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The Carletonian

The Carletonian

The Carletonian

Arb Notes: The streets are empty, but not the arb

Sunlight, chirping birds, the greening earth and the new spring air. The outside suddenly seems
particularly delicious when we lose the freedom to it. Fortunately, the Arb is still providing the
locals and remaining students with a safe and convenient access to enjoy the delightful (well,
most of the time) Minnesota spring.

And people are no doubt taking full advantage of it—joggers, families, dogs and dog owners are
always on the trails; regular fishing spots along the Cannon River in the Lower Arb are hardly
ever vacant; in the best afternoons, hammocks are out in the Upper Arb, barbecues happening on
Mai Fête. Even those students who have almost never set foot in the Arb since New Student
Week start to try and realize its many charms, taking out their phones and cameras, in awe of the
vast stagnated withered-ness masking that imminent blossoming of lives promised by the warm
sunshine, soaring birds, and calling frogs.

The spring is too exciting for us to get bored in our rooms. Before the weather turn hot and
muggy, before mosquitoes gather their armies, and before the ubiquity of lives renders them
unimpressive, it’s the best time to go take a walk around. Maybe you will see an albino squirrel,
maybe spot a bald eagle, maybe some beavers, or even one or two otters. Find yourselves some
wonders.

In the end, remember the rules if you are to use the Arb: no fire, no camping, no littering, no
dogs unleashed, no collection of animals or plants; and no biking except on specifically
designated trails in the Upper Arb. May the epidemic soon end with us all observing social
distancing.

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