as you WONDER WANDER

BY

Wonder is often seen as the stuff of childhood. But setting a goal to live life with intentional wonder can be magic – for kids and adults alike. Wonders abound at Allamakee County’s 8,990-acre Yellow River State Forest!

By the numbers, Yellow River State Forest (YRSF) is about 30 miles from Decorah, 50 from La Crosse and 20 from Prairie du Chien. There are 48 miles of trails, including trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horse riding, and snowmobiling. There are 101 regular campsites, 32 equestrian campsites and five backpack areas with 21 secluded sites as well as a rustic cabin available by reservation. YRSF has more than eight miles of trout stream access, public hunting, one-of-a-kind ecosystems, and is a Globally Significant Bird Conservation Area.

And it’s a place full of magic and mystery.

Next time (or the first time) you take a hike there, challenge yourself to look at the forest with fresh eyes. Look at things up close and far away (heck, bring a magnifying glass and binoculars!).

Study the pattern the lichens make on the rocks. Did you notice the many shades of green? How many species of trees can you see? How many colors of wildflowers? How many shades of blue is the sky from the horizon to the zenith overhead?

Find a good rock or log to sit on for a few minutes. After considering what lives in and near that rock or log, close your eyes for a couple of minutes. Take a few deep, slow breaths… and listen. How many different birds do you hear? Does the wind sound different as it passes through deciduous trees, evergreens, or prairies?

The number of things to wonder about is endless!

If you are feeling really adventurous and curious, think about the whys to all of your questions! Now that you are all tuned into the natural world around you, let’s investigate some mysteries at Yellow River State Forest!

Why is there a fire tower in Iowa?

Iowa’s only fire tower was erected in 1963. The tower – 99 feet and 9 inches tall – is located on top of a woodland knoll in YRSF, at an elevation of 1,047 feet. Although fire towers were once common across the United States, this tower was never actually used for fire detection. It was given to the state forest by the National Forest Service. The tower is now a symbol of fire protection in a bygone era. It is unsafe to climb and is locked to even DNR staff, but you can drive up to the base and see this unique treasure reaching to the sky.

Friends of Yellow River State Forest worked earnestly on getting the fire tower designated on the National Register of Historic Places – a goal accomplished in 2021– and hope to someday restore the fire tower, though no plans are currently in motion.

Bigfoot, bobcats and bears? Oh my!

There are stories that Bigfoot lives in these forested hills. In 2017, the Animal Planet series “Finding Bigfoot” filmed an episode at YRSF. Although no photographs, remains, or other evidence of such a creature has been found, you never know what you will find at YRSF…

Like bobcats! These threefoot-long wild cats have a short “bobbed” tail, and weigh 20 to 30 pounds, according to the Iowa DNR. They typically live three to five years, and mostly eat rabbits, mice, voles, and squirrels. They live secretive lives at YRSF, as they are very shy animals and it’s rare to catch a glimpse of one.

There are occasionally black bears that pass through the area as well – one was struck on Highway 76 near State Forest Road several years ago, but the Iowa DNR says there is not a breeding population of black bears.

If you see a bobcat, count yourself lucky! If you see a black bear (or Bigfoot!) note your location and the time, and let the DNR know!

Someone told me that there are cacti in YRSF… that can’t be real!

The Paint Rock Unit of YRSF contains one of Iowa’s most unique ecosystems – goat prairies – and small cacti certainly can live there. Also known as dry prairies or hill prairies, this special place sometimes occurs on southwest-facing bluff sides with minimal topsoil. Many uncommon plants can grow there, including pasque and blazing star flowers and even very small prickly pear cacti. Look carefully and watch where you step – not only to protect the plants but because rattlesnakes also live in goat prairies!

I came upon an area where the trees were recently all cut down! I thought clear-cutting was something that should be avoided at all costs. Is my mystery tour turning into a nightmare?

Clear cutting – done correctly – can be a useful forestry management tool. According to Cody Barloon, a Forestry Technician at Yellow River, the reason trees in a carefully selected area in YRSF were recently cut is to regenerate Big Tooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata). Cody says the population of aspen trees in Iowa has been declining, and they are hoping to use the old adage of “cut down one aspen and a thousand will grow.” Aspens face a lot of competition from other trees, so when they’re trying to re-establish themselves, it’s useful to remove all the other species in a small area. Aspens reproduce rapidly from root suckers, forming dense stands when cut or harvested. Often what appears to be a large group of individual trees are root sprouts from a single seedling or tree.

Aspens live for about 50 years and can be used by more than 500 species of animals and plants for habitat, and the seed, buds, and catkins (the flowering spike) are utilized by many birds, including quail and grouse, according to Iowa State University Extension.

I found a tree that looks like someone grated off the bark, what in the world is going on?

According to YRSF Forester staff, that is called “flecking.” It is a common sign that the tree is fully infested with a very nasty bug called the emerald ash borer. When an ash tree gets enough emerald ash borer larvae in it, woodpeckers figure this out and then fleck off the bark to get at the yummy larvae underneath. This is a very bad omen for the ash tree as it is pretty much doomed by the time it gets to this point.

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Emerald ash borers cannot travel far on their own, but they have spread throughout the United States by hitchhiking when humans move wood. They are one of the main reasons you should never transport firewood – buy it and burn it where you are camping. Magic, wonder and enchantment are all around us, we just need to take the time to look, listen and feel!

Kelli Boylen is a freelance writer and a licensed massage therapist who is lucky to live next to Yellow River State Forest. She dislikes writing about herself in third person.

