Make Your Community Bloom!

As a dyed-in-the-wool Minnesotan, I really relish the changing of the seasons and this spring has been no different. The bulbs I planted last fall, while open as a 24-hour buffet for the rabbits, nevertheless did come up, the perennials we enjoyed last summer are spreading, much to my joy, and the rain is greening things up in the loveliest way.

Beyond being the perfect time of year to reacquaint oneself with the grill and spade, it is also a great time of year to get outside into the community and help it bloom as well. In the winter months our things get buried in the snow and come spring, treasures about, especially in public parks, boulevards, and waterways. The mittens you lost in January have probably migrated under a bush in , your kite is still stuck in the tree in , and there is trash everywhere on the boulevards, from recyclable beer bottles and pop cans, to toxic cigarette butts and Styrofoam.

Richfield Green is a new group in Richfield that is looking to organize folks around neighborhood and park cleanups, tree planting, and invasive species removal each month through volunteer and civic engagement projects. On their Facebook page they explain:

"Richfield Green is a volunteer organization for people willing to donate a little time to make Richfield a little greener. We want Richfield parks and green spaces to be beautiful, natural and healthy places we can all enjoy."

If this sounds like something you’re interested in being involved in, stay in touch. Richfield Green supports the efforts of other City of Richfield green initiatives, like the Richfield Farmers Market, the Richfield Garden Club and .

In fact, there is an opportunity this weekend to get involved at Sunday, May 15 from 1-4 p.m. Celebrate 40 years of great walking trails, ski trails, wildlife sightings, prairie grasses, and healthy marsh and woodlands by helping plant native prairie plants and pick up trash in the park. Bring work gloves and waterproof boots if you have them, but join the fun even if you don’t! Plus: build a bird feeder, join a scavenger hunt, and have some anniversary cake.

For more information contact:

Wood Lake: 612-861-1763

Richfield Green: richfieldgreen@gmail.com

If you can’t make it out on Sunday, do it in your neighborhood, on your block, at your local park, or just your backyard; put on some rubber gloves, grab some trash bags (one for garbage, one for recycling) and tie on those tennis shoes. Take a walk one evening and pick up all the trash in your radius while waving "Hello" to neighbors. Last year when my husband and I took such a walk we inadvertently acquired a gaggle of neighborhood children who offered us what treasures they found. You’ll be helping to make sure your neighborhood really blooms this year and building community at the same time.

Have fun!