LEGIONVILLE-Another piece of the puzzle that is the North Long Lake bog has been moved.
Volunteers with the North Long Lake Association and the DNR on Wednesday, June 27, moved more chunks of the massive bog that has been situated in front of the Legionville School Safety Patrol Training Center since last fall after it detached from shore, just northeast of the camp.
After a long hard struggle, volunteers finally moved the center portion of the bog June 10 after working on it for a few weeks.
The mission is to remove the entire bog from its current position on the camp's swimming beach-where close to 700 children swim each summer-and place it close to where it came from. This summer the camp closed because of the property damage done while attempting to move the bog away from the beach and out of safety concerns for the bog remaining so close by.
Kevin Martini with the Brainerd DNR office said they moved a big piece of the bog on the north end of the camp before noon Wednesday. The piece had broken off after volunteers cut it with a chain saw. Volunteers tried to move another piece of the bog Wednesday afternoon, but it got stuck.
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A large piece of the bog on the southside of the beach and a smaller piece to the northern side remain and will have to be moved.
The massive bog became an issue after it detached from shore, just northeast of the camp last fall. The bog floated around Merrifield Bay for days as the wind shifted-damaging property in the process-until it found its final resting place for the last winter in front of the Legionville camp's swimming beach.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported the bog was about 200 feet by 800 feet and estimated to be 4,000 tons, or 8 million pounds. The bog is a natural wetland consisting of marsh, dead plant materials, cattails and, in this case, a line of tamarack trees.
Volunteers with the North Long Lake Association, the Minnesota DNR and the Minnesota American Legion have worked on preparing the move of the bog since this past spring.
