Hiawatha Oaks Preserve
STATUS: PROTECTED
Map to Hiawatha Oaks
The Hiawatha Oaks Preserve, a one-acre urban forest, includes oak trees averaging 70 to 80 years of age; some are estimated to be 135 years old, dating to the end of the Civil War. Some of the trees measure 22", 24", 30", and 36" in diameter.
The Hiawatha Oaks represent the "end stage" in open space preservation: a last-ditch, expensive effort to preserve a small amount of natural beauty in the absence of a more coherent, planned network of green spaces.
HOW TO GET THERE
The forest is located in Hopkins, a west metro suburb, at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Hiawatha Avenue, just south of Highway 7 between Knollwood Mall and Highway 169. It can be reached from Minneapolis by traveling west on Highway 7. Turn left on Blake Road and right on Cambridge Street, then go one block to the intersection with Hiawatha Avenue, near Minnehaha Creek.
WHAT YOU CAN DO THERE
The stately oaks serve as an oasis of forest within the setting of single-family homes, businesses, and apartment buildings bordering Highway 7 and across from Knollwood Plaza. Please bike or drive by to enjoy this preserved viewshed.
DESCRIPTION
The Hiawatha Oaks are one of the last remaining bits of the open space that attracted residents to Hopkins when it was a green refuge from the city. This one acre provides a scenic backdrop for both multifamily and single-family housing. The trees serve as a noise barrier from the nearby highways and provide cleaner air, while offering homes for many species of wildlife. The green space absorbs the rains and adjacent runoff amid an area of mostly hard surfaces.
Protected oaks
photo: Chris Robbins
THREAT AND RESPONSE
In 1990, the trees were to be cut down to build 12 luxury townhouses. The neighbors, determined to save the trees, applied to 60 foundations without success in an attempt to have the site purchased for preservation.
After two years of meetings and related work to find a solution, and cutting of trees imminent, the City of Hopkins offered to purchase the land from the developer. Four Hiawatha Avenue homeowners signed a voluntary assessment agreement to reimburse the city, putting their homes up as collateral, and one homeowner pledged to pay one-fifth of the amount needed over a 15-year period. Other neighbors donated smaller amounts. The developer, Mark Z. Jones, also contributed $100,000 by reducing the purchase price. These initial contributions brought the remaining land cost to $185,000. The Oaks Folks, as they were dubbed by Peg Meier in a 1994 Star Tribune article, began the yellow ribbon fundraising campaign that summer. Their annual payment on the loan from the city (for which no interest was charged) was $11,667.
Since the 1994 fundraising campaign began, over 1,500 contributions have been received in amounts ranging from $1 to $3,000, from 22 states and over 150 Minnesota cities. The Minnehaha Oaks Association also raised money by recycling aluminum cans to pay association expenses so that all the donations could go to the purchase price.
CURRENT SITUATION
The canopy of oaks can be
viewed from Highway 7
photo: Sharell Benson
The Oaks Folks achieved their payment goal in the fall of 2003! The City of Hopkins owns and maintains the woods, and the neighbors' homes will no longer be on the line. Patricia Isaak, the group's president, can release her 40-hour-aweek fundraising task and devote more time to putting together a book of tree stories.
IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED
- Send a tax-deductible contribution to the Minnehaha Oaks Association, 511 Hiawatha Avenue, Hopkins, MN 55343, to help maintain the forest, work to permanently preserve the forest, and continue the association's missions of educating and raising awareness of the importance of green space.
- Share the Oaks Folks story with others.
- Contribute your tree stories. During their fund-raising and publicity campaigns, the Oaks Folks hear stories about the importance of trees in people's lives. They plan to publish a book of tree stories to build awareness of the value of green spaces. If you have a story to share, send it to the Association.
- Appreciate every tree and every green space.
LOCAL CONTACT
Minnehaha Oaks Association (the Oaks Folks)
434 Hiawatha Avenue
Hopkins, MN 55343
952-935-5639
www.oaksfolks.org
email:
View from Highway 7, narrow end of forest
photo: Vernon Isaak