Olmsted County Parks Newsletter - Winter 2021

On January 1st at 12:00am, “The Big Year” began for the three naturalists from Oxbow Park. Clarissa, Jaide, and Megan are keeping their eyes to the sky and their minds on birds this year to fulfill their goal of counting as many different species of birds in the 2021 calendar year.

The Big Year is an official competition that occurs across the United States where individuals set out to see or hear as many different species of birds as they can within set borders of the U.S. All counts are recorded by the person and the lists are based on the honor system.

The three naturalists at Oxbow Park have gone about their “Big Year” different than most who participate. These three ladies all decided they were going to count their birds this year and shared that with each other and others. Typically, someone participating in a Big Year would keep that detail a secret. Oxbow naturalists worked together to spot birds and help with identification. Traveling is usually a large part of finding birds for a Big Year. For the Oxbow naturalists, they still needed to work, so traveling all over the country to chase birds as they migrate was not feasible. The three ladies were able to sneak away from work for one week together finding birds in Georgia before spring migration.

For these ladies the purpose of engaging in the Big Year was more about the curiosity of how many birds they could see in one year with minimum travel. Winners of the official Big Year will count over 750 different species of birds in that year. For the Oxbow naturalists, the goals were set around the 200 species mark and as of November 1st the ladies have seen over 215 species combined. The year isn’t over yet, the bird tallies will continue to grow until December 31st at 11:59pm.

Pictured left to right: Clarissa, Jaide, Megan birding on Global Big Day which happened to be Megan’s birthday too.

by John and Patty Trnka

There is a never-ending battle going on in Olmsted County Parks to limit the spread of invasive plants. This effort is under the direction of park staff with the help of the Friends of Chester Woods (FOCW) and other volunteers. The focus currently is on removal of garlic mustard, wild parsnip, spotted knapweed, buckthorn, and honeysuckle, particularly in areas frequented by park visitors. A variety of approaches are used at different calendar times including burning, chemical spraying, mowing, pulling of plants, and hand and mechanical cutting of woody plants. Due to park staffing limitations, much of the effort is performed by volunteers year round. FOCW has pledged $6,000 for invasive control over the next 5 years.

This past spring, the staff, with help from volunteers, was able to burn a significant number of park prairies and some wooded areas to set back the development of invasives. The conditions of moisture, wind, temperature, and plant development came together to make for several successful burn sessions. Many non native plants are stunted by burning while most native plants thrive natural burn cycles. It may be possible to have additional burn sessions later this fall.

Several areas were mowed to set back buckthorn, honeysuckle, and dogwood early in the year, and some prairies were mowed in the summer to reduce the wild parsnip in large areas that cannot be handled by hand spraying or pulling. Early spring found volunteers spraying garlic mustard followed by hand pulling when blooming began. Students from Byron Schools also helped pull as well. The plants are bagged for later burning. The Park also had an invasive weed control day where staff and volunteers used hand sprayers in the park’s developed areas to reduce wild parsnip. This was followed up by volunteers continuing to spray and then pull plants well into the summer. Seed heads were bagged for later burning.

Hand cutting and chemical treatment of buckthorn and honeysuckle is done throughout the year, including over the winter. A primary focus area this past year was to restore the woodland at the dam overlook and then clear buckthorn along the trail to the overlook. This project is being done by FOCW members and other volunteers, with funding provided by the MN Parks and Trails Council. Some work sessions were set up for scouting groups to help as well.

Chester Woods Park is always looking for volunteers to help with invasive weed control as well as other park activities. If you are interested in volunteering, there is a link on the Olmsted County website to submit a form to be a volunteer.

by Tom Eckdahl

The pandemic of 2020 rolled into the year 2021 and has become a part of our daily lives affecting so many people and the loss of so many lives. It paints a grim picture in our minds and yet often we fail to see the positive effects. How quickly COVID-19 can change the outcome of a day or in this case the camping season at Chester Woods Park.

Best laid out plans can be changed in a moment, that was the case of our campground host arrangements for the 2021 camping season. Jeff and Julie Morton were returning for the beginning of their 3rd season as campground hosts. Rick and Becky Youngmark were expecting to arrive the last week of April to begin their first summer as campground hosts.

