Pig's Eye Park Friends

10/06/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 10/06/26, Kathy Sidles
FEATHERS AND A HARRIER AND DISCOVERIES – Kiki found a feather on our walk to the concrete bridge over Battle Creek. There were more feathers at the creek edge at the bridge. Tom carefully walked to the edge and brought them back for inspection. Birds molt into different feathers this time of year, to get ready for migration. And/or smaller birds can be preyed upon by bigger birds. I found a tool stuck in the mud that was likely used to cut cables when new pollution monitoring tubes were put in. I’ll take it home and clean it up – its doesn’t seem to work right after being run over in the truck trail.

We talked about urban wildlife corridors – how can we change roads so baby ducks can cross and so River Otters can travel up and down the Mississippi without getting hit by cars and so beaver can get past downtown without wandering our streets (it happened once) and our state bee the endangered bumble bee can mate with a different nest and improve its genetic profile. We lined up so I could take our shadow picture – smile!

Hey, looks like new coyote p**p in the truck trail! Likely it will stay there through the winter and decay with only what looks like rabbit fur left.

No Kestrels were on the nest box, but one flew into some of the big trees in the field, and we all saw a few dragonflies that they depend on for food.

I saw a big hawk-like bird soaring over the Pig’s Eye Park wetland. It had a big white band where its tail attaches, making it a Northern Harrier!

We counted seven Monarchs in one patch of blooming sunflowers! I took a picture with my cell phone and uploaded the information to Journey North.

I took lots of pictures of bumblebees for www.bumblebeewatch.org yesterday, and got up at 3AM this morning and took pictures of the moon passing over Jupiter! So, by this time my camera battery had run down, so I switched to my cell phone.

Back at the parking lot Tom and I noticed more dirt and twigs were dumped below the big sewer construction dirt pile that is supposed to be removed from the park but that no one wants. Then we noticed someone had cooked a meal in the dumped piles. We cleaned up some of the trash in the area. I keep a box of big trash bags in my car for situations like this. There is no regular trash pickup – we have enough collected that I will fill out a Complaint Form to ask for Parks to pick it up. They have responded to this request in the past.

I noticed the metal top of a water pipe as we cleaned up trash. Is there a pipe running under the parking lot? I scuffed it off with my shoe, then Tom cleaned around it – nope, he was able to pull it out of the dirt. Funny what we discover in Saint Paul’s biggest park and former (and present) dump!

NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – 3M settled a first lawsuit against its PFAS-filled dump leaking into an east metro area just east of Pig’s Eye. A new second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filter along the creek flowing through their main dump site. Hastings has filed a third local lawsuit, for PFAS coming through the air to their city water sources. Monitoring wells in Pig’s Eye Park show high levels of PFAS and could be part of a second lawsuit (see Project-1007 maps).
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/17/minnesota-sues-3m-says-forever-chemicals-from-cottage-grove-continue-to-pollute-water and
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/01/hastings-sues-3m-over-forever-chemicals-drinking-water and
https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation.

09/29/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 09/29/26, Kathy Sidles
500 PIGEONS ABOVE TRACKS WAITING FOR HARVESTED GRAIN, HOUR WAIT AT THE CROSSING – I bet there is spilled grain on the tracks now that farmers are harvesting crops. It has been months since I’ve seen this many pigeons on the wire above the tracks at Pig’s Eye Park entrance. There is a sign at these tracks saying trains might be driverless. Did something goof up with this causing Kiki’s hour-long wait at the RR crossing? She said trucks were honking in frustration.

KESTRELS, EAGLES, SANDHILL CRANES, CORMORANTS, GOLDFINCHES AND MORE – A Kestrel was perched on the Kestrel nest box every time I checked it during our walk around the big field loop. An Eagle couple were checking how well they could fly together – they meet at a nest to mate in early winter so this must be courtship time! We heard then saw a Kingfisher chattering as it flew to a tree above Battle Creek. Geese and Mallards flew over the field toward Pig’s Eye Lake. Lots of Pelicans, Cormorants, Canada Geese and Mallards were in the lake. I saw a couple of flocks of Goldfinches in the field during our walk.

The wind was from the southwest – bringing rain later today – but a day ago the web site Bird Cast shows a spike in migrating birds seen in radar. All fall the total number seen is about the same as average.

