"THE BUCKTHORN MENACE" ON DISPLAY On exhibit until fall 2006 Winchell Trail near West River Parkway & 24th Street Down the bank on the Winchell Trail in Seward Neighborhood, some intimidating visitors stand sentry amidst the leaf litter and barren trees overlooking the Mississippi River. A temporary public art installation created by sculptor Jim Proctor and funded by FORECAST Public Artworks, The Buckthorn Menace consists of more than a dozen sculptures resembling giant alien dandelions in seed. The sculptures are crafted entirely from buckthorn removed from parkland, much of it from the gorge. The sculpture "heads" are formed by inserting the root balls of seedlings into spheres of buckthorn wood that has been turned on a lathe. These heads are then mounted onto existing buckthorn tree trunks that have been cleared of branches. Non-native invasive plants are a threat to the native forest and other plant and animal communities in the gorge. "Many of these invasives came through global trade in the last few centuries and many more will come in the next. Can these invasions be stopped, or even slowed? Do many of us even see what is happening?" asks creator Proctor. The sculptures serve to help us visualize how dramatic the problem is and what we stand to lose when our native landscape is altered beyond recognition. The sculptures will be left in place for one year and taken down next fall during a buckthorn removal event. The trunks on which the orbs are mounted will be cut down and treated so none of the buckthorn materials used in the sculptures will be able to propagate. To view more artwork and to contact the artist, visit _www.mnartists.org/Jim_Proctor_ (http://www.mnartists.org/Jim_Proctor) . And to become involved in the ongoing protection and restoration of habitat at this site and others in the gorge, contact Elizabeth at Friends of the Mississippi River, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) . With continued neighborhood commitment to eliminating buckthorn and other invasives, this area will once again be able to sustain a healthy and diverse native plant community. (Source: Friends of the Mississippi River newsletter.) Thanks, Scott Vreeland Seward REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
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