A recent visit to Carondelet Park filled us with inspiration and surprise. I guess it’s been awhile since we’ve walked this gem. I’ll share some photos and thoughts on what we observed, but first a bit on the park itself.
Carondelet Park was dedicated in 1876. It’s ~180 acre topography is dotted by sink holes, a couple lakes, walking paths and streets and many trees, some of which are homes to owls and other wildlife. It is St. Louis’ 3rd largest park, and flanks the Holly Hills, Carondelet and Boulevard Heights Neighborhoods.
The perimeter of the park looks fantastic with decorated planters in the roundabouts along Grand Ave. Relatively new signs mark the park at the corners and they recently decided to close the park to car traffic on certain days of the week. The gates are closed to create a pleasant park experience for people. The gates are opened for events and other days of the week to allow cars to do what they do. Compromise is a win in the very conservative/NIMBY parts of the city, and living in these parts for several years, that is the vibe I got: change comes hard for many.
But, our recent visit just kept getting better and better along the way.
First, there is a mountain bike and hiking trail called Federer’s Folly Trail. William Federer being the founder of Holly Hills. This is the first mountain bike trail in St. Louis, and it makes sense that it is here in Carondelet Park as they have been hosting road bike training and races for years on Tuesday evenings. The culture is building and we’re thrilled to see paths populated with hikers and bikers. The path is ~1 mile and is maintained volunteers organized and supported by Gateway Off-Road Cyclists. The trail was originally inspired by Ryan Hanlon, a board member of Friends of Carondelet Park, to create a home base for the NICA South City Otters, a composite mountain bike team for 6th to 12th grade students.
There were no bikers on our visit, but there were several hikers enjoying the trail.
The surprises continued, with a walk toward the “bear pits” which has recently been designated as a bird watching site. There were several goats feeding on the undergrowth of weeds that had overtaken the area. It is amazing how efficient these goats are and there were several people watching them in action. The company that provides the goats and oversees their health and safety were on the scene.
Just Us Goats is a company right here in the area that rents out these foragers, and by the results we witnessed, these happy and active goats are doing a job that benefits park goers, volunteers trying to clear out some difficult terrain and the general landscape. Invasive plants like honey suckle are a serious problem in the Midwest, choking out native plants and creating an unkempt look. The goats are eating up poison ivy and the massive vines that have overtaken parts of the park, especially in the sink hole areas. The under story is rapidly becoming accessible by humans who can come in and improve the space for natives and wildlife.
The goats are under contract with the Friends of Carondelet Park, a group of volunteers who are making huge strides in this gorgeous space.
Arguably our favorite project underway is the woodland habitat reforestation taking place just northeast of the Boat Pavilion.
The results are already noticeable with the no-mow areas. The native undergrowth is starting to take hold and this area will look and feel drastically different in the coming years.
Look at Forest Park or Tower Grove Park for examples of no-mow areas that are reclaiming native species and a break from the monotony of mowed weed fields. A walk in the morning or at dusk will sound completely different when the insects return from the vast swaths of mowed weeds to native plants that are allowed to flourish and create homes for the animals we all want to enjoy and observe.
The soil quality will benefit from less rain runoff and more natural compost to feed the plants. This area will be visible from the walking trails and roads.
The good news just kept on coming as we walked by the grand Carondelet Park pavilion which recently benefitted from upgrades and a fresh coat of paint.
Photo source: Missouri Historical Society
Friends of Carondelet are just one of the groups working hard to make St. Louis a better place. Donate time or money if you can.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism with our city parks. These non-profit groups are starting to really make a difference over the stasis that has existed for years.
Look no further than the recently organized Fairground Park For All group that is organizing in North City to revitalize an equally beautiful park with bear pits!
Cheers to all the volunteers and city lovers who put their time, effort and money into something that benefits us all. Thank you.
