The native plants lining much of Lake of the Isles are at full height this month, the result of a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approach that treats native vegetation, rather than mown lawn, as the default along the Chain of Lakes shoreline.

The deep roots knit the bank against erosion, filter stormwater that would otherwise carry lawn chemicals, sediment and street grime into the lake, and shelter the birds, insects and turtles at the water's edge. Hardened or mown edges are reserved for formal access points, including the marked canoe and kayak launch the Park Board maintains at the Isles.
The approach is visible across the chain. When crews rebuilt the channel between Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake beginning in fall 2021, they removed decades-old wood retaining walls and naturalized the edge with stone, soil and plants rather than rebuilding a hard wall, a roughly $1 million project paid for through the state's Parks and Trails Legacy Fund. The result is a shaggier shoreline in exchange for steadier banks, cleaner water and far less mowing, fertilizer and irrigation than lawn requires.
The plantings pair with volunteer cleanups that clear the litter the vegetation cannot hold. The East Isles Neighborhood Association runs monthly Saturday cleanups along the Isles, meeting at Euclid Place and East Lake of the Isles Parkway, with dates set for June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8.
Residents can support the shoreline by keeping to marked access points instead of cutting new paths through the plantings, which compacts soil and opens gaps where the bank can begin to erode again. The Park Board posts its shoreline and water-quality guidance at minneapolisparks.org.

Hennepin County is expected to bring its final design for rebuilding Lyndale Avenue South to the Minneapolis City Council this month, after a June 1 public meeting where Uptown business owners and cyclists clashed over a plan that adds a bikeway and cuts about a quarter of on-street parking.

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Maya Lindgren
Covers Lowry Hill, the Wedge and the lakes.
The Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association board meets the first Tuesday of each month, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Searle Mansion, 1915 Logan Ave. S., where parks requests, traffic concerns and land-use notices get aired.

For the first time in years, the Hennepin Avenue corridor through Uptown heads into summer without an active construction zone, the rebuilt street now served by the METRO E Line that began carrying riders in December.