Report on the FOS Work Day September 20, 2014

 

Saturday dawned as a perfect day for working on the trails and around the campgrounds at Shimek---cloudy and mild. A total of 14 FOS Volunteers---Ann Bennett, Marsha Achenbach, Lora Conrad, Ringo Covert, Neal Hartman, Bob Bender, Art and Judy Duke, Doug and Bonnie Moothart, Bill and Linda Fiordelise, Nancy Grams, and Mary Doyle---came to work, with tools and equipment in their vehicles. In addition, Shimek Forester John Byrd and DNR Technician Cody Brothersen arrived to help, giving up a day at home to help us out. John brought a DNR truck very loaded with rock and his small truck and trailer for moving the DR's way out on the trails as well as paint and a very heavy duty weed eater with blade. John gave us our assignments for the day and everyone got busy.

A total of 83.5 hours of work was contributed by the volunteers. Work accomplished included painting the rusty bottoms of all tables not in use at the lower campground, cleaning out all firepits and around tie rails at both campgrounds, filling potholes with rock on the road (hard work!), mowing down the multi-flora and autumn olives etc. along the side of the two trails down to the Croton blacktop off the main trail and one other loop down from trail marker 14 to 13, mowing out from the south end of the lower campground, using the recently donated Troy-Bilt mower, and cut a downed tree off a trail west of the upper campground as well as cut briars and weeds along that trail with a weed-eater. Thanks to DNR crew member Heath, the several trees down on the Wet Weather Trail were removed last week.

In preparation for the building of the new horse shelter at the upper campground, volunteers took down the gates on the old horse pens so they can be reused on the new horse shelter and took down the wire between the two rows of stalls. The DNR crew plans to deconstruct the rest of the old stall this week and the contractor will build the new horse shelter during the last week of the month as now planned.

The few good boards on it will be saved for reuse.

There is still painting needed and more trails that need to be mowed ---maintenance is never finished---but we made some headway and the hard work of all the volunteers is much appreciated. We celebrated with a Southern picnic lunch, packed up and headed off to ride (or rest, in my case.)

Bonnie Moothart documented our activities in the photos shown below.

 Those of you who did not make one of the scheduled group work days this year, we hope you'll put them on your calendar and come help next year or help out every time you are down there---pick up any cans that have been tossed out, clean out a firepit or two and encourage all your friends that use Shimek State Forest to take care of our precious forest and facilities so we can all continue to enjoy them.

Update From Shimek Forester John Byrd.... September 2014

 

What a difference a year makes!  Last year the trails were dry and the Shimek DNR crew got tons of work done.  This year it has been spotty when we could get on the trails and not make more damage than we have fixed.  I guess it is good that we are not in a drought anymore.  

 A few things to look forward to this fall --- besides the horseflies dying.  First of all, Horse Shelter 3 –the one at the Upper Campground--- has been bid.  The winning bid was submitted by Klesner Construction.  They expect to build the new shelter during the last week of September, weather permitting.  This shelter has been designed to be five double stalls instead of the four double stalls of the other two.  The extra set should present better opportunities for campers to get a stall. Building this shelter is a cooperative effort of Friends of Shimek, a grant from the Lee County Charitable Fund, the Shimek DNR Crew and DNR Parks funds.

Another positive note; DNR at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park hired a technician to help with day-to-day activities.  One of these activities includes helping out at Shimek with the FOS, answering camping and other questions, and patrolling the area to ensure everyone’s safety.  His name is Cody Brothersen and he is excited to meet everyone in the community.  You might have seen him already if you have camped or ridden in the last few weeks. His bio and photo are included below—so look for him when you are at Lacey or riding in Shimek and introduce yourself to him. Cody and I look forward to working with Friends of Shimek Volunteers on the September 20^th work day

Lastly, this is the time of year when leaves start changing, cool weather starts peeking in, hunting seasons start, and the Shimek DNR crew starts getting back into the forest.  As you ride you might see red* or blue** marks scattered around the forest.  I am a big advocate of managing the forest resource so the next generation can enjoy the forest like we do now.  With that being said, the longest running annual forestry field day in Iowa is coming up October 7^th and will be in the upper campground this year.  The agenda and details on the Southeast Iowa Forestry Field Day will be posted by Iowa State at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/publications/new_programs.html (check back if not there yet.)


Enjoy Shimek!

JOHN BYRD, Area Forester

*Trees marked with red paint are to be girdled or felled and left in the timber as part of forest stand improvement.