I took the short loop back to get to a Prairie Enthusiast buckthorn removal event and saw a Robin at the top of a tree. Then a Kestrel came in and shoved it off the branch. The Robin re-took the perch and chirped at it a few times. The Kestrel was holding a dragonfly! There have been Kestrels in this wetland park for many weeks, likely because of the dragonflies that are here – a complex interaction as they both migrate south.

NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – 3M settled a first lawsuit against its PFAS-filled dump leaking into an east metro area just east of Pig’s Eye. A new second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filter along the creek flowing through their main dump site. Hastings has filed a third local lawsuit, for PFAS coming through the air to their city water sources. Monitoring wells in Pig’s Eye Park show high levels of PFAS and could be part of a second lawsuit (see Project-1007 maps).
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/17/minnesota-sues-3m-says-forever-chemicals-from-cottage-grove-continue-to-pollute-water and
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/01/hastings-sues-3m-over-forever-chemicals-drinking-water and
https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation.

09/23/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 09/22/26, Kathy Sidles
GETTING READY FOR THE DRAGONFLY AND BIRDING WALK – The walk was at noon but I showed up at 9:30 in case any Pig’s Eye Park Friends and other walkers came, to let them know about the special walk. The purpose of the walk was to see the interaction of Kestrels and dragonflies – Kestrels follow Green Darner dragonflies when they both migrate. During my early morning walk a Red-tailed Hawk was hunting over the park. And a Kestrel was perched on the nest box, and two Bald Eagles were flying high up. Dragonflies, butterflies and a few prairie birds were starting to fly over the fields. I walked in the NW field, checking any blooming flowers for bumble bees. They were all Common Eastern (one yellow stripe on their abdomen), and I saw no big queens. A prairie bird I took a picture of looks like a Lincoln Sparrow.

PEOPLE ARRIVE FOR THE DRAGONFLY AND BIRDING WALK – I stood in the road at our park entrance – after the chipping lot – to make sure people arriving knew where to turn into the park. There is a park sign, but you can’t see it until you drive past where big chipping lot trucks go in and out. I waved people in, picking up trash as I waited. Some people had a hard time finding the park – one person finally got there an hour late! – and some were able to find it I think with Google Maps. 2165 Pig’s Eye Lake Road includes all three chipping lot entrances – the park entrance is the last one, with the big park sign.

WE LEARNED ABOUT DRAGON FLIES ON THE CONCRETE BRIDGE FROM JOHN ARTHUR – John has been learning and teaching about dragonflies for many years. They spend most of their life in the water as aquatic insects. Then when adults they fly around eating insects sometimes without stopping to rest. They can use the sun for energy too. And a few species migrate…with Kestrels travelling with them hoping for a meal. As aquatic insects they breathe through their butt he said. Some of us snickered like the school kids he tells this to. I will be looking this up some day! A Damselfly flew by. John said they are related but generally put their wings together over their back instead of spreading them out like Dragonflies.

HEADING DOWN THE TRAIL – A Kestrel was still on the Kestrel nest box – looks like a more colorful male. Sometimes it would fly down to catch a meal (small birds, dragonflies, snakes, rodents) and fly back to eat it. We saw a second Kestrel - a female in my picture - in a woodland tree above a wetland. We saw a few dragonflies until we got closer to where Battle Creek flows into Pig’s Eye Lake, and then we saw a LOT of them. They were glinting in the sun, flying a few feet over the grassland near the creek. A cloud covered the sun and then we didn’t see them…the sun came back and we still didn’t see them! Barb said she and Kiki saw them at the bridge, so maybe they were moving around as a group chasing insects. The Dragonflies were not stopping for pictures. But John was able to ID four or more species by how they flew. He showed us a picture of Saddlebags in his ID book – and could see the “saddlebags” next to their wings as they flew by us.

AT PIG’S EYE LAKE – One highlight of the walk was seeing more than 200 Pelicans flying over and landing on the lake, then flying up and away! This was more Pelicans than many had ever seen at one time.

ON THE WAY HOME – Most people took the short loop mowed trail back. We were able to take a picture of a Damselfly resting on a stick on the trail. And one of the handful of species of Katydids looking like a leaf – a Broad-winged Katydid maybe. A couple of people took the longer trail loop back. It was the first time being in this park for most of these birders. In spite of the wood chipping, RR and airplane noise, and difficulty finding the park, it was fun for them to see the rich wildlife. I bet some will be back to Saint Paul’s biggest park and former dump waiting for cleanup. Maybe for special Saint Paul Bird Alliance or other events, or for Pig’s Eye Park Friends 9:30AM walks on most Tuesdays and Saturdays.

NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – It looks to me like March 2026 Project 1007 data related to the new MPCA lawsuit includes Pig’s Eye, both north and south areas. 3M settled a first lawsuit against its PFAS-filled dump leaking into an east metro area just east of Pig’s Eye. This new second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filters along the creek flowing through their main dump site. Hastings has filed a third local lawsuit, for PFAS coming through the air to their city water sources.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/17/minnesota-sues-3m-says-forever-chemicals-from-cottage-grove-continue-to-pollute-water and

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/01/hastings-sues-3m-over-forever-chemicals-drinking-water and

https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation.

09/22/2026

From Kathy Sidles - Not too late to head out the door to meet with the Dragonfly Society here at Pigs Eye Park at noon today! A Kestrel is at the nest box and hunting dragonflies over the prairie, following them as theybothmigrate south for the winter. See the Saint Paul Bird Alliance Events page for info and directions to 2165 Pigs Eye Lake Road, Childs Road off Warner, then across tracks and south to 3rd entrance and big park sign...then across dirt lot and down short truck trail to the parking lot.

Tuesday, September 22, 12 pm – 2 pm at Pig’s Eye Chôkan Tanka Park Did you know these dragonflies migrate South in the Fall just like many of our songbirds […]

09/16/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 09/15/26, Kathy Sidles
EVERYONE ONE IS INVITED TO PIG’S EYE HIKE WITH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY AND SAINT PAUL BIRD ALLIANCE NEXT TUESDAY 09/22/26 12 NOON – Kestrels look for Green Darner dragonflies for a meal as both are migrating south for the winter. So we will be looking for them at Pig’s Eye Park, 2165 Pig’s Eye Lake Road 3rd entrance (past wood chipping) – with the big park sign. We saw signs of both on our walk today!

LOTS OF WOOD CHIP DUST – Billows of wood chip dust were seen at the north lot when loading trucks with chips. And also at the chipping lot as chips were re-chipped and re-piled. That dust spread into the parking lot and into the park where we were walking, and Carissa and I both started coughing. Luckily the wind changed direction or something as we continued our walk and I didn’t have to wear the mask I brought on our walk.

MEETING WITH KIKI AT THE CONCRETE BRIDGE – Tom was busy, but Kiki showed up with a feather. Eagle? Not turkey? We talked about the mayor’s proposed balancing of the city budget by closing Duluth Case Rec Center and Dayton’s Bluff Library, both on the east side. Both are popular places, with alternatives over 30 minutes adult walk time away across busy streets. We seemed to agree we need to figure out how to provide more knowledge and outdoor activities to kids not less! Friends of Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County passed my resolution supporting keeping the library and rec center open. And also to put the Bronze Line Bus Rapid Transit – in the same area as the library and park - on existing roads, and not on the Vento Bike Trail green space with two bridges at each end (Arcade and at Johnson) and big storm ponds for the new road run-off taking out the woods. See the resolution below. Pig’s Eye isn’t the only park with problems to solve!

POLLUTION SAMPLING TODAY – We had company at the park. Two pickup trucks drove to a few different areas. It looked like they were getting soil samples, not water samples from the wells. Although we noticed new barrels for water samples have been put in the park recently. Is it data for the new lawsuit against 3M? See below. Or it could be pollution data required of any State Superfund Site like this one since it’s a former dump, with trash still buried and our wastewater mixed with metals and spread on parts of the park in the past.

INTERESTING CRITTERS! – Carissa noticed a big snail in the pathway. Where did it come from? We saw lots of snail shells deposited by a rainstorm flood June before last. Maybe this snail survived that flood. In the picture you can see its beautiful shell, and big antennas. I don’t know much about snails. My husband Paul had a student job taking pictures of snail brain neurons in a University of Iowa, Iowa City, lab in the 1970s. They were studying neurons and snails have the biggest! Their structure could be seen by the microscopes of those times.

Later I saw a beetle in the pathway. Wow, does it have a long…stinger thingy…and long…antennae whatevers. Again, I have a lot to learn about beetles!

NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – It looks to me like March 2026 Project 1007 data related to the new MPCA lawsuit includes Pig’s Eye, both north and south areas. 3M settled a first lawsuit against its PFAS-filled dump leaking into an east metro area just east of Pig’s Eye. This new second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filters along the creek flowing through their main dump site. Hastings has filed a third local lawsuit, for PFAS coming through the air to their city water sources – not the PFAS in this park and lake coming downriver. https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007 and https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/01/hastings-sues-3m-over-forever-chemicals-drinking-water

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data now being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation. The web site above says next steps are to get more data – three new wells in the park were built and sampled in spring 2026.

FRIENDS OF PARKS AND TRAILS LIBRARY/REC CENTER/VENTO TRAIL RESOLUTION: Support keeping Duluth Case Rec Center open and continuing with plans for a new Rec Center.
Friends of Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County supports keeping the Duluth Case Rec Center open and continuing with plans for a new Rec Center in the future as many of the park neighbors in this high density older neighborhood are asking for. If budget cuts are needed they should be made across the board.
This neighborhood is also losing its trail and woodlands to the high cost Bronze Line BRT lanes, bridges and storm ponds along Phalen Boulevard when the bus could be put on existing roads – our Board passed a Resolution last year stating this. And the neighborhood could also lose the nearby Dayton’s Bluff Library to the Mayor’s proposed budget cuts.
Older high density neighborhoods with lots of young people need nearby safe and improved parks, and their programs and trails and libraries, to carry their neighborhood housing into the future. To be sent to -
Ward 1: [email protected] Anika Bowie
Ward 2: [email protected] Rebecca Noecker
Ward 3: [email protected] Saura Jost
Ward 4: [email protected] Molly Coleman
Ward 5: [email protected] Hwajeong Kim
Ward 6: [email protected] Nelsie Yang
Ward 7: [email protected] Cheniqua Johnson
Mayor: [email protected] Kaohly Her
Saint Paul Parks: [email protected] Andy Rodriguez
https://friendsoftheparks.org/support-keeping-duluth-and-case-rec-center-open/

09/09/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 09/08/26, Kathy Sidles
CONSERVATION CORE LOOKING FOR INVASIVE PLANTS – We were headed for a short loop walk to the lake but saw an official looking pickup truck parked at the woods and set out to see who it was. But it pulled into the woods before we got there. But later Tom talked to the two Conservation Core young people driving the truck. They told him they were looking for invasive plants. On our way to the woods we saw an interesting shelf mushroom. ID TBD, but I bet it’s a name like its shape. I’m making this up – “Ringing Bells Mushroom”.

2/3 INCH OF RAIN AND CREEK RUNS FASTER – We had 2/3 of an inch of rain last night but are still 7 inches short of average for the year. I dropped my stick in thinking it would take 14 seconds to go under the bridge. But the Battle Creek water was still running slow – 22 seconds. Faster than 32 seconds last Tuesday!

BIRDS AT LAKE SHORE, NO POWER LINE BUILDING TODAY – It was all quiet at the northern shore of Pig’s Eye Lake this mornning. Cement posts for the new backup power lines are complete. Maybe that’s why I see Mallards, some smaller ducks, a shorebird and two White Egrets in the shallow water there.

S**T, KESTRELS, TRASH, GOLDENROD – On the way back on the short loop mowed trail there was some roundish s**t. I’m guessing beaver – it is rounded like the drawing in the 1954 A Field Guide to Animal Tracks by Olaus Murie I pulled from the book shelf. But the description says you rarely see it as beavers p**p in the water! Then we saw some recognizable s**t – coyote I think, with lots of rabbit fur in it.

There were a few Common Eastern bumble bees on blooming goldenrod. I kept seeing more and more patches of bright yellow goldenrod – there sure is a lot of goldenrod in the park this year! My guess is its deep roots still reach water, especially with floods almost up to this field a year ago in June. But the non-native brome grass roots are shorter and more affected by the drought. On our southern Iowa family farm acres Goldenrod was the one native plant that could compete with aggressive brome grass.

NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – It looks to me like March 2026 Project 1007 data related to the new MPCA lawsuit includes Pig’s Eye, both north and south areas. 3M settled a first lawsuit against its PFAS-filled dump leaking into an east metro area just east of Pig’s Eye. This new second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filters along the creek flowing through their main dump site. Hastings has filed a third local lawsuit, for PFAS coming through the air to their city water sources – not the PFAS in this park and lake coming downriver. https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007 and https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/01/hastings-sues-3m-over-forever-chemicals-drinking-water

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data now being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation. The web site above says next steps are to get more data – three new wells in the park were built and sampled in spring 2026.

