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County MetroPark Riverbank

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Welcome to a small section of the County MetroPark! A wonderful park amidst housing developments where people can come and enjoy the bits of nature that are still around the area. 

The County MetroPark has a problem however. Sections of the park that run along Maple Creek have been eroded away! Instead of a lush, green riverbank filled with plants, the Maple Creek has created large cliffs of loose, sandy soil. These cliffs threaten to come close to the path and prevent visitors from being safe while enjoying the park.

The small bank on the opposite side of the cliffs is showing because the water level of Maple Creek is low at the moment. Once a good rainstorm comes through the area, the river will swell and that bank will be submerged. But when the river swells, erosion happens faster, causing the cliffs to be pushed farther back towards the path!

Lots of roots and vines can be seen peeking out from the eroded riverbank. Their efforts to hold the bank together will eventually be in vain. 

A part of a small tree that used to be next to the path has fallen because of the erosion. It now lies at the base of the cliffs. 

The plants that are still growing at the top of the cliffs are not very tall because there is not enough soil to properly support large plants like trees. Some of the plants that have tried to grow taller are nothing but small trunks. 

The people still enjoy the County MetroPark while they can. Quite a few visitors are walking along the path, spending time enjoying nature.

One visitor seems to be concerned about the eroded riverbank. He is standing on the grass next to the path, peering over the edge of the cliff. Be careful not to fall!

A lone fisherman has taken advantage of the low water and is looking for a good spot to cast his line. He looks very happy to be out and about!

It includes 8 mini-figures (5 men, 3 women) and a dog, and accessories include a fishing pole and tackle box. The base is a 16 x 32 plate, with a 1 x 10 protrusion  center at the front of the model. The tallest part (of the path) is 7 bricks and 2 plates tall. 

I built this because I have recently seen the effects of erosion on parks near the area where I live. These parks had riverbanks that were in terrible shape from erosion, and the cliffs created from erosion came dangerously close to the park paths. However, I have also seen how these eroded riverbanks can be fixed using different bioengineering techniques. With this LEGO Ideas submission, I hope to raise awareness of this problem, and I hope that someday erosion will no longer be a problem and that people can safely enjoy the many wonderful parks that exist.

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