Change?

Back in the 1990’s, longtime teacher Mary Handrick threatened to sit in front of the bulldozers if they ever came to develop “the land north of the high school..” Many others joined her and followed her and eventually the will of the people became clear and the Anoka Nature Preserve came to be. We owe a debt of thanks to Mary Handrick, Alice Wagner, Lyle Bradley, and many others.

It shouldn’t stop there. Sometimes it’s not always a done deal, and changes can occur. It’s still important to be aware of what’s going on. Sometimes there are unintended consequences—things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but turned out otherwise. The Management Plan for the ANP is administered by the Anoka Soil & Water Conservation District, and the agreement with the City is that all parties will follow the guidelines of that management plan. It’s up to us to know what those guidelines are, and be observant that they are in fact being followed.