City Buzz is the semi-annual newsletter of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area Urban Long-Term Ecological Research Program (MSP LTER), produced to inform interested partners and community members of our work.
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From the Director
I’m excited to celebrate our one-year project anniversary by introducing our first City Buzz, the newsletter of the new MSP LTER. We hope to use this semi-annual newsletter to invite you to Upcoming Events, tell you about some of our ongoing activities in our MSP Stories, highlight some of the data that we’re collecting or synthesizing in The Data Stream, as well as other exciting news. It’s hard to believe, but in mid-March we celebrated our one-year anniversary of receiving funding for the new MSP LTER. We’ve been busy this year turning our ideas into action: establishing new partnerships, developing research methods, locating research sites, synthesizing existing data, and collecting new data from lawns, lakes, parks, and cities. We’ve also been listening and learning, so that we can advance our ultimate goal of improving environmental outcomes for all urban residents with humility and respect for the wealth and diversity of knowledge and perspectives that exist here in the Twin Cities. -Sarah Hobbie, Director and Lead Principal Investigator
- Sarah Hobbie, Director & Lead Principal Investigator
Upcoming Events
Annual All-Hands Meeting, June 2
On the morning of June 2, we invite interested community members to join us for presentations of the different MSP projects, followed by opportunities for discussion and interaction among MSP participants, community partners, and members of the public. Register here. We are currently planning to hold this meeting in person at the Institute on the Environment on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus.
Featured Stories
Joining Efforts to Restore a Sacred Gathering Place
By Emilie Snell-Rood, Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Contaminants Team
At the sacred site of Wakáŋ Tipi in St. Paul, MSP LTER researchers are partnering with the Lower Phalen Creek Project (now Wakáŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi) to study how urban contaminants like lead and arsenic move through soil, plants, and water. What began as a map of childhood lead levels has grown into a collaborative effort blending science with community and Indigenous knowledge—working toward restoration that heals both land and people.
Shades of Green: Urban Tree Biodiversity and Its Relationship to Climate and Social Vulnerability
By Adrienne Keller, Postdoctoral Researcher in the the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Forests Team
Trees have an important role to play in creating more livable urban spaces. For example, trees can regulate water runoff, moderate extreme temperatures, and provide recreational and mental health benefits to residents. Here in Minnesota and across the globe, efforts abound to plant more trees in order to paint our cities green and increase urban sustainability. What has gotten less attention is the diversity of trees that make up our urban forests.
The Data Stream: What is the Deal with the Weather…Data?
By Mary Marek-Spartz, MSP LTER Information Manager and GIS Analyst
In the Spring 2022 "Data Streams" feature, MSP LTER Information Manager Mary Marek-Spartz explores what happens when trusted sources of open weather data disappear—and what it means for long-term research reproducibility. She shares how the MSP LTER is responding by building its own interface for open climate data, drawing on local resources and regional partners.
About Us
MSP is a new urban LTER program in the Twin Cities studying how urban stressors – climate change, pollutants, invasive species, habitat fragmentation – affect the ecological structure and functioning of urban nature, including pollinators, forests, watersheds, and lakes and streams. We also study how diverse residents interact with and experience the benefits and burdens of urban nature. Ultimately, we aim to better understand urban nature and related policies and practices, to improve environmental outcomes for all residents.
Who: 30+ researchers, educators, and community organizers from the University of Minnesota, University of St. Thomas, US Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Water Bar
What: Long term research on ecological relationships between human and nature in cities
How: A six-year, $7.1 million, renewable grant from the Nation-al Science Foundation to establish a new site as part of the US LTER Network. The grant began in March 2021 and primarily supports postdocs, students, and staff in research, education, and engagement efforts.
Where: Seven-County Twin Cities Metropolitan Area in the State of Minnesota or Mni Sota Makoce in Dakota. What we now call the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area are the traditional, historical, and contemporary lands of the Dakota People.
To learn more, visit our website at mspurbanlter.umn.edu, or contact Sarah Hobbie, Director, [email protected].