**Trees marked with blue paint are marked to be harvested and removed.

DNR Technician Profile: Cody Brothersen

 Cody’s hometown is New London, Iowa --- we have riders on the trails at Shimek from New London on occasion. After high school he attended Kirkwood Community College where he received an AAS degree in Parks & Natural Resources.  Cody then went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers at Coralville Lake.  His duties included patrolling campgrounds and keeping people safe.  He worked for the Corps for three years before working as a seasonal park ranger for Lake Ahquabi State Park south of Indianola, Iowa this summer.  Cody has just moved to Lacey-Keosauqua State Park to assist the park manager there and help look after the campgrounds in Shimek State Forest.  Cody is currently attending the University of Iowa, pursuing a degree in criminal justice.  Cody will be living in Lacey-Keosauqua Park housing with his significant other and 2 month old son.  He is very enthusiastic and dedicated to protecting our natural resources for future generations. 

Please welcome Cody if you see him around at Shimek or Lacey or at one of the FOS work days.

Soggy August 20th!

Ten stalwart volunteers met at 8:00 AM on August 20th despite the unexpected light but continuing rain.  The rain meant no painting, no 4-wheelers, and too wet to work in many areas as there was no way to get the walk behind mowers to the trails.  But there were trail entrances needing cleared and mowing to do on the trails leading out of the campgrounds and an urgent need for clearing of the entrances on the Croton side of the trails.  So off we went to work on those items for the morning.  By 11 am, the lightening had gotten bad enough to drive most of us back to camp and the last three returned from Croton by 11:30.  Much of the multi-flora has escaped until another day due to the weather.  We'd like to have a special mowing date, but between the extra high heat and more rain anticipated, that's not been scheduled.

 Next scheduled group work day is September 20th---see the Activities page for full details.   

Taking refuge from the rain in Marsha's trailer--yep-- that was the only roof in the upper campground.  Pictured (L-R): Marsha, Craig, Carolyn, Linda, Sherri, Bill, Ann, Bob A. and Bob B.
 Photo by Lora
 

 

Craig and Bob loading up tools to head over to the Croton     

           entrance area for some serious weed/rose whacking. 

Carolyn and her Mom Sherri rented a Billy Goat
 walk behind mower for the day,

FOS Update Aug. 8, 2014 Grant from LCCF for Horse Shelter #3

 
Along the Trails.....

If you've been riding during the few dry days at Shimek, you may have noticed all the work that Shimek Forster John Byrd has done. He has added many additional water diversions along the WWT—which we are trying to be sure stays a Wet Weather Trail and does not become a ditch. In addition he has rerouted one short trail section between 12 and “Potter's Rest” and has added water diversions and done some mowing along several less traveled trails. We appreciate his work on behalf of trail riders in trying to reduce the number of boggy spots along the trails and help keep ditches from forming.

Thanks to Bonnie and Doug Moothart who painted “Please Clean Your Stall” on the back board of each stall in the two new shelters. Now all---PLEASE Clean your stalls!  Promptly cleaned stalls are quite a help with biosecurity, often giving the sun and air a chance to dry out and destroy organisms and helping reduce breeding of insects.

 

 

Grant from LCCF for Horse Shelter #3!!!

Many thanks to the Lee County Charitable Fund—they have awarded Friends of Shimek a grant for $4,200 and FOS has pledged $2000 toward the cost of constructing a replacement horse shelter for the old run down stalls in the upper campground. Forster John Byrd has committed DNR Campground resources to help expand that planned shelter to a ten stall shelter and to have the DNR crew to take down the old shelter. The construction bids must be taken but the anticipated timeline is to have the third and final shelter replaced by the end of October. FOS accepts donations from riders and users of the stalls to help build the structure—those donations are how FOS will meet it match requirement for the grant as FOS has no membership fees. Donations can be sent to Lee County Bank, c/o Debbie Miller, FOS Treasurer, 2501 Ave. L, Ft. Madison, IA 52627.

 
   

--

FOS July 12, 2014 Group Work Day

Saturday July 12th dawned hot and muggy and went up from there but a dozen intrepid FOS volunteers were getting organized by 8am for a morning of painting, mowing, trimming  and camp cleanup.

FOS Volunteers are shown with the new Yo-Ho loppers and rakes provided by a grant from Yo-Ho for our use in maintaining the campground and trails at Shimek.



 Bob and Howard and the new Yo-Ho loppers make
short work of low hanging limbs.



