We Should Enjoy God’s Creation Today

The photographs in this post were taken on the Fern Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; September 24, 2012 A.D.

The pictures are displayed in the order they were taken.

Boulders and colorful aspen frame the trail.

One can’t hike the Fern Lake Trail without taking a picture of a fern.

When hiking, it is good to see the small picture as well as the large.  By God’s decree, there is beauty everywhere!

The relatively flat trail follows a meandering stream.

The picture above is one of my favorite pictures from the hike.

The trail passes through these rocks.

The yellow orange spots on the pine tree trunk on the right are a clear sign of a pine beetle infestation.  The pine beetles are destroying pine forests throughout much of the western United States.

Fall color adorns the Fern Lake Trail.

The trail climbs higher.

The mountain stream reflects skylight.

Actually, it’s called the Big Thompson River, and probably has a lot more water in the Springtime.

Above, a highlight of the trail is a waterfall and whirling waters known as “The Pool.”

The trail ascends up onto the side of the mountains.

The path climbs up through the sun dappled forest.

Fern Falls was the round trip point of the journey.  There wasn’t enough time to get to Fern Lake.  Hikers on the way back reported that there were two moose up at Fern Lake.  Maybe we will see them next year.

The majestic pine forest was the highest part of this hike.  Out of concern for rain and darkness and safety, it was time to hoof it back to the trail head.

Back on relatively flat ground, the sun came out, and allowed some time for a few pictures.

Below, the camera looks back to say good bye to Autumn color on the Fern Lake Trail.

The thunder clouds below were cracking with thunder and flashing with lightning.  Soon after leaving the trail head, a torrential downpour began high up in the mountains.

At lower elevations, there was a light rain.

A few weeks after these pictures were taken, this area around the Fern Lake Trail and The Pool was burned in a forest fire.  The fire burned about 700 acres.  As of this writing, the fire is contained, but still smouldering with some open flame.  (National Park Service October 2012 news releases).

We should be good stewards of all that God has made, and we should enjoy what He has given us while we have it.

Take nothing for granted.

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Photography Video Tour of Namibia

These National Geographic videos are an interesting photography and video tour of the land of Namibia.

All the wonders of creation declare the glory of God.  “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”  (Psalm 19:2 NIV1984).

The Lord wants us to be good stewards of the world.  We must take care of His creation.  For the “Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”  (Genesis 2:15 NIV1984).

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American Birkebeiner Video

The American Birkebeiner is the largest cross-country ski race in North America.  The above video is presented by the Educational Communications Board (ECB) in Wisconsin.  The ECB focuses mostly on climate, but their video also has good information about and pictures of the race.  This year, the Birkebeiner race week festival ran from Thursday, February 24 through Sunday, February 27, 2011 A.D.

Click here for more information on the American Birkebeiner.

Click here to see a video of a group of men taking a practice run on the Birkebeiner trail.  The practice run is called the “Birkie Tour.”

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Water Quality at Whitefish Dunes State Park

On Sunday, June 21, 2009 A.D., the first day of Summer, I went to the beach determined to get wet.

As soon as I stepped on the beach at Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County, Wisconsin, my nose knew something was wrong.  Raw sewage.  The water was a thick soup of disgusting green algae, and the rocks near the beach smelled of raw sewage.  Not even my feet got wet that day.  Disappointing.

I figured the sewage came from the usual suspects: Milwaukee or Chicago, but who knows.  Everybody has sewage, but not everyone accidentally dumps it into public waterways.  Anyway, I spent my time hiking and taking pictures of seagulls.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2009 A.D., the following news blurb appeared in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District says heavy rains caused 935.7 million gallons of sewage and storm-water from combined sewers to be dumped into area waterways.

The district noted that overflows happened because of severe storms early Friday …  It said intense rainfall quickly filled the 405-million-gallon Deep Tunnel, which can hold sewage for later treatment.

The district estimated that overflows from combined sewers only contain 5 percent to 15 percent of raw sewage and water from homes.

