Nokomis celebrates clean-up with fair

by Jenifer Harris

Construction at Lake Nokomis is almost finished, and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association is celebrating with an environmental fair on May 19 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Nokomis Community Center at 2401 E. Minnehaha Parkway.
Several years ago, Lake Nokomis was in pretty bad shape. Due in large part to fertilizer run-off and other pollutants washing into the storm sewer system, the lake was cloudy and smelly. The Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, along with Hale-Page-Diamond-Lake and Standish Ericsson, organized the Blue Water Commission to examine the issue and come up with solutions. They were joined by representatives from the cities of Minneapolis and Richfield, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Hennepin County, the MAC, the Minneapolis Park and Rec, and a Technical Advisory Committee.
Water quality improvements required a multi-faceted approach. This winter, the Park and Rec oversaw construction of stormwater drainage ponds and the installation of grit chambers, to filter pollutants out of storm water before it enters the lake. There was a targeted harvest of carp from Lake Nokomis, which will help keep settled phosphorus from being kicked up by the bottom-feeding fish. Later this summer the city will treat Nokomis with alum, which will bind with the phosphorus currently suspended in the water and drag it to the bottom of the lake. Once that is done, the water will be noticeably clearer.
The environmental fair that the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association is sponsoring is meant to celebrate all that is being done at this South Mineapolis gateway. Activities will include information about how people’s gardening activities affect the watershed, how one can garden to attract wildlife, butterfly gardening, and other environmentally sound practices.
The fair will have presentations and experts available from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Friends of the Mississippi River, Hennepin County Environmental Services, U. of M. Master Gardeners, Blooming Boulevards, Savanna Designs (landscape architects), the Minnesota Herpetological Society, the DNR, the Minneapolis Jaycees, and Thousand Friends of Frogs.
There will also be several events for kids, including interactive displays, live animals, bird feeder building, seed planting, and a Park and Rec naturalist leading activities, as well as refreshments and freebies. Also, the fair is part of the Mississippi Passport site program, where you can have your passport stamped as you participate in many nature-related summer events.

The Nokomis East Neighborhood Association Environmental Fair is on Sat., May 19, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. at Nokomis Community Center, 2401 E. Minnehaha Parkway.