array of improvements will be implemented including:
Stream and bankside restoration
131 acres of woodland and wetland restoration
Invasive species prevention
New outdoor gathering space with restrooms (Moir Park)
New playground (Moir Park)
New park shelter building (Moir Park)
ADA accessibility improvements
Trail enhancements
Possible boardwalk connection to Minnesota River
All items subject to change. Extensive community engagement will take place to help guide final decisions.
How do Bloomington and Restore the Nine differ?
Bloomington and Restore the Nine both talk about restoring and protecting the Nine Mile Creek Corridor. What is different between our position and Bloomington’s? What did the City’s original proposals for the Corridor say?
“The world is waking up to the fact that our future depends on reversing the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other. Everyone has a role to play in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments.”
Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US
Participate in community engagement!
If you want to make a difference in what happens to the park, participate in the City’s community engagement events:
May 21, 2024: Kickoff event, 4 pm to 6 pm, Moir Park.
Share why you love the park here: https://letstalk.bloomingtonmn.gov/nine-mile-creek
More ways to help
The most important thing you can do is to participate in the City’s Community Engagement events, which are designed to find out what residents want to see done in the park.
Subscribe to our newsletter, and we will let you know when these events are occurring.
Write to decision makers and others expressing your thoughts.
Join our social media groups and post about us on your own social media accounts to help spread the word.
Volunteer.
Donate so we can reach out to others.
Click Learn More to find details and additional ideas.
What do we mean by “Restore”?
By “restore,” we are referring to Ecological Restoration. Per the Society of Ecological Restoration, this “is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The goal of ecological restoration is to return a degraded ecosystem to its historic trajectory, not its historic condition. The ecosystem may not necessarily recover to its former state since contemporary ecological realities, including global climate change, may cause it to develop along an altered trajectory, just as these same realities may have changed the trajectory of nearby undisturbed ecosystems. History plays an important role in restoration, but contemporary conditions must also be taken into consideration.”
What if I don’t live in Bloomington?
The park renewal project is being funded by a local sales tax. Per the Bloomington Forward website: “…an estimated 65% of the tax will be paid by nonresidents, according to research by the University of Minnesota. That means nonresidents will contribute an estimated $13 million toward the Nine Mile Creek project.”
The state legislature approved the sales tax funds in part because the projects are regional in scope.
You are paying for the park project whenever you shop in Bloomington. It seems reasonable that you should have some say in what happens.
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Subscribe
Sign up for our newsletter to receive up-to-date notifications on how to help.
Put up a yard sign
If you want a yard sign, let us know at team@restorethenine.org and we will get one to you at no cost.
If you give us your address, we’ll deliver it to you!
Donate
Flyers and yard signs and t-shirts cost money. Anything you can donate will help us continue organizing and growing our membership.
We are not a registered charity, so donations are not tax deductible.
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Contact and Links
Contact us at team@restorethenine.org
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Contact Bloomington
(subject line should be Nine Mile Creek / Moir Park project)
© 2023 Restore the Nine
