PaGE 16 | summer times | Wednesday, June 9, 2021
There are plenty of opportunities at Myre-Big Island State Park in A.L. Want to get out and enjoy nature? Myre-Big Island State Park is just the place to do so with opportunities to sight-see, get out and move, and also to relax. Check out some of these opportunities: • Camp. Myre-Big Island has two campgrounds for a total of 98 semimodern campsites. It also has four remote sites to backpack to. Additionally, visitors can group camp at a more modern or more primitive group camp area — there is one of each. • Take a picnic. The park boasts 45 picnic sites. • Hike. The park boasts 16 miles of hiking trails that take you along a combination of wooded and open rolling hills. There is also six miles of paved bike trail. • Watch birds. The park has a variety of wildlife, including some special Myre-Big Island State Park is at 19499 780th Ave. in Albert Lea. tribune file photos species to peek at through binoculars. According to the park brochure, birds in the park include raptors, shore and wading birds, waterfowl and songbirds: the American kestrel, marsh hawk, redtailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, great horned owl, bald eagle, common egret, great blue heron, American bittern, sora, Virginia rail, wood duck, mallard, blue-winged teal, Canada goose, indigo bunting, eastern bluebird, rose-breasted grosbeak, northern oriole, eastern wood pewee, ring-necked pheasant, ring-billed gull, white pelican and hairy, downy and pileated woodpeckers. • Peep wildflowers. The park vegetation varies based on community type: oak savanna, northern hardwood forest and wetland. Flowering plants on the oak savanna include lead plant, rattlesnake master, prairie clover, prairie smoke, bottle gentian, blazing star, black-eyed susan and various types of coneflowers. Flowering plants in the northern hardwood forest include spring beauty, bloodroot, hepatica, Dutchman’s breeches, ginger and trout lily. Flowering plants in the wetland include the water lily, marsh marigold and wild iris. The wetland is also home to two carnivorous plants: the sundew The park boasts a variety of flowering plants that varies depend- Myre-Big Island has 16 miles of hiking trails throughout the park ing on where you are in the park. for hiking or even off-road biking. and pitcher plants.