The wording of the news blurb is funny but typical.  Whew!  What a relief!  According to estimates, only 5 to 15 percent of the overflow was raw sewage.  Let’s see, 5% of 936 million gallons is only 47 million gallons of raw sewage.

47 to 140 million gallons of raw sewage.  From one city.  In one day.

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Potawatomi State Park Trees Cut 4

Potawatomi State Park is a magical park on the peninsula of Door County, Wisconsin.  The DNR has been cutting down large numbers of trees in the park’s most pristine natural area to build an RV group campground.

According to my estimate, they have cut down at least one thousand mature trees for this new campground.

However, there is an abandoned former campground/ski area on the other side of the park.  This area has weed covered roads and parking areas as well as refuse laying about, and could be reclaimed as a campground.  There are many tall trees, and it should be cleaned up and used, it is already quite scenic:

However, the DNR would rather cut down trees, many of which are 75 years old and older.  The DNR justifies this by saying they are just following the park’s master plan.  However, they are not following the master plan because these trees are being cut southeast of where the master plan says the group campground should go:

They are not following the master plan.

Furthermore, when the master plan was approved over 21 years ago (1987), the ski area was still in use.  However, the broken glass and the decay of the wooden ski lodge testify that this area has been abandoned for many years.  The master plan is out of date.

The DNR should halt construction on this new campground until the master plan can be updated so that there can be public input regarding this project.  The master plan for Potawatomi State Park will now be updated in the next 2 to 3 years.

If they continue with this new RV group campground before updating the master plan, there will be nothing left for the public to plan.  These trees belong to the people of Wisconsin, not the DNR.  The people should be consulted before they are cut, not after.

Finally, I believe that these trees are being cut so that the DNR could contract the lumber.  Selling lumber is profitable, picking up garbage is not:

Nonetheless, the purpose of our State Park System is to preserve these special places for future generations, not just to make short term profit for today’s DNR.

Update

The DNR’s latest “excuses” are that the old ski area gets too hot in the Summertime and doesn’t have access to trails or other park amenities.  However, there is a trail right at the top of the hill, one at the bottom of the hill that runs north, and another one that comes down the hill and goes right past the abandoned lodge.  Last year, the Door County Visitor Bureau produced a video of people mountain biking down that trail:

The tour guide in the video notes that the trails near the old ski area are especially “gorgeous,” and the biker in the video is riding the very trail that runs right past the abandoned ski lodge.

Nonetheless, the DNR says there is no access to trails.

Furthermore, the abandoned ski area has electrical lines, while the natural area where they are cutting trees does not.  The new RV group campground will not have electrical hook ups.  Therefore, the abandoned ski area would have more access to park amenities because it would have electricity.

Regarding the Summer heat, I remember there being many homes near the park boundary (Gitche Gumee Road), and Google Earth confirms that there are numerous homes across the road from the abandoned ski area.  Apparently, it’s not too hot to live there, but according to the DNR, it’s too hot to camp in an RV (with electrical hook ups).

This picture is a satellite overview from Google Earth.  Please note the private homes across the road from the old ski area and the land for sale around the park.

Moreover, Google Maps (terrain/topography view) and Google Earth both show that the ski area at the bottom of the hill is not low-lying.

Finally, the DNR says there is a “demonstrable need” for group camping.  But there is also a “demonstrable need” for outdoor public nature areas that do not smell of hot dogs, campfires, and outhouses.  There is also a “demonstrable need” for nature trails.  But this project is degrading the nature trails on the south end of the park into mere “campground trails.”

I believe the DNR located that campground there, not because they had to, but rather so that they could sell/contract the lumber.  Why else would they pick an area of the park where the trees were the tallest, thickest, and most beautiful?  What is the going rate for a 90 year old hardwood tree?

Links

• Additional Photographs
• Additional Blog Posts
• The Door County Environmental Council has become involved with this issue.
• Office of the Governor
• Wisconsin State Legislature
• Wisconsin DNR
• Potawatomi State Park
• Friends of Wisconsin State Parks
• Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

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Potawatomi State Park Trees Cut 3

Potawatomi State Park in Door County, Wisconsin is cutting down (according to my estimate based on the pictures I took) at least one thousand trees, many of which are 75 years old and older, in order to build a new RV group campground.