09/02/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 09/01/26, Kathy Sidles
RAILROAD YARD WETLAND RE-DO – On rail yard land across from where tracks and their ditch were repaired after an oil spill happened, I see a storm pond type wetland being fixed up. So far the bottom is bulldozed and big rocks added at each end. On the wetlands map I found here: https://wetland-finder.dnr.state.mn.us/ (click Close and zoom in and click on any labelled wetland) I can see it is a PEM1A Wetland with Throughflow. It has needed fix up for a long time! Maybe regulators noticed it during the oil spill fix up, or maybe it helps water flow more slowly so the road and rail banks don’t crumble. It should have native plant buffered edges and plantings to slow water flow, like I see in other storm ponds. But driving by weekly for five years I have seen mostly railyard to the edge, and dirt and railyard rocks and sand at the bottom.

PAINTED TURTLE ON THE ROAD – The Metropolitan Waste processing plant had a ribbon cutting for adding capacity last week. More people are moving to the Twin Cities! So, there were lots of construction trucks heading toward it at the entry just off Child’s Road. But few trucks were heading down Pig’s Eye Lake Road to the wood chipping lot and park entrances. Which was good because a Painted Turtle was crossing the road and was stopped in the middle in the sun!

Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the other side, hoping it is a wetland. Which it was…and its even on the DNR wetland finder map - so I talked and walked softly behind it and it continued into the wetland ditch. I hope it continues a little way north to find some cattails. And if it scoots farther north it will get to some bigger wetlands in the woods there.

ITS ALWAYS NICE DOWN THE WOODS TRAIL – With no ticks seen for two weeks – yay! – I still tucked pants into socks etc but was OK walking the woodland trail. We saw a wetland that Tom pointed out was dry – we are six or more inches short of rain for the year. And went under the Eagle’s nest. We didn’t go near it during nesting season, but saw Eagles flying over and into the woods here. So are pretty sure Eagles fledged at this nest.
It felt at least five degrees cooler in the woods, and there are lots of native plants to see. First, we went by Willows. Then we went past a Cottonwood forest. And at the end of the trail was a Silve Maple woods. Each of them with-stand a different amount of time spent in flood water. At that point we were at the edge of Battle Creek.

GREAT MINNESOTA WOODS WALK - I ran the idea by Tom of hosting a Great Minnesota Woods Walk, sponsored by the Minnesota Forestry Association state-wide, Saturday October 3 1-3PM Woodland Walk in these woods. He is interested, so stay tuned. Find their web site to register a walk in your favorite woods. They provide help on how to do this, and your walk goes on their map. There are three walks listed so far.

GETTING POPULAR – Each Tuesday for the last few weeks a visitor new to Pig’s Eye Park shows up. Today an adventurous person with some knowledge of the history of the area brought their kayak to put in at the lake. Tom said he knew it was deep enough, and when we left they were taking the kayak off their vehicle to pull it to the lake.

People are curious and tell us they wondered about this park, enough to one day find their way here to 2165 Pig’s Eye Lake Road. There is a new brown sign park sign along Warner Road, and after going under Warner on Child’s road there are two more on Pig’s Eye Lake Road. And a big new park sign after the green wood chipping building at the entry to our parking lot. But the park is off the beaten path, down asphalt roads with no center stripe…with trains on both sides…and sometimes truck traffic. Drive carefully! And when you leave turn left after crossing the tracks – as the sign says - to use Child’s Road to get back up to Warner.

NEW MPCA LAWSUIT AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – It looks to me like March 2026 Project 1007 data related to the new lawsuit includes Pig’s Eye, both north and south areas. The second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filters along the creek flowing through their main dump site. https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data now being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation. The web site above says next steps are to get more data – three new wells in the park were built and sampled in spring 2026.

HOMELESS TENT CAMP CLOSED WED AUGUST 5 - Have you heard the north Pig’s Eye Park/Fish Hatchery homeless tent camp area was closed August 5th? We walk at Pig’s Eye Main Entrance south of there after rail yards. Learn more at the city’s HART web site: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/report-concern/homeless-assistance-response-team You can support east side homeless people including IDs and jobs at https://www.listeninghouse.org/ . And for east side indoor shelters see Union Gospel Mission at https://www.ugmtc.org/ .

