Olmsted County Parks Newsletter - Summer 2024
Volume 10, Issue 2
In this issue
Chester Woods Amphitheater, False spring, Zollman Zoo's new bear, and more...
Bear-y exciting news at Zollman Zoo
by: Jaide Ryks
With the unfortunate passing of Zollman Zoo’s almost 25-year-old black bear back in November, Zollman Zoo was without a resident bear, a true community favorite. We knew we wanted to get a bear on exhibit quickly, but it is not as easy as going to the bear store and picking one out. Oxbow Park staff reached out to a zoo partner, Bear Country U.S.A, in Rapid City with hopes of getting a young bear. We were in luck! Bear Country hand-picked a small, female black bear who enjoys the company of people to live her life in Zollman Zoo!
Preparing for our new bear to arrive, staff and volunteers spent hours readying and improving her exhibit. Zollman Zoo’s new resident black bear arrived at a whopping 90 pounds on the evening of April 9th. Staff was able to take the entire next day to observe her to make sure she was safe and happy in her new home. By day three, her personality started to shine as she enjoyed sniffing and scratching on the door, playing in her pond, and enjoying some delicious fruit. She seems to enjoy the company of her Keepers and the public, and we think she will be a fantastic fit here at Zollman Zoo!
Black Bear fun facts:
- Females give birth while in their winter sleep to 1-4 one-pound cubs. The cubs will stay with mom about 1 ½ years before venturing out on their own.
- Bears aren’t true hibernators. They go through “torpor” which means they sometimes wake up, drink and eat, then typically go back to sleep!
- Black bears are found in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
- Black bears can run up to 30 mph!
- There are 16 subspecies of black bear throughout North America.
- Black bears are not always black! They can also be brown, cinnamon, or even blonde.
Chester Woods Park Amphitheater
by: Celeste Lewis
As many of you know, Chester Woods Park built a brand-new Amphitheater with the help of a Legacy Grant. Construction is done with some minor landscaping, and cosmetic things left to finish this spring.
We regret to inform you that the grand opening event for the new Chester Woods Park amphitheater, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2024, has been canceled due to inclement weather expected this weekend. We appreciate your understanding and hope to reveal our new amphitheater at a later time this summer. Please contact Communications@olmstedcounty.gov with any questions.
It's a wonderful new addition to the park!
Friends of Chester Woods guided hikes
Friends of Chester Woods is announcing our guided hikes schedule for the coming nice weather months. To view the hike schedule and locations, go to friendsofchesterwoods.org/calendar. This will direct you to our FOCW calendar page. Scroll down to find a download for our guided hike schedule. FOCW sponsored guided hikes will take place every Wednesday in 2024, beginning May 22 and ending September 25. Hikes on even-numbered days begin at 6:30 p.m. Hikes on odd-numbered days begin at 9:30 a.m.
Our guided hikes this summer will differ from the mindfulness walks we offered the previous two summers. These are longer hikes with a more robust pace than a slow walk when you focus on absorbing the natural environment with all of your senses. We understand that hiking in the woods has numerous health benefits. Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease, increases oxygen delivery to our muscles, lowers high blood pressure, helps control blood sugar levels, reduces excess weight, and releases endorphin hormones, all of which reduce stress and feelings of depression, to name a few. Whether the leaves change in the fall or the flowers bloom in the spring, going for a hike can be a breath of fresh air — literally.
So, lace up your hiking boots, grab a water, a bottle of sunscreen, and call 507-328-7350 to register for the hikes that fit your schedule. We will see you at the boat ramp parking lot, hike to areas of Chester Woods that may be unfamiliar to you, and you will reap the benefits.
False spring
by: Hope Chappuis
This year the weather doesn’t seem to have its mind made up. We have had uncharacteristically warm temperatures followed by cold snaps, and thunderstorms followed by snowstorms. In the natural world, we call these bouts of warmth “false spring”. A big question asked is “do these false springs affect the plants and animals, and do they affect us”? In short, yes. These variances in temperature, which trends show to be coming earlier and earlier, could mean a change in phenology.