Like so many of us, the Youngmarks had been exposed to COVID-19 and were going to quarantine themselves before embarking on this next adventure. Unfortunately, I received the call that they had contracted the infectious virus and would not be able to fulfill the host duties.

Call it a coincident or divine intervention, but Kelly and Lisa King were camping in the park the same weekend I received the call from the Youngmarks. Earlier that weekend, I stopped by the Kings campsite to pay them a visit, and we briefly had discussed the decisions I made in choosing who would be the parks second host couple.

Kelly and Lisa King were both near the end of their careers at Mayo Clinic. Kelly having 40 years in Building Utilities Mechanics and Lisa 41 years as a Registered Nurse. They had given thoughts of retirement when I had the conversation earlier in 2020; but both thought they would continue to work at Mayo Clinic a few more years.

Rick and Becky Youngmark were both retired and were ending their time as daycare providers for the grandchildren. They were looking forward to being host campers for the 2021 season and living out a dream of theirs. Rick served in the US Army Reserves while attending college and spent 12 years fulltime with United States Airforce before his 27 years as Mechanic for American Airlines. While Becky, spent a career in writing and journalism. She eventually used those skills at the Minneapolis Veterans Home working in Public Affairs and Nursing. She continues to use her degree in photography to this day.

It was on May 2nd; the Kings drove their RV home from campsite 2 and parked it on our vacant campground host site to assume the responsibilities of being a host couple. Some long days and extra efforts from both host couples have helped the 2021 season be a success for many families. They now have made their decision to retire from their career jobs and return as our campground hosts next season.

Eventually, the Youngmarks made their way to Chester Woods Park. After a long road of recovery from the effects of COVID-19 they were able to fill the final weeks of the 2021 camping season. Jeff and Julie Morton headed back to their winter home in Florida. Julie spent most of the summer as a Supplemental Nurse for the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 dispatch and they were rushing to their winter home so she could continue to support the Mayo Clinic call center. The Kings were reluctant to leave in October as they had fell in love with the hosting opportunity that fell into to their laps. Their stay ended earlier because of pending medical appointments.

All three host couples echoed the joys of being a campground host is meeting new people, welcoming guest to the park, and continuing to carry on the tradition of camping into retirement. I am so thankful for how they each contribute and compliment the staff in managing Chester Woods Park daily.

Photo: Rick Youngmark ready to mulch leaves at the campground

by Melissa Gerken

As a young gal growing up, I was dad’s outdoors buddy. Wherever we went, investigating the local flora and fauna was top priority.  Whether we were in Florida at a scenic wildlife refuge or just driving through Rochester, I would hear the familiar questions. “What’s that tree called, Melissa?” Or “What is this wildflower?”  Family vacations always included a trip to the local tourist trap, not to get cheap junk, but to pick up bird, plant and tree ID books. Over the years, dad amassed quite an amazing outdoors reference library.

Fast forward 40 years.  Lo and behold, I have become an outdoors nut just like my father. However, times have changed in so many ways, especially how we get our information. Our smartphones not only keep us connected but enable us to identify just about anything in the natural world. My younger (and more hip) coworkers at Oxbow introduced me to the wonderful world of ID based apps. Are you a birder? Check out Merlin, eBird and Birdnet! A plant enthusiast? PictureThis is for you! If you have questions about anything at all, iNaturalist (iNat) should be on your phone. These apps make going outside fun and educational!  To learn more about using these high-powered helpers, check out YouTube for tutorials and suggestions.

Dad is slowly gifting some of his great reference books to me, which I’m very excited about.  However, nothing beats the smartphone apps out in the field. Try them out for yourself and prepare to get hooked!

by Friends of Oxbow (FOX)

After nearly two years of no Friends of Oxbow events, we held our first ever Fall Fest on Saturday, September 25th. It was a beautiful day for families to enjoy programming by park naturalists, play games, enjoy music, and create crafts. Our goal was to raise awareness of our campaign to raise $1 million toward the new Nature Center. Many people visited our information table and received handouts describing the construction process and our campaign. We were overjoyed to be hosting a large outdoor event again! Friends of Oxbow continues to work on planning fundraising events within the next year to boost our ability to fund the interior and landscaping features of the new Nature Center. Interested in learning more? Visit us at www.friendsofoxbow.org