New Hitching Rail Pads--A Partnership

The Friends of Shimek Work Day on Sep. 13 focused on putting lime chips around all the hitching rails. Those lime chips--over 300 TONS of them--were provided by a grant from the Lee County Charitable Fund (LCCF) to improve the equestrian campgrounds by upgrading the hitching rails. LCCF funds Lee County Projects of 501c(3) organizations. Its charitable interests include community betterment. This has been a cooperative project of the LCCF, the Department of Natural Resources Shimek crew and the FOS to improve the equestrian campgrounds by packing lime chips around each hitching rail so that horses will not be standing in mud.

A wonderful crew of 15 volunteers and 2 DNR crew members hauled, dumped, spread, and smoothed lime chips around 36 hitching rails at the Shimek Campgrounds! They also cleaned out firepits, cleaned out the stalls, and worked around the campground as well as sorted recyclable and refundable materials. Work began at 8 am and everyone worked until about 2pm, with a short break for a picnic lunch.  I'm sure there were lots of sore shoulders and legs today from driving equipment or raking lime chips (They don't rake like leaves, I can tell you that!)  Many many thanks from the Board of FOS for all the hard work.

The crew paused for a photo right after lunch while standing on one of the new lime chip pads.  Pictured (left to right) are: Hannah Schau ( DNR Summer Employee), Bob Achenbach, Bill and Linda Fiordelise, Justin Lynton ( DNR Technician), Jo Watson, Pam Ball, Pat Pollpeter, Marsha Achenbach, Bob Bender, Alan Ball, Doug and Bonnie Moothart, Wayne Long, Ann Bennett, and Ray Conrad. Photo by Lora Conrad




The equipment used was provided by DNR --the one skid steer that Shimek has plus two big old tractors that Shimek has. Driving those vehicles were Doug Moothart, Ray Conrad, Bob Achenbach, Alan Ball and Justin Lynton