Bob and Marsha take two DR walk-behind mowers along a trail
 where the briars and weeds were closing in.  Along these rough areas and
at 89 degrees these are more struggle-behind-mowers than walk-behind.

Neal uses the Yo-Ho loppers with extending handles to trim
 low hanging limbs in the lower campground.  Nice!

 

Work day coordinator Ann Bennett and crew prepare to paint.

Pam and Bill check that this walk-behind string trimmer is ready to go --
and off down the trails they went with it to trim back weeds and briars.

Linda wins the endurance award for the day -- she painted the inside of the men's facility at the lower campground.  Both lower camp restrooms were fully painted inside and out as they had last been painted in 2011..  The upper facilities were painted as needed, including the doors and any areas where paint was wearing thin.
 

 Neal installed little reminder posters on the posts of shelters 1 and 2 to ask campers to help us keep the stalls clean.  Bonnie will soon stencil "Please Clean Your Stall" on the back wall of each stall.  Keeping the stalls clean helps reduce the likelihood of transmission of diseases and parasites from horses to horse---plus makes the campground cleaner and healthier for all of us---no breeding of flies and other insects in the stalls if they are kept cleaned by users.

Debbie sorts out cans and bottles collected around camp, especially out of firepits.  Please--fellow campers---firepits are not trash containers nor recycle bins--only wood and paper should be burned in the firepits.   There are can recycle bins at each campground and trash receptacles for plastics and other trash.

 Happy horses in clean stalls in shelter 1 during the work day.  Enjoy!  FOS

HORSE SHELTER 2 Lower Campground READY TO GO!!!

  

The DNR Parks Department managed to budget the funds for the DNR Shimek crew
 to purchase the materials for this new horse shelter.  After Forester John Byrd and the DNR crew finished the building shell as documented on the FOS Blog, FOS Volunteers  planned a work day for Tuesday June 24.  DNR provided a trailer load of new rough cut oak for stall walls and eight new gates for the stalls.  DNR also provided the 180 bolts, 180 washers, and 180 nuts to install the boards.  All of us at FOS really appreciate the commitment by DNR and of Forester John Byrd to enhancing the campground at Shimek this year by adding a this new horse shelter.
 
By 8am, Doug and Bonnie Moothart, Ann Bennett, Bob and Marsha Achenbach, Ray and Lora Conrad were starting the work on the stalls and were joined shortly by Brian and Jewel McDonald, and Art Duke  and joined by David Featherstun later in the morning.  ( Neal Hartman stopped by for a visit--he is improving and will be back at work soon. )

 Generators humming, saws buzzing, drills, well, drilling and hammers whacking, everyone worked steadily  as the temperatures rose and the boards got heavier --but by 1:30 the stalls were finished.  Boards had been  measured, trimmed  and placed and  all 180 holes had been drilled, counter bored, bolts installed, with nuts  and washers, tightened and the ends sawed off.

 Then, that afternoon Doug Moothart and David Featherstun completed hanging the gates--all eight of them.

 Bonnie Moothart photographed the action
 --a few shots are included here,   and an
 entire set of photos are at
 http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9AZuWLhs0csMM
 where you can also order prints directly from Shutterfly.  Thanks, Bonnie!
 .                                                                                                                                              
  
Just for good measure, gutters on horse shelter 1 were cleaned of maple sprouts.  The recycle cans were collected and sorted.

Some stalls that an inconsiderate   %^&*  camper left dirty were cleaned out.  Yesterday, DNR crew members mowed the campground--so it is ready for the 4th of July campers!! 

What can you do you ask, I'm sure.......
First of all---------
       .

Secondly---thank DNR staff and

John (left) got there for some of the action too. 

 Forester John Byrd when you can for the
commitment of both money and time
to the shelter.



Thirdly--help FOS by donating money or coming to work with FOS later or both---we are raising funds to replace the third horse shelter--the one at the upper campground which is now just pens.  Donations can be sent to Lee County Bank,  Attn: Debbie Miller, FOS Treasurer, 2501 Ave. L, Ft. Madison, IA 52627.


Since I put out the call for help and tools on Tuesday, on behalf of FOS  ----
 From me to the crew that brought their tools and worked so hard---
THANK YOU Thank You--
you worked very, very hard, got it all done.
 Be sure to check out the photos of you by Bonnie.
 Enjoy the stalls when you go camping at Shimek State Forest.

