July 8, 2017 FOS Work Day Report

Forester John Byrd was joined by 15 FOS volunteers and two DNR summer staff for a morning of work that included both Lick Creek Campgrounds, Bitternut Campground and White Oak campground.  Activities included painting table legs and replacing You Are Here signage on the equestrian trails. Chains were hung in several hitching posts and fire pits not in use cleaned. Several people rode trails with loppers and trimmed back low hanging limbs   Many thanks to all for taking the morning to help at Shimek.

One of the major tasks for the morning was updating the "You Are Here" signs. The map signs posted along the trails have been up now several years and had faded and no longer were correct as Shimek has expanded the Wet Weather Trail System. To replace the maps, Forester John Byrd prepared a new map which Lala O'Hara got printed and laminated for us and her brother Neal Hartman and Sonny Gipe (shown here) as well as Marsha Achenbach, Bob Bender and Debbie Miller rode out and installed them in the map holders. John Byrd used the DNR 4-wheeler to deliver six of the heavy map holders that needed to be reinstalled to the post sites. Now there are about a dozen up to date signs scattered along the equestrian trails at key points to help anyone that is wondering just exactly where they might be.  I know, you never get lost--but somebody might...like your directionally impaired blog writer.

Forester John Byrd goes over the map installation
plan with FOS Volunteers.

Neal Hartman and Sonny Gipe head off with maps in their saddle bags to install.

Forester John Byrd discusses where Bob Bender and Marsha Achenbach
 will install maps on the You Are Here signs.

Forester John Byrd delivered several of the  heavy map holders to the
 appropriate signage location. 

 
Another major activity was extending the life of picnic tables. Every couple of years, DNR staff and FOS Volunteers paint the metal table supports on the tables in all the Shimek Campgrounds. This year, DNR summer staff Ross O'Day and Susan Meinhardt had already painted the upper campground table supports and on the July 8th FOS Group Work Day, they along with several FOS Volunteers painted all the ones not in use in the Lower campground, all the ones at the White Oak Campground and six of the ones at the Bitternut Campground. Still some to go but a lot of headway was made. This helps slow the rusting of the table supports where they rest on the ground. 

Ross O'Day and Alan Ball flip a table with the legs up for painting.

Here Susan Meinhardt cleans the dirt and trash off the table legs
 while Alan Ball begins painting at White Oak Campground

Bill Fiordelise painting a table in the Lower Campground.

DNR Reorganization Affecting Shimek State Forest

 Many people have heard rumors of major changes within DNR over the holiday. What FOS has learned from several sources as of noon on 7-5 is that--yes--the Forestry Bureau has been eliminated as a separate bureau as of July 3rd by DNR Director Gipp. Personnel affected were notified by e-mail. Of course, many were on holiday at the time.

The segments of Forestry have been disbursed in various other DNR Bureaus. The individual forests have been assigned to various Parks and Preserves Bureau offices. Shimek State Forest is assigned to Southeast Iowa District Parks under Tom Basten, who was already responsible for the campgrounds, in cooperation with the Shimek Forester.

 For the time being, there are no individual Forest staffing changes, no changes in responsibilities and certainly no increases in budgets for the State Forests.

FOS are all concerned about the impact of such major changes and must hope for the best possible outcome for Shimek DNR staff and Shimek forest.  When any official documents on this are made available, FOS will post them here.