As the Starke County Forest’s drainage issues are being resolved, Forester Bruce Wakeland is turning his attention to improving access throughout the property. He told the Starke County Park Board Tuesday that he’s been taking with Surveyor Bill Crase about building up the access lane to prevent it from washing out. Wakeland said Crase has sand available, but funding is needed to transport it to the forest.
Wakeland added that a water crossing in the lane should no longer be needed, now that several beavers have been removed and dams are less of an issue. He said a beaver control device is also starting to help, after he reported various problems with it in the past. Wakeland told the park board that he’s still cleaning out dams, but be believes the dam-building activity is now limited to the efforts of one “amateur” beaver.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Wakeland agreed to explore the possibility of re-configuring the trails in the back of the forest, to open up a larger portion of the property to the public. He explained that the trails currently lead to his personal residence, and the back of the forest is closed off to visitors due to privacy concerns.