08/25/2026

Pigs Eye Regional Park Hike Tuesday 08/25/26, Kathy Sidles
SEWER SLUDGE PILE IMMORTALIZED – Kiki’s early summer watercolor sketch of the mountain of metro sewer repair dirt is finished! She drew the side of the hill where a crazy person or two drove a truck down. The dirt was supposed to be taken out of this park over a year ago. But it has now been there long enough for Cottonwood saplings to grow! See them in Kiki’s drawing to the right. And some of the birds and critters she saw while making the drawing.

PARK VISITORS – A person in a pickup truck was taking a break in the parking lot, and eventually left. Then a couple drove in to explore the park. I mentioned ticks, and staying on the mowed path. One of the couple stopped their walk halfway to the lake – the thought of ticks was too much the other half of the couple said, who walked back more leisurely. With the end of peak tick season, dry weather, a mowed trail, and me not exploring in the weeds I found no ticks on me for the second week in a row, yay!

SIX INCHES LOW ON RAIN MEANS A SLOW CREEK – My stick took 35 seconds to go under the bridge. I have done this long enough that I announced before I dropped it that “I bet it will take 35 seconds”. The creek water was moving very slow. Maybe this is what allows the school of small fish to gather under the concrete bridge. This is the third week in a row we have seen them there. On the way to the lake we walked to the edge of Battle Creek. It was clear, but moving slow and had more algae than usual growing.

TOM AND I WALK THE BIG LOOP AND ITS RED-TAILED HAWK DAY – During our walk I saw just one Kestrel perched at the top of a tree. Last week I saw a Kestrel family hunting throughout our walk. And I saw three in a tree and one on the Kestrel nest box post. Instead as Tom and I walked the Big Loop we saw a number of Red-tailed Hawks. One flew from the parking area when I got there. One flew to a tree along the RR tracks then flew over the field. Then we saw three hunting together over the park fields and soaring high over it.

It is so dry the summer flowers have finished blooming but the fall flowers aren’t ready yet. Not good for bumble bees, with the males and new queens being born in the nests and raised there then flying off to look for flowers and mates! In this wetland park there are still a few damp places in field depressions and lake edges and forest edge shade where I could see patches of flowers blooming or getting ready to bloom. At the shoreline I saw what looks like a Yellow queen bumble bee on blooming Ironweed - nope, with a dark side of its thorax the U of MN Bee Lab guide says its a Boreal.

And we saw a Leopard Frog! We used to see and hear more frogs in this park, but over the five years of hiking there was an oil spill into the creek, a flood and four out of five years of drought. This web site says they are found throughout Minnesota but are declining, and though it may wander for up to a mile from water it will spend the winter in the bottom of a lake: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/truefrogs/northernleopard.html

On my drive home I saw about 100 Pelicans headed north when normally they go south. Maybe the lakes have shrunk too much in the drought and also the wind was from the south this morning.

NEW MPCA LAWSUIT AGAINST 3M FOR EAST METRO PFAS POLLUTION – It looks to me like March 2026 Project 1007 data related to the new lawsuit includes Pig’s Eye, both north and south areas. The second lawsuit says 3M needs to do more, such as clean up additional areas, add warning signs in contaminated areas, and filters along the creek flowing through their main dump site. https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/projects/project-1007

PIGS EYE DUMP COMMITTEE – The final report for cleaning up this park/former regional dump is here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/local-sites-and-projects/saint-paul-pigs-eye-dump-task-force The recommendation in this report by the committee – with more data now being gathered - is for further studies to pick one of these options: 1. Haul it away to an approved landfill (most metro ones are getting full) leaving a wetland behind or 2. Make an approved landfill in the park – a high-as-the-hills plastic-lined mound + rain water and gas capture + flood wall. Cost estimates - $600 - $800 over 10 years of construction and 30 years of operation. The web site above says next steps are to get more data – three new wells in the park were built and sampled in spring 2026.

HOMELESS TENT CAMP CLOSED WED AUGUST 5 - Have you heard the north Pig’s Eye Park/Fish Hatchery homeless ten camp area was closed August 5? We walk at Pig’s Eye Main Entrance south of there, past rail yards. Learn more at the city’s HART web site: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/report-concern/homeless-assistance-response-team You can support homeless people including IDs and jobs at https://www.listeninghouse.org/ . And for indoor shelters see Union Gospel Mission at https://www.ugmtc.org/ .