During Unseasonably Warm Springbrook Spring Fling, Animals Will Be on Slightly Altered Schedules

Fridley residents can get a first-hand look at how this season’s unusually warm weather is changing the environment during the 's Spring Fling on Saturday.

The Spring Fling, held for more than 20 years, has been known to draw as many as 3,000 people to the park, which is filled with native prairies, oak and aspen forests, and extensive wetlands.

The event includes games, a petting zoo, costumed characters and information about summer camps, and will run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday.

While this year's unseasonably warm weather will cause some subtle changes to the types animals attendees might see, there will be more familiar sights than unfamiliar ones at the annual festival, said Siah St. Clair, the executive director at Springbrook.

The main reason is that migrating birds, plants and hibernating animals such as groundhogs and chipmunks take their cues from the length of the day rather than the weather, he said.

“When it gets this warm out, you expect those things to be happening, but the organisms that normally start to bloom or migrate north are tipped off to do that by different factors than temperature,” he said. “They don’t stand outside saying,  ‘It feels warm. I guess I don’t have to wear my winter coat anymore.’”

Still, leaves are coming in early, which will make bird watching more difficult, and flowers have also bloomed earlier than normal. While such early blooms pose threats to plants in the event of an early frost, that hasn’t happened.

St. Clair said it’s too soon to predict how the changing climate will impact the plants and animals who call the 127-acre park home over the summer months. The biggest fear is that, after a dry fall and winter, lack of water will make difficult conditions and pose a greater risk of wildfire.

“My biggest concern is that if we don’t get enough rain, we’re going to end up with some real dry conditions and things that want to grow and be healthy are going to struggle,” St. Clair said.

Admission to the Spring Fling is $6 for tickets purchased on Saturday. Advance tickets are $5 and come with four game tickets. They can be purchased at the Springbrook Nature Center, 100 85th Ave. NE. Proceeds go to support the nature center’s environmental programs.

The event is rain or shine.