Olmsted County Parks Newsletter - Spring 2025

by: Celeste Lewis

On May 24, 1994, after many years of engineering and construction, Chester Woods Park opened its gates to the public for the first time. Chester Woods Park is 1333 acres. It’s size and beauty rival many state parks. The heart of the park is Bear Creek reservoir which is approximately 112 acres and is fed by three natural springs. The large park boasts many areas of remnant native prairie, that over the years of development, staff and volunteers have put in countless hours collecting and processing seed to assist in the restoration work at the park to bring back the beauty of the original native landscape.
This year marks the parks 30th anniversary. To celebrate staff and volunteers are planning several activities throughout 2025. The hopes are to bring folks out to the park during every season.

The kickoff event was held on February 1, 2025, a Candlelight Hike. The Chester Woods Lake trail was lit up with approximately 600 luminaries and staff and volunteers offered hot cocoa, cider and cookies at one of the picnic shelters to help folks warm up afterwards.

A few other plans include concerts at the amphitheater, possible food trucks, guided hikes and wagon rides. A detailed schedule of activities and dates will be posted soon! You can find all programs as they are posted on the Olmsted County website Parks programs | Olmsted County, MN
Hope to see you at the park!

by: Clarissa Schrooten

Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo is excited to announce the newest member to the team, Amber Weihert! Amber is filling the full-time naturalist position that became vacant in the fall of 2024. The Oxbow team looks forward to the new addition and all that she brings to the Olmsted County Park system.

Before Amber moved to Olmsted County she was residing in Sun Prairie, WI where she was working part-time at Ochsner Park Zoo in Baraboo, WI and managing full-time at Dogtopia. Amber comes with 5+ years of experiences working in animal care settings from zoos, labs, farm, and pet care facilities. She also served in the National Guard for 6 years doing her Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and her advanced individual training (AIT) in Fort Lee, Virginia. Amber brings a wide range of skills to the Oxbow team along with a friendly, positive attitude and excitement to be at Oxbow Park!

Amber feels at home at Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo because her first experience in the zoo field was at Oxbow in 2017 when she interned before graduating from Winona State University. Amber continued to visit the staff and animals when she was traveling nearby to visit family in Minnesota. Oxbow Park remained a special place for Amber and now she has to opportunity to make Oxbow Park a special place for the visitors she meets.

Amber will greet you with a smile and make you feel welcomed when you visit. She will probably share fun facts about the animals in the zoo. River otters in particular are a favorite of hers. Outside of work you will find Amber caring for her three dogs, watching Disney movies, playing board games or video games with her husband. She plays the clarinet and the bass clarinet. She also has a very strong side since she has shot a grenade launcher and a .50 caliber in the military and has earned black belt.

Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo are excited to have Amber as a naturalist.

by: Jaide Ryks

Wildfires roar across Los Angeles causing catastrophic damages to both major cities and California’s beautiful landscapes. These wildfires are some of the worst on record leaving millions of acres in ashes and destroying over 6,000 structures and homes. If you find yourself asking “Why does it seem like there are more and more wildfires than ever before?”, your question is valid. There are many factors that play into wildfires like lightning strikes, electrical malfunctions, and human error. However, why are they staying ablaze longer and causing so much more damage than years past? The answer is climate change, caused by rapid global warming.

Wildfires have always been a natural occurrence of many ecosystems. They can be beneficial by burning dead undergrowth and returning nutrients to the soil. However, they are becoming more intense and becoming more destructive than beneficial to ecosystems. The last several years have been the hottest on record which coincides with the most catastrophic and destructive wildfires to date. Climate change is a big player because the warming of the earth coupled with frequent droughts allows for a longer wildfire season and more land to be burned. Higher temperatures and drier conditions fuel fires to burn longer and hotter. Further, these hotter and more destructive wildfires release stored carbon into the atmosphere further fueling climate change.

According to Citizen’s Climate Lobby, over 84% of wildfires are caused by humans, and 30% of that is from arson. Unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, and fireworks are other examples. However, humans are not always at fault. Lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions and high winds are major players in creating and spreading wildfires. We will never prevent all wildfires, especially with ever growing global warming. But you can do your part! Be cautious when burning a campfire and lighting fireworks on Independence Day. Pay attention to burn restrictions in your area. And please, don’t commit arson.

Cites: Citizen’s Climate Lobby, NBC News, CBS News Sunday Morning

by: Celeste Lewis

As we enter a new year, let’s recap a little of the accomplishments and changes that have taken place at Chester Woods Park as well as highlight the upcoming plans for 2025!

2024 brought new staff, as well as a few amenity enhancements for Chester Woods Park.  One of the biggest changes would be the hiring of Mike Bergum as the new park manager.  Mike came to us from the Wisconsin DNR and started at Chester Woods the beginning of July 2024.  He brings with him many years of knowledge and an outside perspective into the operations of our park. 

As for park enhancements, the playground equipment located near Shelter 1 was replaced.  This is the beginning of a multi-year plan to upgrade existing aged and outdated equipment at both Chester Woods as well as Oxbow and eventually add equipment to the other two parks. 

Another upgrade that Chester Woods began in 2024 was the concreting of the picnic shelter pads.  There are seven designated picnic shelters at the park, and all had gravel substrate.  We were able to concrete two of these shelters last summer and will finish up the other five this summer. 

Two of the largest amenity enhancements would include the opening of the Amphitheater located between Shelter 3 and Shelter 4 as well as the construction of a third camper cabin.  The amphitheater is now available for rent to the public for $300/day and can be used for music, programming, weddings etc…  We are looking forward to what this new amenity will bring to the park.  The new camper cabin is located to the east of the walnut cabin and boasts a spectacular view of the lake.  This cabin is set to open May of 2025 and is currently taking reservations.

As for 2025, the park has a full plate of projects lined up.  As previously stated, the remaining picnic shelters will be concreted, a new fish cleaning station is being planned for the boat launch, a new accessible playground will be replacing the existing old wooden playground near the amphitheater, along with many other projects.  So, the next time you are out to the park make sure to check out the recent upgrades and feel free to stop into the office and introduce yourself to the new manager!