Lora

Horsing Around Shimek State Forest

Read Horsing Around Shimek State Forest

by Mindy Kralicek

It's already heading to the 90-degree mark this August Friday morning, but a moderate breeze and acres of dappled shade beckon us into the statuesque beauty of Shimek State Forest.

So begins Horsing Around Shimek State Forest in Iowa Outdoors July/August 2014 issue—just recently in mailboxes around the state. Mindy researched this article last August with Shimek Forester John Byrd and the DNR forestry crew and with Friends of Shimek (FOS) volunteers. The article includes an interview with Forester John Byrd about management of Shimek Forest and working with Friends of Shimek. She and DNR photographer Clay Smith joined FOS Volunteers for a FOS Group Work day and for a separately arranged trail ride the following day. A photo from that trail ride is featured across two pages in the beginning of the article.

To read the full article, go to

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2uoklz36c2q1n5/Iowa%20Outdoors%20Horsing%20Around%20Shimek.pdf

This pdf copy has been provided for public use courtesy of the Editor of Iowa Outdoors and article author Mindy Kralicek, DNR staff writer.

Iowa Outdoors is DNR's magazine with the mission to open the door to the beauty and uniqueness of Iowa's natural resources, inspire people to get outside and experience Iowa and to motivate outdoor minded citizens to understand and care for our natural resources. Its a gorgeous magazine full of interesting articles about Iowa, some by well known nature photographer and writer Ty Smedes.

To subscribe call 1-800-361-8072 or go to http://www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/IowaOutdoorsMagazine/Subscribe.aspx

A one year (six issues) subscription is currently only $15.

"Kudos!" from President Ann Bennett

First of all, many Thanks to Forester John Byrd and his crew for the construction of the second horse shelter in the lower campground. They took time to take down the old shelter, get the materials, and construct the shelter shell despite their heavy schedule in other parts of the forest at this time. We volunteers will be installing the walls and gates before the 4^th of July weekend, weather permitting. We will then have two new roofed shelters with a total of 16 horse stalls for use by campers. Excellent progress toward updating our facilities! We are now seeking grant funds and individual donations to construct the third and final horse shelter at the upper campground.

We have been pleased to see two of our FOS Volunteers recognized by Trailblazer magazine this year---Marsha Achenbach was honored as a Trail Warrior for her Friends of Shimek work in the Jan/Feb issue and Doug Moothart was honored as a Trail Warrior in the April issue for his work at Brinton Timber. Both volunteer many hours to improve the facilities available for trail riders and to support other trail riders in their activities. The dedication they have for the job is what makes organizations like FOS possible.

This week subscribers began getting their latest issue (July/August) of DNR's publication Iowa Outdoors. This issue features the article we have been waiting to see by Mindy Kralicek and photographer Clay Smith—remember last August when we met them for a work day and a ride? To subscribe, see http://www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/IowaOutdoorsMagazine.aspx

Thanks to Mindy and Clay for the excellent article.

Special thanks to Denise Schieffer for including both the May FOS update re Biosecurity and the Wet Weather Trail information in full in the ITRA June Newsletter --- both are information that trail riders needs to read and the ITRA newsletter reaches many of those riders.

When it comes to social media---Bonnie Moothart is a whiz---her monitored, closed group facebook page, Eastern Iowa Trail Riders, reaches over a thousand trail riders. She has kindly listed links to our FOS blog on topics ranging from Biosecurity, the Wet Weather Trail to scheduled work days. Lora reports a jump in blogspot access each time she does this---as it does when the links are published in the ITRA newsletter. Both expand greatly our reach of information to the “right” people – potential equestrian trail riders at Shimek State Forest.

We are also pleased to announce that Lora Conrad was selected for a 2014 Individual Governor's Volunteer Award by DNR Forestry for her outstanding commitment and service to Shimek State Forest through FOS. Forester John Byrd submitted the nomination which required the endorsement of the Forestry Department. A full description of these awards can be found at: http://www.volunteeriowa.org/Organizations/ICVSPrograms/GovernorsVolunteerAwards.aspx

This award will be presented during one of several state volunteers recognition ceremonies. It will be among those awards presented Friday, June 20 at 10:00AM at the Indian Hills Community College St. John Auditorium in Ottumwa. Lora will be present to receive the award. Anyone interested in attending is invited to join us there and to have lunch after the award ceremony at the Appanoose Rapids Brewery and Restaurant on main street in Ottumwa. Drop me an e-mail if you can join us there.

