August 21, 2013 Work Day Report

August 21 Work Day Report

 

There were 13 volunteers and John Byrd, Shimek Forester,  hard at work on August 21st. 

They were Bob & Marsha Achenbach, Ann Bennett, Ringo & Brenda Covert, Bonnie & Doug Moothart, Art & Judy Duke, Ray & Lora Conrad, Bob Bender and April Leahy. We put in a total of 88.5 hours of which 12 were helping put out rock for the Hoaglin grant.    Photo below by Clay Smith, DNR Photographer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann and April painted the new doors on the upper campground facilities as well as those areas where bare wood was showing.  Photo below by Clay Smioth shows Ann Bennett hard at work painting. 

 

 

 

Ann with the help of April and Marsha collected, sorted and bagged for recycle quite a pile of Iowa deposit cans and bottles. Some were collected along the trails; some were recycled in the bins at camp, and others were brought by participants for the recycle fund-raiser.

 

Marsha spent much of the morning trimming back multi-flora and overhanging limbs along a trail section. Bob and Bob took Bob Bender's 4-wheeler and the Covert's took their 4-wheeler and removed downed trees on Marsha's list. In addition Marsha cleaned up around camp at the upper campground and Judy cleaned up and picked up cans around the lower campground.

 

Doug and Bonnie helped John put out the Hoaglin grant rock. The photo below by Bonnie shows Doug loading the dump truck with rock which they then drove out to the trail where John was preparing the trail for the rock.

 

 

 

The photo of the dump truck is by Clay Smith and shows Bonnie and Doug dumping rock along the trail as John looks on.

 

Photo below shows Lora hauling a load of hay and manure to the dump bunker. Photo by Clay Smith.

Art, Judy, and Lora raked around the hitching rails in the lower campground to clean up the hay, manure and leaves, then Ray put lime chips around each with his tractor and they raked this as smooth as possible, given the lumpy condition of the lime chips. After lunch, Ray and John put out lime chips around the rest of the hitching rails at the lower campground with the raking done by Bob Bender, Marsha and Bob Achenbach and Lora to finish putting lime chips around all hitching posts, both campgrounds, except 1.5 at the lower campground (we ran out of lime chips).

 

John and Ray then hauled lime chips and Bob, Marsha, Bob Bender and Lora all raked at the upper campground, getting chips around all that did not have any there and refurbishing several.

 

Thanks to John Byrd for organizing the work, making assignments, bringing water, tools, and paint and sticking in there with us the entire day----scooting all around on the skidsteer and hitting only one post. John not only directed our efforts but operated the skidsteer working on trails and spreading rock in the morning and after lunch used it to help Ray spread lime chips.

 

Thanks to DNR employees Jerry and Heath for making new doors to replace the two that were rotten on the restroom facilities at the Upper Campground. Thanks too to Cathy and Dean Weber who came before the group work day and pressure washed the facilities in the upper campground, preparing them for painting.

 

We were pleased to have Mindy Kralicek and Clay Smith with DNR's Iowa Outdoors magazine to join us to make photographs and interview us as part of the research and preparation they are doing for an article in Iowa Outdoors. Clay, who is a professional photographer, shared some photos with us for this issue. Thank you, Clay.

 

Come join the “fun” on our next scheduled work day – October 19^th – Saturday---8:30 AM ---at the Lower Campground. We just might be finishing up a new horse shelter that day---so stay tuned for more details.