Join EINA and concerned neighbors for a walk with our Park Board reps. As you may know, Pres. Tom Olsen and Comm. Jason Garcia are leading an effort to close two blocks of the northern section of The Mall parkway to make more green space. 

While concerned neighbors appreciate green space, we feel the public safety implications of this proposed closing far outweigh the benefits of such a small addition of green space. Public safety concerns involve fire department access to nearby homes and apartments, as well as making neighborhood traffic patterns more dangerous by driving bicycle and car traffic onto Lagoon Ave at the risky Irving and James intersections. We hope to see you!

Mall Park Walkthrough
Monday, May 4 · 7 PM
West end of Mall Park (near E Bde Maka Ska Dr)
Questions? Contact EINA president Ellen van Iwaarden.

From Blue Thumb:

Learn all about how water moves across residential landscapes and how every yard and garden can have an impact on improving water quality. Designers from Metro Blooms Design+Build will walk through the steps of assessing your yard, directing water runoff, installing a rain barrel, siting a rain garden and more.

Following the presentation, attendees will have the chance to meet with landscape designers and master gardeners to discuss a project on their specific property. We will use photos and county GIS maps to view properties.

This workshop is hosted by the City of New Hope.

Planting for Clean Water: Rain Gardens
Wednesday, Apr. 29 • 5:30–8 PM
New Hope City Hall (4401 Xylon Ave N. in New Hope)

From Blue Thumb:

Want to attract bees, butterflies, and birds to your home garden? Learn to select plants and design a native plant garden that supports wildlife and brings beauty to your outdoor space!

This workshop includes a presentation by Metro Blooms Design+Build landscape designers on pollinator-friendly plantings and landcare practices that can be adopted in your home garden, followed by time to meet in small groups with landscape designers and master gardeners to discuss your project ideas and plans. The workshop will cover selecting and siting native trees and shrubs, designing a native plant garden, pollinator-friendly maintenance practices, and more.

This workshop is hosted by the City of Minneapolis in partnership with Minneapolis Community Education. Registration opens March 18th at 9:00am.

Planting for Pollinators Workshop
Wednesday, Apr. 22 • 6–8:30 PM*
Roosevelt High School (4029 28th Ave S)

*Note: The workshop will start at 6pm and go into breakout groups after a short presentation. If you need to leave early, you can communicate that in your small group and leave after you meet with your designer.

From Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO):

Join us for a guided sound bath experience that invites you to connect with the mind and the river, beginning with a pause that invites stillness and listening. The human body is made of nearly 60% water, mirroring the river’s own flowing nature. In this session, you’ll be guided into stillness, turning your attention inward to notice subtle movement, breath, and rhythm.

The river’s flow creates sound as water meets rock. The crystal singing bowls, formed from earth, stone, and crystal, carry these same elemental origins. As their tones fill the space, gentle vibrations move through the body, bringing inner and outer waters into into confluence, resonating through the body. In this shared sound and stillness, we return to a natural rhythm, remembering a sense of presence that has always been there.

This immersive workshop offers a moment of rest, reflection, and sensory connection that encourages you to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with both yourself and the river.

Sound Bath Workshops
Mar. 7, 3 – 5 PM • Apr. 11, 10 AM – 12 PM
MWMO Stormwater Park & Learning Center
Free, but registration is required

From Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO):

Join us for a guided sound bath experience that invites you to connect with the mind and the river, beginning with a pause that invites stillness and listening. The human body is made of nearly 60% water, mirroring the river’s own flowing nature. In this session, you’ll be guided into stillness, turning your attention inward to notice subtle movement, breath, and rhythm.

The river’s flow creates sound as water meets rock. The crystal singing bowls, formed from earth, stone, and crystal, carry these same elemental origins. As their tones fill the space, gentle vibrations move through the body, bringing inner and outer waters into into confluence, resonating through the body. In this shared sound and stillness, we return to a natural rhythm, remembering a sense of presence that has always been there.

This immersive workshop offers a moment of rest, reflection, and sensory connection that encourages you to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with both yourself and the river.

Sound Bath Workshops
Mar. 7, 3 – 5 PM • Apr. 11, 10 AM – 12 PM
MWMO Stormwater Park & Learning Center
Free, but registration is required

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Explore the birds of Wirth Lake and Bassett's Creek with a Garden Naturalist. Learn to identify resident bird species that winter in Minnesota. All experience levels welcome! No registration necessary.

