AFTERWORDS
Pulling , planting and rolling on the river
Tourism Cares project brings volunteers to Minneapolis to work along the Mighty Mississippi
BY PAT HENDERSON
ONE WEEK before the Tourism Cares for our National Parks event in Minneapolis , I received the final instructional email from Kati Hagedorn and Jessica Ahern of the Tourism Cares staff . As I was scrolling down the FAQ document , I was particularly struck by this Q and A : What happens if it rains ? We cry . Just kidding ! Our work can be completed rain or shine .
For those of you who have worked with Kati and Jess , you know that those two care so much that it ’ s likely they actually would cry . As it turned out , our group was treated to a 70-degree day with bright sunshine when we gathered May 20 at the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area ’ s Coldwater Spring site , so there was no need for tears .
“ With perfect weather in our own Minnesota and Mississippi River backyard for the event , it was an honor to ‘ give and take ’— to give back to and take care of — what belongs to all of us ,” says Lynn Larsen of Ed-Ventures , who made the drive from nearby Rochester , Minnesota , to take part in her first Tourism Cares work project .
The work day included removing invasive garlic mustard plants in the morning and placing six types of native plants in the holes we dug for them after lunch . By day ’ s end , our crew of
Nine staffers from Academic Travel Abroad in Washington , D . C ., came to Minneapolis to help with the Tourism Cares clean-up project at the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area . roughly 100 travel professionals — representing two countries , 16 states and 31 companies — had filled more than 50 trash bags with garlic mustard , planted more than 3,000 new buds and donated around $ 17,000 of in-kind labor to the NPS site .
In addition to performing those tasks , we learned more about the history of Coldwater Spring . The area , which was the first American settlement in Minnesota , served as an important crossroads for the traders and Native Americans who used both the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers for commerce . The spring itself was a vital water source for the soldiers at nearby Fort Snelling from 1825 through the early 1920s .
The property was last managed by the Bureau of Mines , which built a series of research buildings that were demolished in 2010 – 11 when Coldwater Spring became part of the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area . The past five years , trees , shrubs , grasses and wildflowers have been planted over 13 acres around the new urban park . The work we did continued the ongoing
PAT HENDERSON mission to restore the area back to its natural habitat as a native savanna oak prairie .
Longtime NTA-member Academic Travel Abroad sent nine staff members from its headquarters in Washington , D . C ., to help with the project .
“ One of the pillars of our mission is to contribute meaningfully to our world , our field and our community , and
“ I loved doing the pull ( invasives ) and plant ( natives ) work , and the day oozed with camaraderie , enthusiasm , inspiring trail-walking and learning the history of the park .”
— Lynn Larsen
Lynn Larsen ( Ed-Ventures ), Greg Takehara ( Trip Mate ) and Shannon Larsen ( Ed-Ventures )
Tourism Cares has been the recipient of ATA contributions and support since 2004 ,” says Sarah Saleh , who has worked for Academic Travel Abroad for two decades . “ As we give back to these priceless destinations , we also cherish
the chance to bond with each other during [ work ] projects .
“ We found out that some of us excelled at weeding the garlic mustard , while the rest of us were nurturers of seedlings . Plus , our Minnesota native , Todd Skauge , also took us to a Twins game and some must-visit eating spots like the Angel Food Bakery !”
The project at Coldwater Spring was the third of five Tourism Cares events at national park sites to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U . S . National Park Service . The year-long series will conclude with give-back efforts at Washington ’ s Mount Rainier National Park ( Sept . 15 – 16 ) and New York Harbor / Ellis Island ( Nov . 3 – 4 ).
To learn more about Tourism Cares and its work projects , go to tourismcares . org .
PAT HENDERSON
64 July 2016