Haircut at First Beach

This gathering spot between the old railroad bridge and the Hennepin Avenue Bridge has no name that I know of.  I've referred to this spot as Debbie Duncan Beach.  In any case it is a place for folks taking a break from work to eat lunch and have a view of the river.  It's a place where old guys gather to sip coffee, read the paper and smoke. It's a spot for exercise groups, a place for folks with cameras and sketchbooks, and folks throwing out a line at night hoping to pull in a few of the giant catfish out there. It is well used but in need of a makeover.

When I took this picture in May 2015 this was typical of what the litter looked like on the beach.  When people see trash they have a tendency to leave theirs there too because well, why bother.  When folks see it clean does it change behaviors?

Maybe a better name for this beach is First Bridge Beach because the Hennepin Bridge there in the distance is considered to be the first bridge that was built over the Mississippi River.  Well, not that bridge exactly but the one that was built in the 1850's.  We are either on our 3rd or 4th bridge in that spot.

 

In the last week or so this stretch of beach got a haircut.  About of 20 to 30 feet of brush was cleared and the shoreline was extended.  I have no idea what the motivation to do this was.  There is a nice bench sitting at the top of the cleared area and maybe it was cleared just to improve the view.  Maybe it was cleared because there were some invasive species of plants in that spot.  Folks who want to fish here have gained some ground.  Whatever the reason I bet that Park and Rec (maybe they did) did not know that this was a favorite spot for homeless folks to hide from the world.  I had been in that thicket a few times and it wasn't so easy to pick up trash in there.  It was always sad to find an abandoned bag that had a few personal items scattered on the ground.  Things that they had received from a shelter like deodorant and a razor.  Empty pill bottles, items that they took with them from a hospital stay, a crumpled up college admission form, dirty clothes. I gathered up 6 or 7 liquor bottles and all the rest of it today so it looks better, but I expect that the thicket just beyond will serve the same purpose soon.