Mary McKelvey (At Large)
The Hiawatha Golf Course Area Master Plan (aka Hiawatha Links) was approved by MPRB in 2022, calling for 9 holes of golf and the ecological restoration of Lake Hiawatha. As commissioner, will you support the master plan and work actively to move forward implementation of the plan?
Yes, I will actively move forward with the plan. There are three options circulating for Hiawatha Links that increase wetland acreage along Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek by at least 55 acres, which will greatly enhance the stormwater management and pollution filtration in the area. From there, each option includes enhanced opportunities for both greater ecological restoration and more recreation opportunities year-round than people have ever been able to access within the Hiawatha area. I think all of them have something positive to add to our shared park. I will first look to the golf community to choose the best configuration for a drier, 9-hole course and a driving range that is both challenging to avid golfers and encouraging for youth and beginners. From there, we can choose the design of paths and other amenities, making sure ecology is protected.
How will you work to ensure that the new parkland at Hiawatha honors the lake’s history as Rice Lake / Bdé Psíŋ with the Dakota people who have stewarded this land since time immemorial, and ensures safe access for Native lifeways?
I look forward to being an ally in this work. The Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan that the MPRB has initiated in 2024 is a great step in the right direction. I will continue to ask what the next steps are in stewardship of shared public lands with our Indigenous relatives who had an original tie to Bdé Psíŋ. There are several members of an Indigenous Action Board, and I look forward to getting to know and learn from each of them. I look forward to learning about Native lifeways and relearning histories. I will consider re-naming the lake and other sites if that is what the Indigenous communities bring to the table.
How will you work to ensure that the new parkland at Hiawatha honors the history of Black golfers and the course’s legacy as a social hub for Minneapolis’ Black golf community?
I will work to ensure that the Solomon Hughes Clubhouse is open for Black community gatherings and Black youth golf as a priority. I will support the installment of historical markers or educational pieces to be placed in the clubhouse (or where the Black community would like to see them) regarding Solomon Hughes and how he broke the racial barriers of golf at a time when racial covenants were on most home deeds in the surrounding area. This will be a great learning opportunity for those who may at first only be looking for a great game of golf. I will support ways that the deep history of this course can encourage park participation that is anti-racist into the future.
A recent Star Tribune article covered the problem of stray golf balls from the course hitting houses along 43rd St. What would you do as commissioner to address that issue prior to the projected 2030 course reconstruction?
I’m sorry that this happens. Perhaps a warning sign could be placed at the offending tee. However, I would wait until the redesign to change the course if this problem has existed since it was first designed decades ago.
What role can the new parkland at Hiawatha play in expanding foraging opportunities for Minneapolis residents?
The ecology around the lake is already improving, with the Friends of Lake Hiawatha and others’ efforts. There are already a couple of designated harvesting areas on the East shore of the lake. There are expanded areas of native plants and patches of medicinal and edible plants. At this point, they serve a great educational purpose for the average person, with a guide, and can be foraged through indigenous stewardship agreements. We are gradually learning to share our public spaces for the good of the ecology in the area, and I believe that mutual understanding is necessary to advertise public land as up for foraging. There are too many visits to the area to publicly promote Hiawatha as a place to forage, but designated areas that are intentionally planted for harvesting can be increased.
How should we balance coexistence with other species in urban green spaces, even when doing so might causes challenges for humans? For example, beavers are native to the area and restore degraded streams, but can inconvenience us when they cut down trees.
Wildlife, including ducks, muskrats, turtles, coyotes, foxes, turkeys, and beavers, should live in outdoor urban green spaces, and we should increase our education and efforts to let them thrive. As long as wildlife is not threatening the health of humans or other species, they should be left to live their way. We can modify or respond to wildlife’s impact without having to remove or kill them. This will involve an occasional chewed tree, or humans avoiding a nesting area. We can and should share with and celebrate wildlife, even if sometimes inconvenient.