Anoka Nature Preserve

One of the more subtle perks of living in my hometown is the Rum River, a meandering waterway that makes its way down from Lake Mille Lacs to the Mississippi River. Because its somewhat amorphous nature, there is a fair amount of land adjacent to it that is not suitable for commercial development.  The northernmost part of the river in the city abuts the Anoka Nature Preserve, a refuge with miles of hiking trails in it and links to more.  Since the stay at home order has been lifted, we’ve been spending more time hiking there. Part of the preserve is wooded and there is a pavilion for picnic-ers, although the tables shown here have been since transported to become “social distancing seating” for downtown restaurants:



There is also a farm field in part of the preserve with corn and soybeans in crop rotation. Numerous birds also use the  field as a stopover. I saw these Sandhill Cranes gleaning the stubble last week:



Toads and turtles also thrive in the swampy backwaters that adjoin the preserve:





There is even a hill, a rarity in these parts, that the school children have named “Iowa”:



A bucolic view of my home town (with the Weaver):