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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
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Fishing spot getting park makeover
Senior Reporter Once a regularly traveled route, the little roadway where South Long Lake spills into the Nokasippi River has largely been forgotten by passers-by.
The bridge that once crossed the river was removed ages ago. Deeper pools near the lake and the nearby former river dam were known to locals. But much of the world was passing by at speed and just a stone's throw away along Highway 25.
Crow Wing County efforts at the site are changing that.
Just down the bank from the highway, the little tucked-away spot where remnants of the old road remain is about to get a makeover. Extensive foot traffic marks the popularity of shoreland fishing here, and now this tranquil spot will become Crow Wing County's first park.
"It's just a nice, little, peaceful spot we are trying to preserve," said Mark Rudningen, park supervisor. "It's been talked about for a few years now and it's finally going to start happening."
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An eroding bank above the Nokasippi River near South Long Lake exposed mature tree roots and threatened further damage. Monday, workers with the Minnesota Conservation Corps staked bundles of cuttings in eroding areas to help nature heal itself. The effort is part of a plan to preserve a natural area that is being transformed into a Crow Wing County park. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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Christened South Long Lake Community Park, the area is less than 3 acres. Monday, a work crew from the Minnesota Conservation Corps harvested dogwood and willow cuttings at the new park. The cuttings were staked along the slope of an eroding river bank.
Anna Lipenga, MCC northwest district manager, said the cuttings will take root and help stabilize the bank, preventing future erosion. Additional plantings of shrubs will help complete the work, using nature to heal itself.
If you go
South Long Lake Community Park is about seven miles south of Brainerd along Highway 25, just off Crow Wing County Road 22.
The park will include two fishing piers, an upgraded parking lot, barbecue spots and picnic tables.
Work on the park, which should appeal to nature lovers and anglers, should be completed by late summer.
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Just a short distance from the bank where the MCC crew worked, fish fought a churning current to move past the dam's remnants into calmer water upstream. The spot has long been an angler's retreat, and that fishing tradition will be the new park's focus.
Plans call for picnic tables, barbecue pits, a resurfaced parking lot with 11 stalls and two fishing piers. The piers - 34 feet and 104 feet - will extend into South Long Lake. Vehicle traffic will be kept away from the shoreland, including all-terrain vehicles, which have carved ruts into the bank.
The park will not include a boat launch. The focus will be shoreland fishing and a place for people to stop and enjoy nature.
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Mark Rudningen, Crow Wing County parks supervisor, pointed to a spot on South Long Lake where one of two fishing piers will be placed as part of South Long Lake Community Park. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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The park's beginnings trace back to a 2003 land donation from John and Barbara Burton. A second land donation by Dennis Thompson in 2006 gave the county more acreage to work with.
The county has allotted about $110,000 for park improvements. Rudningen said he hopes a $30,000 grant from the DNR will help purchase the larger fishing pier and lower the county's costs. The MCC crew's shoreland stabilization work was made available through a grant as well. Rudningen said that with limited staff resources, the parks department has been trying to be creative in getting the work done.
"They do a lot of service for the community," Rudningen said of the conservation corps. "This is the first time I've taken advantage of them to help out the county."
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A Minnesota Conservation Corps crew harvested dogwood and willow cuttings and gathered them into bundles. The cuttings, which root easily, were used to help stabilize an eroding bank on the Nokasippi River. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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Lipenga said the erosion control work was going well and was expected to take just a couple of days to complete. Work on other park improvements should be completed this summer.
Surveying the site and picking up assorted garbage, Rudningen said the county's work will preserve the habitat and clean up the area without changing its character.
"We want to make it look like we care about it," he said.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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