Pollinator volunteers in New Ulm wish to expand their preservation of local flora and fauna and enrich their ability to educate children. They are proposing an expansion of land for Pollinator Park, taking over most of the city land on North Broadway.

This was the message conveyed at a Park and Rec Commission work session Monday. It’s the first time a work session has been held since Sep. 12, 2022, and only the third since Oct. 11, 2021. Pollinator Park is currently at 2250 North Broadway. They occupy a small square of the land, with the rest being undesignated city land often used as a park.

Co-lead volunteer Deb Steinberg presented the pollinators’ proposal to the commission. She discussed the history of the park dating back to 2015 when the idea of Pollinator Park was first proposed. She said the park has been host to fun and unique events since its inception.

“With some preschoolers in November 2015, we spread milkweed seeds and stomped them in the ground like the bison did many years ago,” Steinberg said. “It was really fun, and that’s how it all started. Then we had a volunteer day, on June 4, 2016. We had several citizens come out. Little children, parents, and grandparents planted those pollinator plants that were purchased with grant money. We have been working hard weeding and replanting other plants. We’ve put up educational signage and got a couple of benches out there.”

This piece of land is part of what Pollinator volunteers are looking to utilize in their expansion. The land is known as North Broadway park, but is not officially recognized by the city as a park.

Steinberg said the volunteer group has gotten more ambitious in recent years. They’ve started hosting field trips, teaching people how to become pollinators, and experimenting throughout the years with different events. Expanding the Pollinator Park is the next logical step for the volunteers.

“We’ve got an opportunity here,” Steinberg said. “We’ve got this land and there’s more land that’s around that’s city-owned. We use our labor and we have very little cost to the city or citizens. We can do more, and that’s why we’re here today. We would like to expand. [We could] make more trails, make play structures. It’s not a typical park where you go and play on the swings. This is more enjoying nature, learning, getting fresh air, exercising, and we want to expand on that.”

Commissioner Dave Christian asked if all of the city-owned land in the North Broadway area is included in the plan. Schugel said it does not, as there is floodplain property not included in what the pollinator volunteers are requesting.

Commission Chair Carisa Buegler supported the proposal brought before them, saying it is a low-cost way to bring purpose to more parkland.

“We often think park spaces need to be developed with thousands of dollars investment put into a structure,” she said. “What’s being asked here is designating already city-owned land, which dedicated volunteers have already invested time and energy [into]. This expands the opportunity for all members of the community to get physical activity and learn a little bit about nature. I think it still checks the box of appropriate alignment with what Park and Rec are intending to do.”

Christian said he is also in support of the proposal, with a caveat. He voiced concerns with the plat map used by the city, believing there is much more parkland on North Broadway than what’s shown.

“Staff has to do a little more homework because our original plat map has a lot more designated park property than this out there,” Christian said. “Get the ball rolling because it will probably take legal change to officially name it. [This land] has never officially been named.”

Due to it being a work session, no votes were taken on the proposal.