• Meet at Wirth Lake Beach Parking Lot at 3200 Glenwood Ave.
• Questions about Winter Early Birders can be sent to: ebwg@minneapolisparks.org

Winter Early Birders
1st Saturdays, Nov.–Mar. • 9:30 – 11 AM
Wirth Lake Beach (3200 Glenwood Ave)

From City of Minneapolis:

Climate change is one of the most urgent and complex challenges of our time. It affects everyone, but not equally. Some communities that have historically faced racial, economic, and environmental injustices are more vulnerable and less resilient to the impacts of climate change. That is why the City of Minneapolis has developed a new Climate Equity Plan that focuses on actions that benefit diverse and low-income communities, especially in the Green Zones, which are disproportionately harmed. Learn more about the underlying factors that contribute to disparities and solutions to address the problem.

Green Zones: Working Toward Environmental Justice in Minneapolis
Tuesday, Mar. 3 • 7 – 8:30 PM (Zoom)
Speaker: Jayda Pounds, Sustainability Program Coordinator,  Minneapolis Health Department

From the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis:

Hannah Lewis is a writer focusing on people, nature, and conservation. She has a MS in Sustainable Agriculture and Sociology from Iowa State University, and a BA in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College. She loves gardening, composting, cooking, reading, writing, and dancing. She discovered the Miyawaki Method and wrote Mini-Forest Revolution while living in France, but currently lives in Minneapolis, where she works for non-profit Renewing the Countryside to help build sustainable, equitable local food systems and plant mini-forests.

Miyawaki Method: A tree planting technique developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, which focuses on planting native species densely to create diverse and resilient forests quickly. This method can establish a self-sustaining forest in just 20 to 30 years, significantly faster than traditional methods.

Winter Early Birders
Sunday, Feb. 15 • 12:15 PM
First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis (900 Mt. Curve Ave)

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Explore the birds of Wirth Lake and Bassett's Creek with a Garden Naturalist. Learn to identify resident bird species that winter in Minnesota. All experience levels welcome! No registration necessary.

• Meet at Wirth Lake Beach Parking Lot at 3200 Glenwood Ave.
• Questions about Winter Early Birders can be sent to: ebwg@minneapolisparks.org

Winter Early Birders
1st Saturdays, Nov.–Mar. • 9:30 – 11 AM
Wirth Lake Beach (3200 Glenwood Ave)

From the Secretary of State:

We encourage Minnesotans to show support for their preferred candidates by participating in the candidate endorsement process that leads up to the state party conventions. Going to a caucus is a great way to show support for a candidate, raise an issue that’s important to you, influence who the party will endorse for many offices, and meet people in your community.

Precinct Caucus
Tuesday, Feb. 3 • 7 – 9 PM
Find your location here

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Explore the birds of Wirth Lake and Bassett's Creek with a Garden Naturalist. Learn to identify resident bird species that winter in Minnesota. All experience levels welcome! No registration necessary.

• Meet at Wirth Lake Beach Parking Lot at 3200 Glenwood Ave.
• Questions about Winter Early Birders can be sent to: ebwg@minneapolisparks.org

Winter Early Birders
1st Saturdays, Nov.–Mar. • 9:30 – 11 AM
Wirth Lake Beach (3200 Glenwood Ave)

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

We will start off by learning some tracking basics from Bill Kass, a professional in track and sign, and then will head out and explore Theodore Wirth park and practice our tracking skills. We will also use the community science data collection app iNaturalist to capture our findings.

This program is generally geared towards adults, but is open to interested learners of all ages.

Fall Family Animal Tracking
Sunday, Dec. 7 • 9 – 11 AM
Theodore Wirth Regional Park

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Explore the birds of Wirth Lake and Bassett's Creek with a Garden Naturalist. Learn to identify resident bird species that winter in Minnesota. All experience levels welcome! No registration necessary.

