How long have you lived in Minneapolis, and how did you become involved with volunteering at Cedar Lake East Beach?
I moved to Minneapolis in 2001 after graduating from college in Iowa. From 2004 to 2016, I lived in North Minneapolis at the corner of Girard Avenue North and West Broadway Avenue.
Living in North Minneapolis inspired me to invest time and energy volunteering within my community and building trusted relationships with neighbors, civic leaders, nonprofits and public agencies. It taught me that strong neighborhoods are built through trusted relationships and shared community responsibility.
In 2016, my family moved close to Cedar Lake East Beach. I quickly became involved with the Kenwood Neighborhood Organization and built strong working relationships with the Cedar Lake Park Association and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
What drew me to the beach was the opportunity to care for the most unique public beach in Minneapolis, surrounded by the only remaining natural shorelands in the Chain of Lakes.
How has Hidden Beach changed over the years?
Hidden Beach has given generations of people incredible memories. Its identity has always been rooted in youthful adventure, freedom and the feeling that you have discovered a special place tucked away inside the city.
In the early 2000s the beach was formally recognized by the Park Board and officially named Cedar Lake East Beach. Increased popularity led to new challenges that often negatively affected the surrounding community and natural habitats.
It became clear that the solution was not simply responding to problems after they occurred. There was a need for strong and intentional community engagement and volunteer stewardship.
Over the past 10 years, I have had the privilege of helping lead community initiatives at the beach, including free community yoga classes, live music performances, theater events, family beach parties and nature restoration projects.
My ambition has been to help bring people together around the shared vision of positively activating and caring for these natural areas.
I believe that the historical legacy of Hidden Beach is still alive and well. What has changed is a collaboration of active community stewardship.
Today the beach feels cleaner, safer, friendlier and more welcoming to people of all ages and backgrounds. We are continuing to learn that when people are invited to build community together, they become strong advocates of the places they love.
What goals do you have for Cedar Lake East Beach?
One of the most exciting opportunities is the Cedar Lake School Forest, a program of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. I believe that this has the potential to become the defining identity of this area for generations to come.
My hope is that people begin thinking of Cedar Lake East Beach not only as one of Minneapolis’ favorite beaches, but also as the gateway to one of the city’s most celebrated and protected natural environments.
The School Forest provides opportunities for environmental education, ecological restoration, outdoor recreation and community stewardship all in one place.
The School Forest is available to all educational institutions but is already regularly used by Kenwood Elementary School and the City of Lakes Waldorf School. Volunteers have restored native habitat, removed invasive species, planted hundreds of native plants and recently helped create a wonderful nature play area through a Park Board-approved Eagle Scout project.
I would love to see even more schools, youth organizations, neighborhood groups and families discover this resource.
My long-term vision is for Cedar Lake East Beach and the School Forest to become a citywide model demonstrating how environmental restoration, outdoor education, recreation and community engagement can all help to protect and enhance our city’s natural lands.
What problems are there at Cedar Lake East Beach?
Like any heavily used public park, Cedar Lake East Beach faces the ongoing challenge of balancing recreation, accessibility, environmental protection and public safety.
The issues we occasionally encounter aren’t unique to this beach. They include litter, damage to natural areas, late-night fire pits and behavior that doesn’t respect other visitors or the surrounding environment. Those challenges exist in parks throughout the city.
Rather than defining Cedar Lake East Beach by those issues, we have chosen to define it by the community that continues showing up to care for it.
“The question isn’t whether more people will come. It is what they will experience when they arrive.”
Our experience has shown that the more people who actively show up to volunteer, participate in family events, practice yoga, restore habitat, attend performances and simply enjoy the park responsibly, the less space there is for harmful behavior to take root.
With the opening of the Southwest Light Rail Transit line, we will certainly be paying close attention to how increased accessibility affects park use, particularly after park closing hours. That will require continued collaboration among neighborhood organizations, the Park Board, Metro Transit and public safety partners.
I believe the best long-term solution is maintaining a visible, active and welcoming community presence that encourages people to respect the park and one another.
Do you believe the West 21st Street Station will be positive or negative for the beach?
If community engagement continues to strengthen, I see tremendous positive opportunity.
The Southwest Light Rail line will make one of Minneapolis’ most beautiful natural areas accessible to many more people. That is something to celebrate. Public parks are meant to be shared.
The question isn’t whether more people will come. It is what they will experience when they arrive.
If we continue investing in community engagement, environmental stewardship, educational programming and positive public activities, I believe Cedar Lake East Beach will become an even stronger community asset than it is today.
“When people feel connected to a place, they become its greatest protectors.”
When people feel connected to a place, they become its greatest protectors. My hope is that Cedar Lake East Beach continues evolving into one of the most welcoming, sustainable and community-centered destinations in the Minneapolis park system.
It should be a place where people not only create memories but also help shape and secure its future.
David Piper is a retired judge and regular contributor. He lives in Kenwood.
