Race Against Time

I’ve heard a number of comments about the many trees being cut down at Devil’s Lake State Park. Yeah, it’s not pretty. Sadly, they simply have no choice in a losing battle against invasive Emerald Ash Borer. (Blame the bug, not the park!) There’s just not a lot they can do as these trees die off, become brittle and hazardous. I’ll tell you one thing though, some returning campers are going to be a bit surprised when they see their campsites, especially in the Lower Ice Age Campground!

I can’t say I envy the park staff right now. Here in the Baraboo / Wisconsin Dells area, we all know what it’s like to race toward the summer tourism season and feeling like you’ll never be ready! At Devil’s Lake, there are about 10 staff and only about half that can cut and move trees in between their other duties. There is wood stacking up everywhere. In some campgrounds, the trees were cut and just felled right into the brush beside the campsites. Northern Lights & Lower Ice Age Campground are slated to open on May 3rd, and right now, sections of the Lower Ice Age look like a war zone. (Upper Ice Age will open on May 10th)

I’m reminded of when the Devil’s Lake Friends group used to bundle and sell wood to raise money. They’d be having a heyday right now!

It’s going to take some time to clear up all of this wood and it’s going to take years for the park to recover from the damage caused by Emerald Ash Borer. In time, I expect many of the trees, especially in the picnic areas will be replaced and 50 years from now it will all be beautiful once again.

For the moment let’s give a shout out to the park’s new young rangers who are certainly earning their pay this year, and the season hasn’t even started! Oh, and if you’ve been reserving the same spot in the park’s Lower Ice Age campground for years, there’s a fair chance your site is going to have a lot more sun this summer.