The Kudos for our volunteers keep piling up----and I know I have not thought of all---but wanted to let you know about some of the recognition that our volunteers, FOS and the DNR Shimek crew have garnered this year. Congratulations to all of you and thanks for your enthusiasm for Friends of Shimek.

Ann Bennett

FOS President  
windrushhill@farmtel.net

Profile--Down Memory Lane with Lora Conrad

(This post continues our series about our Board Members and how they came to be involved with Shimek State Forest and FOS.)

You are surely destined to spend your life with horses when one of your first memories is holding onto the collar of a plow horse as it pulled the plow and your father walks behind down a cotton row. My next memory of horses is being three and “leading” the horse back to the barn alone at the end of the day, getting him over a terrace out of sight of Dad, and climbing up the harness to ride instead of walk back to the barn. So---except for those years of college and beginning a career, horses have been part of my life as they are today. For the 50 years we have been married, my husband Ray has supported my love of horses ---he's mowed, and hayed, and cleaned barns and sat with sick horses too.  For a few years, we lived in Tennessee where I had Tennessee Walking horses and a Missouri foxtrotter that I moved back home to Alabama. Struck with love of Arabian horses, I raised a half-Arab, half Tenn Walker filly---beautiful but not gaited. I finally purchased my first pregnant registered Arab mare in 1988.

When my husband Ray and I moved to Iowa from the sunny south 14 years ago, I brought 11 Arabian horses with me that Halloween night who thought the lush green pastures they saw the next day were a treat. Six weeks later when the snow and cold hit, they knew they'd been tricked!

Within a year, I had somehow heard about the area dressage club now known as Great River and through that group met Ann Bennett. I then asked Ann to start two of my young fillies since she is an excellent trainer of Arabian horses. Ann and I have worked together on several projects over the years, one being the Great River group. Through Great River I made many friends that now volunteer with Friends of Shimek. After a year or so, thanks to our farrier and Marsha's initiative, I met Marsha Achenbach who promptly introduced me to Shimek State Forest and its 25 miles of trails. At group trail rides and riding with Marsha and her husband Bob, I've enjoyed many great hours on horseback in all seasons---from January 1st rides several good years to sweltering horsefly laden days in August---all have their own joy. The most wonderful days being those spring days with redbuds blooming and bluebells on the hill sides, tiny spring beauties underfoot and numerous other flowers adding to the beauty along side the trails as you ride. With Marsha's good guidance on the Shimek trails, I've never gotten into the quicksand nor gotten lost. However, she has gotten to laugh at me often as most every horse I've ridden has dumped me in some unexpected fashion or the other when riding with her. (I'm thankful for helmets.)

I met Debbie Miller one year around a campfire at Shimek and only met Neal, Lala, Ringo and Brenda when we all began getting together to work as volunteers at Shimek. John Byrd---since he does not ride---darn it---I met when Ann, Doug Moothart and I went to his office in 2011 to talk to him about starting Friends of Shimek.

Now with each FOS Group Volunteer Day, I meet more great people who also care about Shimek and want to help protect and improve the trails both for our enjoyment and safety and to preserve the beauty of the natural resource that is Shimek Forest.

 Lora and her half Friesian-half Arab gelding Kalan
 riding up a trail in Shimek. NOTE HELMET!
(Photo by Kelly Britnell)

Lora doing what she does best.
 (Photo by Clay Smith)

Magicicada along the trails.......

Magicicada....

along the horse trails, outside your home, along the road---stop and listen to the chorus of the Magicicada—as in rhythm thousands of male Magicicada raise a chorus of sound to higher and higher volume and drop it back down and repeat that cycle again and again and again.........

 

This is a spectacular sight and sound that we see/hear only once every 17 years---as that is how long these periodical cicadas stay in the ground before emerging for a few short weeks of flying, singing and mating to begin the cycle again. These are the Iowan Brood and last emerged in 1997. They do not bite nor sting. They are not venomous nor do they transmit any diseases. They don't even pose much of a threat to plants except perhaps the youngest or weakest trees. Birds, especially wild turkey, reptiles, squirrels and even some cats eat them. You may see piles of their bodies under trees as their season wanes

Notice that they have 5 eyes---three little ones (ocelli) in a triangle between the two big compound eyes. 

 

 

 The magicicada will be silent again sometime in July...for 17 more years.

As of July  4, 2014....The silence is deafening....only an occasional lonely Magicicada still sings.  Soon their silence will be complete for 17 more years.