This is shameful for at least two reasons.  First, this particular natural area was especially beautiful.

Second, on the other side of the park there is an abandoned ski area and former group campground.  It currently has an overturned rotting picnic table, power poles laying in the grass, gravel roads and parking areas covered in weeds, a building with boarded up and broken windows, broken glass, rusted machinery, wires laying on the ground, and refuse strewn over approximately 20 acres.

The DNR could clean up and reclaim this abandoned area as a campground.  There are many tall trees there, and if the garbage was picked up, it would be quite scenic.  But rather than do that, the DNR is instead cutting down majestic trees in the park’s most pristine natural area.

How does the DNR justify this?  The DNR says they are following the park’s master plan.  However, there are at least two flaws with this argument.

First, when the master plan was approved over 21 years ago, the ski area was still being used for skiing.  However, the amounts of rust on the abandoned equipment, the broken glass, and the decay of the wooden structures all testify that this area has been abandoned for many years.  The master plan is hopelessly outdated.

Second, the trees are being cut east of where the master plan says the group campground should go, so they are not actually following the master plan.

Finally, it appears as though the DNR may not have gone through the public notice/public comment period required under the WEPA for a building project of this size.  This new group campground is being paid for with conservation and stewardship funds of over $300,000. (I received this information from the Door County Environmental Council).

The DNR should halt this campground until the master plan can be updated so that there can be public input and participation on the project.

The Former Campground/Ski Area:

This is an overall picture of the abandoned former campground/ski area inside Potawatomi State Park.  The trees behind and to the left of the lodge have areas cleared out for camping and/or parking.  The trees on the right and far left are also inside the park.  This picture was taken from the top of the former ski hill overlook.

This picture shows the condition of the lodge (the triangular shaped building in the first photo).  Notice the rotted wood and broken windows.

This is a picture of rusted machinery and boards partly up the side of the hill.  For additional pictures go to this Collection of Photos.

The Natural Area:

This is a picture of a stump from one of the trees that has been cut down for the new group campground.  I count 75 tree rings.  On a picture of another stump from the new campground, I counted 85-90 tree rings.  The picture at the top of this post is also from this same natural area.

Make Your Voice Heard:
Office of the Governor
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin DNR
Potawatomi State Park
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

Updated Posts:

Conservation Catagory

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Potawatomi State Park Trees Cut 2

Here is a “before” picture of the tree cut at Potawatomi State Park in Door County, WI.  It is actually a photo of trees near where the State is currently cutting.  Will these trees be cut next?

This is one of many after pictures taken on June 22, 2008.  More photos can be found at the Potawatomi State Park & tree cut photo set. (On the picture of one of those stumps I counted 75 tree rings. There were many stumps that size).

Here is a picture of land adjacent to the park also taken on June 22, 2008.  That horizontal line is a power line that runs along the edge of the park.  I wonder why the State couldn’t just purchase this land for an RV group campground, there certainly would be less trees to cut down.

Isn’t it the purpose of our State Park system to preserve these natural areas for future generations?  Please help preserve this special place by contacting the State.  Thank you.

Office of the Governor
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin DNR
Potawatomi State Park
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

Updated Posts:

Conservation Catagory

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Potawatomi State Park Trees Cut

Potawatomi State Park is a magical park on the peninsula of Door County Wisconsin.  On Sunday, June 15, 2008, I visited Potawatomi State Park.  To my dismay, a large swath of trees had been cut.  The park staff told me that the trees were cut for a group campground.

This is a real shame.  This special place where the trees were cut was magical and uniquely beautiful.

I suspect that the motivation for this destruction is money, but isn’t it the purpose of our State Park system to preserve these special places for future generations?  The State may need money, and campers pay money while trees do not; but there is plenty of land adjacent to the park that could be purchased for a group campground.

Please help preserve this special place for future generations by contacting the State.  Thank you.

Office of the Governor
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin DNR
Potawatomi State Park
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

Updated Posts:

Conservation Catagory

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