Last Saturday (11/12), Metro Blooms and local volunteers embraced this fortunate day with a raking project near Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis.
Starting at 9 am with a crew of 12, we took to the curb sides to tidy up the leaves that either fell after the street sweeper, or were too clogged in the storm drains for the sweeper to reach (some streets had been swept and some were yet to be). With about 60 bags jam- packed with leaves, our efforts spared Lake Powderhorn from excess nutrients that were destined to wash through the storm drains during the next rain event or snow melt.

Although efficient, our current storm water infrastructure isn’t exactly how nature intended water to move. As large influxes of water flow into city lakes and streams during storms, leaves, oil, and trash get carried along in the blitz. These extras bring over-nutrification and other harmful particles that encourage excess algae, murky water, and overall diminished water quality. So, is there any enjoyable way to help our waters with their aesthetic and summer time beaches? Well, with the motivated and cheerful volunteers we had on Saturday, there is!

Our fall clean up may have been slight in the big picture of Minneapolis. Yet, Metro Blooms sees community involvement as an important part of changing and bettering the urban infrastructure. Along with a cleaner street, even a small amount of leaves spared from the storm drain will make a difference for Lake Powderhorn. As there were residents in the area who needed assistance in their yard raking, our volunteers were happy to help between storm drains. And of course we were able to have some fun in the process, meeting new folks and catching up on the latest happenings.

A special thanks to all the volunteers who came out on Saturday, you made the day an absolute success and memorable for Metroblooms!