Last winter I was driving up West River Road just north of the downtown Post Office when I noticed something pacing my car out of the corner of my eye. It was a bald eagle, flying along the Mississippi River. I pulled into a parking bay, loped through the snow with mad abandon, and managed to get a couple of poor shots with the camera I keep in my car.
Last spring I was walking my youngest son to the bus stop when he said, "Look Dad, an eagle." I looked up expecting to see a crow. The bird I saw at first appeared to be about to LAND on my head. It was some kind of eagle (all brown -- a female bald eagle? dunno), about five feet overhead. It scared me half out of my skin, it looked so gigantic that the mythical roc came to mind. And of course there are all the falcons downtown. I grew up first in Queens in New York City, then in a New Jersey suburb, and finally on lake Menard out in Bethel. Of the three I loved the rural setting best, and I never expected to raise my kids in the city. But I've always said that if you have to raise your kids in a city, Minneapolis is the city to raise them in. The proliferation of wildlife is just one reason. Bob Alberti, President Sanction, Inc. Data Security http://www.sanction.net Cusp of Longfellow and Seward "A Tempest! Grab the teabag and hang on for your life!" -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:mpls-admin@;mnforum.org]On Behalf Of Jay Clark Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 1:17 PM To: Minneapolis Issues Subject: [Mpls] Minneapolis Wild Animal Safari This morning, while driving into work, I saw a woodchuck nonchalantly munching on some delectible grass near Franklin Ave. and West River Road. I thought of some of the wildlife I have seen in Minneapolis that is rarely seen in other cities: Foxes scampering in the grass under the Washington Ave. bridge along the river. Beaver swimming near Pike Island under Fort Snelling A big owl staring into my face in the middle of the night at Lake Nokomis. Great Blue Herons fishing by streetlamp, again at Lake Nokomis. And I began to think: we could actually put together a pretty respectable wild animal safari here in Minneapolis. And I wanted to know: have other Minneapolis issues list members had their own wild animal encounters in Minneapolis? What wild creatures have you seen? Where have you seen them? Any other tips for people looking for wild animal experiences in Minneapolis? Jay Clark Cooper P.S. Many people on this list volunteer their time to improve their communities. The roll call of neighborhood volunteers lost a dedicated member with the death of Merriam Park resident Mary McEvoy, lost in the plane crash with Paul Wellstone last Friday. Since my main post was Minneapolis specific, I hope people will grant me a little slack to say a few words about Mary. I first met Mary at a planning meeting to prevent the hookup of Ayd Mill Road. I remember how she walked in and sat down, and somehow she instantly lifted the spirits of everybody in the room. She was a little fireplug, filling the room with enthusiasm and confidence. She also came up with a great strategy of forming No Connect groups at the local caucuses, which were successful in helping to stop the connection in 2000. I have worked with many volunteers in many neighborhood groups over the years, and rarely have I seen someone with such sheer force of personality so profoundly uplift people and embolden the efforts to tackle powerful interests and take on a tough community issue. She was so encouraging to everyone else, and I just enjoyed watching her work with others. She always built up other people, she never sought the limelight for herself. I already knew she was a special person, but then I started running into her in the most unexpected places. With a river and a bridge between me and any No Connect signs, I went to my Minneapolis DFL caucus. There I saw Mary McEvoy on the sidwalk hobnobbing with Buck Humphrey. I found out that Mary held a state position in the DFL party. Several months later, I was involved in a neighborhood organization history project. A graduate student had done extensive research, but had never turned the research results over to us. We called the student and her faculty advisor for close to a year, with no results. Finally, in desperation, we called the student's department head. Within 48 hours we got the research work. The department head was Mary McEvoy. Until I heard her voice, I could not believe that the feisty Ayd Mill neighborhood activist was also an accomplished and internationally recognized scholar. The respect I already had for Mary took a big jump when I realized that with all her major political and scholarly responsibilities she still took the time to be involved in a very local issue. I think most people holding statewide political positions would shy away from getting involved in a local fractious controversial issue such as Ayd Mill Road. But not Mary. She dove in headlong, and we were all the better for it. Her willingness to fight for causes she believed in regardless of the consequences was a trait she shared with Paul Wellstone. Her zeal was infectious, and her work will be continued by those of us lucky enough to have been inspired by her passion and energy and commitment. _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
