The report includes an initial property history, an architectural and cultural landscape assessment, and an archaeological assessment. The property formerly known as Boys Totem Town may be historically and culturally significant for numerous reasons and associated with key topics and resources.  [Read More]

Mission

We are a group of people and organizations who believe in:
  • the importance of open/green and natural spaces for the good of the community and the people in it
  • preserving and interpreting historic and culturally important spaces, specifically Dakota and BTT itself - and the history of the generations of boys who went there
  • preserving and/or restoring important environments such as old growth Oak Savannas
  • keeping an open mind about possible development of the "building area"  - possibilities include building community with space for a community center, nature/history center, healing center, community gardens, market place, nature classes, family activities, or other ideas. 
  • Nature Capital - that natural areas and the activities that develop from them can build economic wealth for the community.
  • click here for MORE benefits!
 
We are also a group of people/organizations who are trying to:
  • raise awareness about the site so all stake holders have it on their radar
  • educate people about the site's geography, history, possibilities and possible constraints (e.g. slope set backs)
  • support community involvement in the future of the site
  • keep people informed about County and/or City community involvement efforts - when that time comes.

We (partner group*) are working together towards thoughtful "development" of the land once occupied by Boys Totem Town Juvenile Detention Center. (located in St. Paul, MN -- see MAP)
Picture
Old Growth Oak - circumference 11' 7"; 220+ years old, ~1776!
Oak Savanna: An oak savanna is a community of scattered oak trees (Quercus spp.) above a layer of prairie grasses and forbs. The trees are spaced enough so that there is little to no closed canopy and the grasses and forbs receive plentiful amounts of sunlight.     ...   Once common in Minnesota, the oak savanna is now a rare ecosystem. ​      
--  National Parks System
“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
—John Muir, Our National Parks
Large urban parks can provide important buffers to the stressors of city living (Hartig and Kahn, 2016; Wood et al., 2018). Such effects have been shown in even some of the largest cities of the world, such as in New York City (Sain-Baird, 2017) and Beijing (Hongxiao et al., 2017), and fit within a growing body of research that show that interaction with nature benefits people physically and psychologically. These benefits are not trivial. As reviewed by Frumkin et al. (2017) and Bratman et al. (2019), interaction with nature has been shown to reduce stress, depression, aggression, ADHD symptoms, rumination, and obesity, and to improve immune function, eyesight, mental health, and social connectedness.
 ~ Relatively Wild Urban Parks Can Promote Human Resilience and Flourishing