EcoVillage Tree Nursery Open to All of NoMi!

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Several weeks ago, the EcoVillage Tree Nursery received a new supply of trees, and I received a fresh supply of Polish sausage for my efforts. The sausage didn't last long at all, but many trees are still there. Pictured above are the first two non-Hawthornites to pick up their trees this summer.

Initially, the trees were reserved for Hawthorne residents only. The reason being that Hawthorne residents and members have been the ones working on the EcoVillage, and some neighborhood funding has been used for this project. So our neighbors should get some benefit from that.

There are still quite a few nice trees left though, and if you want one, here's how it works...

...First, in order to qualify, you must be a property owner who lives in north Minneapolis. If demand is high, preference will be given to owner-occupants, but for now any property owner is eligible. Second, and this is important: even though the trees are free, DO NOT JUST GO AND PICK ONE UP. The city of Minneapolis wants to track where these trees go, and if they survive at similar rates to other parts of the city.

So if you want a tree, please call the Hawthorne office at 612-529-6033 or email me at jskrenes@hawthorneneighborhoodcouncil.org to set up a time for a pick-up. The nursery is not secured, so we're going on the honor system here. We'll need to get the address where the tree will be planted, as well as contact information.

Also, as you can see from the photo above, you'll need either a pickup truck or a van/SUV with a window that can be opened. Or a wheelbarrow. I've seen people cart their trees away in those too. But trees are available to any NoMi resident! Come and get 'em!

Tangent #1: about a half an hour after these great people picked up their trees (they got two because they took a maple off of our hands that had been languishing in the Tree Nursery for two summers now), I met a friend at Good Sports Bar & Grill. She's not from NoMi and this was her first time at Good Sports. I explained to her the dynamic of the place; how I always seem to run into at least two other people who know me. And just as I'm saying this, who walks in? And CM Hofstede was there too.

Tangent #2: The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council is in the process of getting more consistently updated content on its own blog, website, Facebook page, and a listserv. As a result, more of my blog posts regarding meetings attended or other activities done in my capacity as Housing Director will begin to appear on the Hawthorne Voices blog. Although the tree nursery activities were done as Housing Director, this post appears on JNS as a continuation of a previous item. However, on Monday, a Hawthorne Voices post will be written detailing which trees are still in the tree nursery and available for pickup.