• Meet at Wirth Lake Beach Parking Lot at 3200 Glenwood Ave.
• Questions about Winter Early Birders can be sent to: ebwg@minneapolisparks.org

Winter Early Birders
1st Saturdays, Nov.–Mar. • 9:30 – 11 AM
Wirth Lake Beach (3200 Glenwood Ave)

From Friends of Roberts Bird Sanctuary:

Join MyBirdClub leaders for this free family-friendly program of youth birdwatching at Roberts Bird Sanctuary People of all ages with any level of knowledge and abilities are welcome. Youth under 13 will need an adult companion.

Meet in the Roberts visitor shelter near the Peace Garden parking lot for a brief welcome by guides before heading out to explore the Sanctuary! Binoculars are provided at no cost for free.

Youth Birding
Sunday, Nov. 23 • 10 –11:30 AM
Roberts Bird Sanctuary

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Join the MN Tracking Club to learn animal tracking basics from expert tracking facilitators. We will split off into smaller groups led by tracking experts and will explore a number of tracking "mysteries"; you'll learn how to look closely at a track or animal sign and how to identify what critter might have left it there.

Fall Family Animal Tracking
Sunday, Nov. 23 • 9 – 11 AM
Minnehaha Regional Park

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Join tracking experts Rachel Putnam and Alan Holzer to look up close for evidence of animals in North Mississippi Regional Park. Learn track identification skills, how to differentiate animal scat, and become a track and sign detective! Open to all ages, geared towards families with children ages 6-12.

Fall Family Animal Tracking
Saturday, Nov. 15 • 1 – 2:30 PM
North Mississippi Regional Park

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Explore the birds of Wirth Lake and Bassett's Creek with a Garden Naturalist. Learn to identify resident bird species that winter in Minnesota. All experience levels welcome! No registration necessary.

• Meet at Wirth Lake Beach Parking Lot at 3200 Glenwood Ave.
• Questions about Winter Early Birders can be sent to: ebwg@minneapolisparks.org

Winter Early Birders
1st Saturdays, Nov.–Mar. • 9:30 – 11 AM
Wirth Lake Beach (3200 Glenwood Ave)

From Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Join us for an evening of conversation, connection, and community visioning!

On behalf of Assistant Superintendent Nicole Hernandez, we invite you to a Community Listening Session in partnership with District 4 Commissioner Shaffer. This is an opportunity for residents, community leaders, and stakeholders to share:

• What you value most in our park system

• What changes or improvements you’d like to see

• What matters most to your community

Your voice will help shape the future of our parks and guide the work of our department moving forward. We’re committed to making this session inclusive, accessible, and reflective of your district’s unique voice. Come as you are, bring your ideas, your concerns, and your hopes for our shared spaces.

Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30–8 PM
Kenwood Park (2101 W Franklin Ave)

From League of Women Voters Minneapolis:

Free and open to the public, all candidates who are on the ballot have been invited to participate. Forum is in-person, live streamed, and recorded at lwvmpls.org - closed captioning in multiple languages available on recording. If interpretation is needed OR to submit your for translation, please contact vote@lwvmpls.org by Friday, Oct. 10. For questions about this event OR to submit your question, please contact vote@lwvmpls.org.

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Comm. Candidate Forum
Wednesday, Oct. 29 • 6 PM Forum, Meet and Greet follows
Hennepin Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall)

From Parks & Power:

Join us for a night of civic engagement, live art, music, and delicious food—featuring DJ Tonez, House of Dance Twin Cities, and catering by Zakia Deli.

At-Large Park Board Candidate Forum
Thursday, Oct. 23 • 6–8 PM
Chambers Hotel (901 Hennepin Ave)

From East Bde Maka Ska Neighborhood Assn:

Help clean up trash in and around the Lake, rain or shine! We’ll have treats and clean up gear like gloves, buckets, bags, rakes and trash pickers to borrow. You may want to wear tall boots to reach trash at the edge of the Lake. The first 4 participants are welcome to borrow free Wheels Fun Rentals (just bring an ID to leave with staff). Boats help us reach trash from the water. Thank you Wheels Fun Rentals!

Bde Maka Ska Cleanup
3rd Saturdays, May–Oct. • 9–11:30 AM
Check-in: W 31st St & E Bde Maka Ska Pkwy

Sign up and follow Green Guardians MN on HandsOn Twin Cities, and you’ll receive updates on Cleanup changes due to weather, and upcoming Green Guardians opportunities. Registration is quick and easy!