New Big Bog State Park expands offerings

By Molly Miron

Pioneer Editor

      Stepping into the Big Bog is like entering a lovely alien world.

      Walking on the thick mattress of sphagnum moss, smelling the spicy scents of Labrador tea and bog rosemary, discovering strange carnivorous plants and listening to the sighs of wind in stunted spruce trees is a unique experience.

      Big Bog State Park, 12 miles north of Waskish, consists of 246 acres in the south section, with campground and beach site on Upper Red Lake. The north section covers more than 9,000 acres of bog, fen and swamp forest. The Big Bog in its entirety stretches about 50 miles from east to west and 12 miles from north to south. It is noted as the largest peatland in the lower 48 states.

      “It’s a very significant feature to have in our backyard here,” said Park Manager Doug Easthouse.

      Upland and lowland habitat is home to more than 300 species of birds. And other wildlife, such as moose, bear, deer, fox, wolf and bobcat, are also plentiful. Many of the Bog plants have a history as medicine with the Ojibwe healers.

      “The Bog’s got something to offer no matter what season it is,” said Jerry Stensing, vice chairman of the Friends of Big Bog and a member of the Big Bog Citizens Advisory Council.

      He said winter offers solitude and glimpses of birds, such as boreal chickadees. Spring and summer bloom with orchids and other wildflowers. And fall brings fruit, such as blueberries and high- and low-bush cranberries.

      “And there’s virtually no light pollution up here, so you can reach up and touch the stars and Northern Lights,” Stensing said.

      Recent designation

      The park was established by the 2000 Minnesota State Legislature, which also funded the buildings, trails and a 1.3-mile boardwalk for touring the Bog. Boardwalk construction will begin in November after most of the vegetation becomes dormant. It is scheduled to be ready for use by the time the orchids bloom next spring.

      Easthouse said the boardwalk will be one of the longest in the country, and it will be wheelchair accessible. The entry will be from State Highway 72 at Ludlow Island.

      The Park & Trails Council of Minnesota purchased a tract of private land to make the boardwalk entry possible. And Waskish Township provided a $10,000 grant for development of birding trails.

      In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Parks & Trails Council, members rode bicycles more than 3,000 miles this summer in a circuit of all the state parks. Julia Cuchna, development and membership director, was with a Park & Trails group Tuesday making the final leg of the trip at Big Bog.

      Easthouse said the boardwalk will reach into the Bog covering a variety of landscapes without impacting the fragile environment.

      “We want to keep as little footprint as we can out there,” he said. “That’s why we’re doing this in the winter. We’re going to have it developed end-over-end, so we’ll be working off the end of the boardwalk.”

      Easthouse said bogs take years to erase any disturbance. For example, he said caribou disappeared from the Big Bog in the 1940s, but their trails are still obvious.

      Tough times

      Stensing said the idea for Big Bog State Park came from the people of the Waskish area.

      “It reflects the strength and character of the people of northern Minnesota,” he said. “The worst of times brings out the best in people and that’s what the collapse of the walleye did.”

      The walleye fishery on Red Lake crashed in the 1990s because of over fishing. The people of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa lost their livelihood and so did resorters, bait dealers, guides and all the other services providers who depended on the fishing economy.

      Stensing said every business in Waskish was closed in the winter of 1998.

      “We had to drive all the way to Kelliher just to get a gallon of saw gas or a loaf of bread,” he said.

      The Big Bog Citizens Advisory Council formed and worked with the Headwaters Regional Development Commission to create a vision for the area’s future. Of the 10 concepts suggested, the state park was the unanimous choice.

      “It pays to have foresight and vision,” Stensing said. “I think the really neat thing is we did look to the future in creating this.”

      Tourist draw

      A cooperative effort of the Red Lake Band and the Department of Natural Resources has restocked the lake with walleye, and the fish population has rebounded. Fishing for walleye will open again in 2006.

      However, the park’s attractions will continue to draw visitors interested in other pursuits, as well. Birdwatchers can fill slots in their life lists from the many unusual species in the Bog. And those looking for an experience in an unspoiled wilderness will find it at the park.

      “The trend is toward ecotourism. People are becoming more interested in experiencing nature than in filling a frying pan with fish,” Stensing said. “If you can do both, you have something.”