Arts & Leisure
Cedar Lake Stewardship
Neighbors joined forces this fall to restore the east side of Cedar Lake through the DNR School Forest initiative — planting sedges, reforesting trails and removing invasive buckthorn to help the natural area heal.

The east side of Cedar Lake, a natural preserve in the Chain of Lakes, is being celebrated through the Cedar Lake DNR School Forest initiative. Neighbors met throughout October for community workdays, focusing on rewilding two areas damaged by heavy foot and bike traffic near Cedar Lake East (Hidden) Beach. Volunteers planted sedges, reforested a path and removed buckthorn. Check out the School Forest area again in the spring on your way to the beach! (Images: Paula Chesley)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More Stories
“The Mud Is Ready!”The Ambassador of Mud and Good Cheer
For three decades, Steve Vasseur kept the mud pit at Hidden Beach ready and made a generation feel welcome. As the Mud Man enters hospice, neighbors reflect on a legacy of playfulness and community.
Neighbor Is a Verb Here, Unless We Disagree
The Twin Cities just earned a Profile in Courage Award for standing up for immigrant neighbors. One night at a Lyndale Avenue construction meeting left me wondering whether that neighborliness comes with conditions.
Letters to the Editor
Our goal is to offer readers diverse perspectives on newsworthy events or issues of broad public concern to the Hill & Lake community. Our copy limit is 300 words (750 words for a commentary or as space permits), and we reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. We do not publish submissions from anonymous sources; all contributor identities must be verified.
Demystifying Hennepin County: What Commissioners Actually Do
Commissioner seats are on the ballot this fall. Here is how Hennepin County’s $3.15 billion government works, and why it so often pays for things it cannot control.
The Milfoil Returns. So Do the Questions.
The milfoil is thick. Algae collects along the shoreline. Boaters, paddlers, anglers and trail users wonder why the problem on Lake of the Isles never seems to go away. Some members of the Hill and Lake Press community have been seeking solutions from Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for more than 17 years.





