The Hiawatha Golf Course, and its future development, is a decision that will impact our lives and many generations to come. It is the reckoning of a century-old decision, and the necessity of a century-spanning decision, that makes this the most important issue facing the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board today.
We are limited to two of the following three outcomes when it comes to the future of this land: a clean Lake Hiawatha, preservation of the surrounding homes, or an 18-hole golf course. Given these options, our choice is clear; we must move forward with a plan that cleans Lake Hiawatha and preserves the homes of the surrounding residents.
In 1922, this land was known as Rice Lake — a marshy wetland on the periphery of Minneapolis. At this point in its history Rice Lake and the surrounding area was of little note, having already been exploited of its most obvious resources by settlers. To the nascent Park Board, the development of this unremarkable area into a golf course was an easy decision. This makes sense in the context of the era, when golf was booming and when land was most worthwhile when shaped by humans and industry to suit our desires. Yet, only a century earlier this land was home to the Dakota, a thriving wetland ideal for the cultivation of wild rice, and a more whole natural environment teeming with wildlife and an environment that could handle the full brunt of the annual rainfall.
When we take this natural history into account along with the prices we have paid to maintain this current land use, and the potential future danger we are tempting, it is clear that we must adapt. While we have molded the land to our modern desires, we have had to fight costly battles to keep it that way, routinely battling the effects of settling, poor drainage, flooding and pollution caused by the course itself. These problems are coupled with a rapidly changing climate that promises to bring more precipitation in more concentrated volumes, which means we will be forced to continue to exceed our pumping limits several times over. More critically, a recent environmental lawsuit will likely require the city to improve the water quality of Lake Hiawatha. This can be accomplished only by devoting land in the surrounding area to the filtration of the watershed. This land can either come from the golf course or through the use of eminent domain to take homes in the area.
It is clear that the best way to avoid future disaster and expense is to restore a portion of land to a more permanent wetland. Yet, the decision to reshape the land is not only about risk avoidance, it is also about opportunity and the potential for our parks to provide increased benefits to the residents of Minneapolis while working in harmony with our natural environment. Currently, the course is fenced off to the public, creating an exclusive space that offers limited opportunities. The final Park Board Hiawatha Master Plan would create an open space with a nature boardwalk, space to launch kayaks, wildlife activities, pollinator-friendly spaces and a more holistic understanding of the land we inhabit, while maintaining a nine-hole course. This also ensures that we can continue to honor the course's history as the first public course open to Black residents.
All of this can be achieved only if we take bold action now to create a future that prioritizes the next century of park use and our future generations. This is the vision I stand for and would work to create as an at-large park commissioner.
Tom Olsen is a candidate for an at-large seat on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
