The Friends of Birch Island Woods thanks the officials, candidates and VIPs pictured here for taking our escorted tour through the woods and the Eden Wood Center and their adjacent recreational, heritage and wildlife habitat areas. Seeing is believing.

Retired MN Highway Commissioner (and US DOT official) John Jameison Minneapolis) visited the woods on 11/26/00 to take measure of preservation efforts and the redevelopment and mass transit potential of nearby industrial and commercial districts. Jameison is an advocate of sustainable communities and energy conservation.

Met Council Member James Nelson (Columbia Heights) far left and Commercial Real Estate Consultant Ronald Pentz (Minneapolis), far right with Jeff Strate and Terry Picha (FBIW) at Eden Wood Center, toured the woods with EP Parks Director Bob Lambert (unseen), 11/24/00.

Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman toured the Woods on November 1, 2000 with EP Parks Head Bob Lambert and Terry Picha (photo on left) and EP Council Member Nancy Tyra-Lukens (photo on right).

Greg Fangel (left), President, North Star Ski Touring club and Floyd Lauman (right), Board of Managers, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, surveyed Birch Island Park, lake, and the unprotected woods and Glen Lake Golf course on October 7. The urban bound area shows great promise as a first class cross country skiing complex of trails with a true wilderness feel.

Some 90 bicyclists and riders on an antique Twin Cities Rapid Transit Bus stop at the historic Eden Wood Center and the Birch Island Woods during this year's Tour de Sprawl. Visit News for more information about this Sierra Club outing.

Paul Chamberlain (guitar) and Ken Sherman (violin) serenade the last of the Tour de Sprawl bicyclists at the BIW trail head. "This land is your land, this land is my land..."

Eden Prairie City Council incumbent candidate Sherry Butcher. September 8, 2000.

Eden Prairie Council Member Ron Case, Historic Preservation Commission Chair and City Council candidate Jan Mosman and Eden Wood Center Director Dianne Reed. August 21, 2000

Jan Mosman and daughter Lulu. August 21, 2000.

EP Historic Preservation Specialist John Gertz on the porch of the historic Holasek House. One of the oldest brick homes in Eden Prairie, The house was moved to the Eden Wood Center grounds where it serves as a staff residence hall. August 21, 2000.

Randy Foote, Candidate, Eden Prairie City Council at the Picha Farm, an EP Heritage Site. August 8, 2000.

Marcia Eland, DFL Candidate, District 43A, Minnesota House of Representatives. August 8, 2000.

Farmer Terry Picha visits with the Mayor and Metropolitan Council members. Left to right: Terry Picha, Eden Prairie Mayor Hon. Jean Harris, Met. Council District 3 member Mary Smith, Eden Prairie Parks Director Bob Lambert, and Met. Council Senior Planner Arne Stefferud. August 1, 2000.

Woods Rally at Eden Wood Center after walk through with Incumbent Senator Ed Oliver (Rep. MN Dist. 43) and Eden Prairie City Council member Nancy Tyra-Lukens. June 12, 2000.

Other Walkers:

Eden Prairie Historic Preservation Specialist John Gertz and Council Member and incumbent candidate Sherry Butcher. April 2000.

Minnetonka mayor Karen Anderson, Council member Jan Callison and local National Audubon Society organizer Katy Egan-Benck. October 1999.

Bill Penning, Minnesota DNR Metro Greenways and Hennepin Conservation District Steve Hobbs. September 1999.