Our goal is to offer readers diverse perspectives on newsworthy events or issues of broad public concern to the Hill & Lake community.
Gratitude to Cedar Lake Stewards
I would like to express my appreciation to all the volunteers working to restore the beauty around Cedar Lake.
Any and every day on my walks I am able to enjoy and appreciate the fruits of their labor as my latest photo attests.
Thank you!
Rita Benvenuti | Cedar-Isles-Dean
Ylitalo Yielded
Thank you, Susan Lenfestey, for drawing attention to two wonderful programs to help switch from gasoline to electric leaf blowers.
The money available to lawn care companies for this transition is wonderful encouragement.
In the meantime, I’ve asked my lawn care service (run by James Ylitalo and formerly run by his late father Brad Ylitalo) to quit using gas powered leaf blowers on my yard and driveway except for the heavy lifting at spring and fall cleanup.
Brian Ylitalo, who does most of the work on my yard, immediately responded and is using hand tools and also using my personal electric leaf blower. Brian couldn’t have been nicer and more thoughtful about switching at my special request.
My little leaf blower can’t match the power of his gas powered one, but I know heftier electric models are available.
I’m happy to see some of the neighborhood lawn care companies have already made the switch to electric versions. This bodes well for a more tranquil and healthier neighborhood.
Sara Donaldson | Lowry Hill
Gas Leaf Blowers Be Gone!
Three cheers for Susan Lenfestey's column "Say Goodbye to Gas Powered Leaf Blowers!"
For all the reasons cited, it's time to do something about these infernal machines.
I understand the city's reluctance to try to regulate a practice they doubt they can enforce.
Maybe it's time for we consumers to step up. For those of us who employ lawn maintenance firms, why not ask them to refrain from using gas powered leaf blowers?
Or if that doesn't work, find another firm who will use a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Tim Thompson | Lowry Hill
Namaste
A reading sent by a member of my sangha that others may benefit from:
Never give up!
No matter what is going on
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
Is spent on developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Develop the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
In your heart and in the world
And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is happening
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up
-Tenzin Gyatso, XIV Dalai Lama
Constance Pepin | Linden Hills
Too Late to Stop Hennepin Plans?
Thank you for your article, some weeks past, regarding saving trees on Hennepin Ave. S. that offered kudos to Margaret Anderson Kelliher.
It is probably too late to stop the crazy bike lanes on Hennepin Ave. S. I am sorry I did not get myself into this argument a long time ago. The "gap" in the bike-trail network claimed as the basis for the two-way bike lane is a chimera.
Technically, there is a gap, but the basis for the claim is without merit, in my opinion, as there are many ways to get from Uptown to all points on Hennepin, to the Loring Greenway, and Downtown from my home at 28th and Hennepin Ave. S.
Normally, the North Cedar Lake Trail is available, but the light rail construction has it blocked to downtown. However, there is an easy way through the neighborhood using limited-traffic routes. A southbound "bikeway" announcement painted on Humboldt Ave. S. and a northbound one on Irving Ave. S., to and from the Loring Greenway would suffice, I think. I rode this path downtown myself just last week. Note that both Humboldt and Irving have junctions with the Greenway.
Although in general I support the biking policy advocates, in this case, the two-way bike lane on Hennepin forced truly unfortunate compromises. Some flexibility of application in this case is called for, especially when safe and simple alternate solutions are at hand. Bikers should be asked to accept the minor inconvenience of access to the paths described above.
Jim Hawkins | Minneapolis
Better forest management is critical for quality of life.
In recent weeks you may have noticed, the sky is no longer blue, stars are harder to see at night, and landscapes are discolored by a grayish hue. Wildfires in Canada and northern Minnesota are worse than ever and it has real consequences for our jobs and health.
As a farmer and educator, I notice it in my lungs after a long day outside. I am also worried because heavy smog means it’s harder to grow crops and folks may begin to see rising prices for food at the grocery store.
The wildfires in Canada have already displaced a staggering 120,000 people and burned 5.4 million acres of forest. If the rate of fire activity continues at its current pace it will be the worst wildfire season in Canada’s recorded history!
This isn’t just a Canadian problem – numerous wildfires have burned this year throughout northern Minnesota in the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest. While fire is a natural part of ecosystems, the harsh reality is that severe weather and a changing climate, particularly the increasing heat and dryness, have created fertile ground for uncharacteristically frequent, large, and severe wildfires.
The United States Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands nationwide, an area roughly the size of Texas! The agency is trying to proactively ensure forests and grasslands are more resilient to the growing threats of climate-induced fires and other natural disasters. Things like better pest management, prescribed burns, planting diverse tree species, and vegetation management that addresses overcrowding and supports forest health.
We need to get this right before the problem grows much worse. Our national forests and grasslands support us in so many ways - including hunting, fishing, recreation, wood production, cleaning our air and water, and a place of quiet solitude to reflect and be grateful for all we have. Resilience of national forests and grasslands would mean a stronger America.
Rick Hall | Moorhead