Scott Boylen is a freelance nature photographer and a sixth grade science teacher in Decorah. He enjoys fat tire biking and hanging out with his beagle.

BE A BFF FOR YRSF!

Friends of Yellow River State Forest was established in 2018 to be a voice for Yellow River State Forest. The mission is to enhance Yellow River State Forest for public use while protecting the integrity of the flora, fauna, soil, and water.

Friends of Yellow River State Forest, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is made up of dedicated volunteers and board members. They have invested hundreds of hours protecting and preserving treasured natural resources, raising funds, and making improvements to YRSF. They assist and support the DNR’s mission, operations, and programs at YRSF. They have raised and reinvested more than $100,000 into Yellow River State Forest. New members, volunteers, and donations are always welcome. www.friendsofyellowriverstateforest.org

Their accomplishments include:

• Streambank improvement projects

• Contributed toward the seeding of 120 acres of native prairie in Yellow River State Forest

• Built observation/ photo blind in the wetland area on Donahue Road

• Purchased more than $4,500 worth of trees for campgrounds, helped to plant 100+ additional trees

• Ice and firewood sales to campers

• Purchased 20 picnic tables and helped assemble another 30 tables

• Purchased and replaced all horse-hitching posts

• Fire rings for backpack camping areas

• 20,000+ new YRSF maps

• Gravel and excavator work for trail repair, improvement, and maintenance want now, with access if you need them in the future!

• Programming for visitors and community members including outdoor cooking, youth scavenger hunts, shooting star watch party, fly fishing, bird ID, fly tying, snowshoe hikes, annual Mother’s Day 5k, 10k, and half marathon trail run, and lots more. Events are posted on Facebook and on www. friendsofyellowriverstateforest.org. Have an idea for programming? Let them know!

Margaret Grund (Kopel) is a woman who has worn many hats throughout her life: mother, wife, daughter, sister, grandmother, greatgrandmother, nurse, teacher, entrepreneur, and friend. Her family and friends say she is a selfless, kind, and resourceful woman.

Margaret was born in 1939 to Joseph and Theodora. She and her 11 siblings grew up on the family farm in Olivia, Minnesota. Her mischievous spirit and spunky nature often got on her siblings’ nerves. Seeing this energy, her mother developed Margaret’s creativity toward sewing. It was a talent and skill she would use and enjoy for a lifetime. Living among a large family on a 1940s farm had its share of limited luxuries. Margaret recalls her mother using animal feed sacks as fabric for dresses.

After Margaret graduated from Danube High School, she attended practical nursing school in Minneapolis. In 1959 she married Roger Grund and together the couple raised four children, first in Olivia, Minnesota, briefly in Glencoe, and lastly in Winona in 1972.

Margaret has a servant heart. While getting settled in Winona, she worked tirelessly during the day at the family-owned laundry mat and as an overnight nurse caring for geriatric patients at St. Anne’s nursing home. She has touched many lives over many decades.

Along with sewing, knitting, and crocheting, Margaret found time to learn a new hobby to feed her creativity: basket weaving. After taking one class at a local school, she was hooked. She loves making different sizes and varieties for kitchen, bedroom, and bath, using fibers that she dyed, stained, painted, or left natural. She proudly adds her signature and date of completion to the bottom of each basket. Making a basket is a joy, but teaching others the skill gives Margaret even greater satisfaction. The basement of their home is stocked with many fibers and weaving products, with a workshop section of tables and chairs that was often set and ready for students eager to learn. Her grandkids recall many times visiting Margaret and Roger where the street was lined with strange cars and they were greeted to a full basement of adult students. In the early 1990s, Margaret worked to share her talents and build the weaving community on a much larger scale by hosting a multi-day weaving workshop retreat for students and teachers. The retreat attracted basket weavers from the Driftless Region and across the country. The retreat flourished under her leadership and continues today under the capable hands of a beloved student. Through these many hats, Margaret shares a common thread: her kindness, humility, and creativity. All these qualities are proof of the key to a life well lived.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The best advice I have been given is to wake up with a smile and carry it through the day, with you to share with others.

What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was younger there were not many working opportunities for women. It was either teaching or nursing. I knew teaching was not for me, so nursing was the best fit.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you? Handiwork, a good book, and ice cream aryn@iloveinspired.com

Try to describe yourself in one sentence. I am a woman who gets up in the morning with the goal to serve another person in some positive way, and at the end of a full day, to get a good night’s sleep.

Do you know someone you’d love to interview for this page? Let us know!

Name one thing you could not live without. My family. I am fortunate to have a close-knit and connected family who care for each other. We are all willing to lend a hand and support each other. I feel genuine love in the room when I am with my family.

Tell us about…your favorite memory. My favorite memory was listening to my heart and moving our family to beautiful Winona. Neither Roger or I had ever visited southeastern Minnesota. We both grew up living amongst the flatter farm and cornfields of Renville County. I will forever remember walking around Lake Winona on a crisp autumn day and watching the colorful changing leaves in the bluffs. I’ve been blessed to see the bluffs from the kitchen window of our house for many decades.

Tell us how you’d like to be remembered. I would like to be remembered as someone who thought of others before herself. My mother told us on a nightly basis to use your life to make others’ lives better. I’d like people to also remember me as a happy person and someone who accepted people and things as they are without trying to change them.

•Large, private, fully furnished rooms

•Therapy and 24/7 assistance

• Private bathrooms/walk-in showers

• Cable TV & wireless internet

• Restful rehab to return home