Wirth Park Will Get its Looks Back

On May 22, 2011, Golden Valley's Theodore Wirth Park was forever changed. The tornado that ripped open parts of North Minneapolis also , a park that was founded in 1889. 

This month, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will begin restoring Wirth Park's native vegetation--a project that will take about a year to complete. 

"This project is directly tied to the tornado destruction," said Andrea Weber, project manager for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. "When you look at the park, it doesn't appear to be as damaged as the neighborhood. But if you knew the park before [the tornado], it's vastly changed."

The biggest change in the historical park is the loss of trees, some centuries old. With the exposure of the land, invasive species have crept into the park, including buckthorn and garlic mustard. 

"Since the trees have been removed, the tornado left really big holes where invasive species have already seeded and germinated," Weber said. "Most people wouldn't notice anything is wrong, but we know from a more educated perspective that what's growing back is not what should be there."

According to a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board press release, low land areas, including the space between Bassett’s Creek and the railroad tracks north of Highway 55, and upland areas, including the space south of Glenwood Avenue on the east side of the parkway, will be restored.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation board contracted with Applied Ecological Services to begin re-seeding areas of the park. But, before new seeds can be planted, Applied Ecological Services must remove the invasive species. 

"We are doing a multistep process to prepare the soil before we seed the soil," Weber said. 

Applied Ecological Services will use herbicides to kill weeds and invasive species over the coming months. 

"We are going to let the weeds grow, and then basically kill everything. And we'll go through two cycles of that," Weber said. "Residents will see us going through and spraying the herbicide and then things will die and lay on the ground. The park will look a little raggedy over the next year."

By next June, seedlings will be planted in hopes of recreating the parks' natural landscape.

"With a newly seeded native area, the maintenance period required is two to five years," Weber said, referring to the work ahead of the park and recreation board. "Once it's well established, it will resist invasive species."