Phenology is the study of cyclical and seasonal changes in relation to plants and animals. The easiest place to start is with winter adaptations. When the daylight hours start to get shorter in the fall and winter, many plants and animals have biological reactions. Plants drop their leaves, flowers and fruits to conserve energy and enter dormancy. Animals might get the signal to start growing more fur, eating more in preparation for hibernation, or even to migrate somewhere else for the winter. Conversely, as the daylight hours start to grow longer in the spring plants and animals use that as a cue to start their spring duties.
For plants, when paired with warm weather, longer days cue to come out of dormancy and start production of buds and blooms. If a false spring is to occur, the plants use the warm weather to expedite the new growths, only to be met with a harsh cold when the temperatures return to “normal”. When this happens, young growth may not survive because their ability to withstand that type of quick freeze is lower when developing in warmer temperatures. Oxbow Park maple syrup season was affected by false spring. The warmer temperatures meant our trees were flowing sap sooner. The cold temperatures that followed led to a shorter season of harvest and lower yield of syrup.
For many animals, daylight hours and warm temperatures are a sign to wake up from hibernation and that food should be available. In the zoo this meant we saw animals like our prairie dogs, woodchuck, and skunks earlier. For education animals in a facility like ours false spring means that they start to get fed sooner, but for their wild counter parts it can mean food scarcity. Skunks for example are omnivorous. Warm temperatures of the false spring may give them insects or blooms to feed on. However, when the cold snap occurs, insects can go back into dormancy and leave skunks with little to eat. The animals that do stay active during the winter are cued by longer daylight to shed their thick fur coats. With false spring trending to be earlier while daylight is still short, fur coats may cause discomfort.
With all this information, people might be wondering “what can I do? Or “how can I help?” Documenting phenology right in your own backyard is easy. You can keep a journal or use a Community Science app like INaturalist to make notes of when you see certain plants or animals first start to emerge. Information like this can aid scientists in learning more about environmental trends at a broader scale.
Volunteer highlights
by: Celeste Lewis
Olmsted County Parks (we feel) are some of the best county parks in the state! Now we may be a bit biased, but I know I have heard this from visitors many times as well! With well over 2000 acres of county land to manage, the small (but mighty) staff of 13 could not do it alone. Parks are very dependent upon the help of volunteers to put us “over the top.” Below is a quick interview with Mike Russell, one of the many volunteers that help us out daily.
Interviewer: How did you learn about the volunteer opportunities available at Olmsted County Parks?
Mike: While camping at Chester Woods Park, the campground host started talking to me about what he does and how the park relies on volunteers for many duties. The (then) Park Manager, Tom Eckdahl, came over and we had a nice long conversation about what I could do to help. He invited me to apply and come in and meet the staff and see what the experience is like.
Interviewer: How long have you been volunteering for the park?
Mike: I started in June of 2023 and have been coming (almost) daily ever since! Basically full-time
Interviewer: What other outside interests or hobbies do you have?
Mike: I love sports – baseball, football, hockey, collegiate as well as professional. I also enjoy woodworking, building furniture as well as hunting.
Interviewer: What profession are you retired from?
Mike: I am a retired plumber from the Local 6 Union. I am still active in the union as a retired member and do volunteer work with the union.
Interviewer: What is your favorite job at the park?
Mike: I really enjoy “uprooting trees” and running the skidloader.
Interviewer: What is your least favorite park job?
Mike: I won’t do bathrooms! But seriously I haven’t found a job here that I truly dislike. I’ve enjoyed them all. “My least favorite job will be my last one!”
Friends of Oxbow (FOX) update
by: Jolaine Hines
Now settled into the new Nature Center, we are anxious for the springtime weather, fresh landscaping, and more opportunities to picnic. We were thrilled to meet our $1 million-dollar fundraising goal for the Nature Center. We are proud of the hard work from the FOX Board, the generosity of our community, and the support of Olmsted County. We have recognized our top donors with lovely signage in the foyer and exhibit hall of the Nature Center, and FOX continues to accept donations for our Recognition Wall. Recognition plaques are available for donations of $1000 and above; email us at friendsofoxbow@gmail.com. We are also happy to display our new and improved coin vortex! Finally, on April 30, 2024, we will host our Friends of Oxbow Annual Meeting; an opportunity for our community members to hear about our latest progress and upcoming plans for the year.
