Diligence DOES prevent tick bites

The first tick bite reported by a DNR employee was on March 16. What hope do we have to avoid tick bites, especially for those of us who work in high risk areas? How can you remain unscathed by Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases?  The answer is contained in one word: DILIGENCE.  Diligence pays off. A DNR employee recently returned from turkey hunting and needed to remove dozens of dog and deer ticks from skin, clothing, hunting equipment, and a vehicle.  Tick pants were not enough to discourage every tick. Only after a shower was the last tick removed. Through this kind of diligence, this turkey hunter has managed to avoid getting Lyme disease, despite plenty of exposure. 

Practice the basics for tick protection. Wear permethrin-sprayed clothing, do your tick check early, use your tick tweezers when necessary, and know the symptoms if you think you may have been exposed. Don’t rely on the appearance of a bull’s-eye inflammation.  If you feel flu-like, perhaps you are reacting to a tick bite.  Review DNR tick protection policy and, if you are a DNR manager, report known tick bites if:
1. They have been attached more than 12-24 hours.
2. Symptoms of illness or infection are present.
3. The employee requests to report it.

All things Legacy: getting a better grip on the Legacy Fund 

by Paul Purman, Legacy program consultant

Help is on the way for staff who manage Parks and Trails Legacy Fund projects and processes.  I began as Legacy Program Consultant in March and divisional leadership immediately charged me with developing Legacy guidelines for staff to consolidate and replace existing  documents that have guided Legacy decisions up to now.

The governor and legislature expect us to manage Legacy Funds in a way that honors the intent of the voters who approved them in 2008. There’s a DNR operational order that tells us to create guidelines to “help DNR staff understand the purposes, processes, requirements, and expectations for each [constitutionally dedicated] fund…. They will decrease inefficiencies [and confusion] of storing, seeking and understanding procedures [for all aspects of managing the funds].

I need your help. To write useful Legacy guidelines for you, I must learn what’s important, what’s confusing, what needs clarifying.  So I am putting together a team to draft the guidelines, drawing on your practical experience. These people - representing a cross-section of Parks and Trails Division staff- will help me write useful guidelines to address frequently asked questions, such as: 
• Is an activity right for the purposes of the Legacy Fund? Is it eligible for funding?
• How do I report Legacy expenditures and results?
• What are key dates on the biennial calendar?
• How do I communicate about Legacy projects, from installing signs at Legacy sites to working with the media and legislature?
I plan to complete the guidelines in 2015. I welcome your thoughts on what might be included. If you have suggestions, please send me an email: paul.purman@state.mn.us.

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) invades Nerstrand Big Woods State Park!

Approximately 30% of the division’s resource management budget is directed toward control of invasive species, including garlic mustard. Once established, this plant requires a strong commitment to eradicate it. 

What it is:

It's a non-native, edible invasive species that is, in May, the only Minnesota woodland plant of its height with a white bloom. Garlic mustard is on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture  restricted noxious weed list.

Why it's harmful:

Garlic mustard negatively impacts native plant communities and rare species.  The above photo illustrates the problem in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, where patches of the federally endangered dwarf trout lily are being invaded by the aggressive garlic mustard. Once removed, it can easily re-invade areas after a flood. Undisturbed sites that have been invaded by garlic mustard undergo a decline in native herbaceous plant cover over a 10-year period. The invasion alters habitat suitability for native insects and thereby impacts food for birds and mammals. The invasion has now reached 27 Midwestern and northeastern states as well as Canada.

What you can do: 

Garlic mustard can easily be pulled during the second year of its biennial cycle. It is also a plant that can be significantly reduced with DNR’s campaign to have clean boots and equipment .This effort cuts the spread of seed-laden mud, whether it is on the feet of animals or in the mud on your boots.

A call for persistence:

Managing garlic mustard requires a coordinated approach. The seed washes in from anywhere upstream, particularly when landowners have allowed it to flourish. A broader effort extending beyond park boundaries would help prevent  the  spread of garlic mustard. Also, steady funding and staffing effect the success of mustard eradication. What is needed is persistence over a period of years.

Hearing the Call of the Wild…

A very happy geocacher wrote:

We're having a REALLY TOUGH TIME HERE LATELY! We can't drive by a state park without stopping - our cachemobile must hear the Call of the Wildflower!  Really, it's NOT US! Anyway, we hiked the trails on a beautiful day that we didn't have any prior commitments. We hadn't planned to stop here but these caches are really a blast to find! Thanks to all the "park people" for doing all the work on this fine series. THANKS FOR THE FUN!  

-  a happy geocacher, Crow Wing State Park, April 25

A bum tire was only the beginning        

The trail crew at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area went “above and beyond” to help a stranded mountain biker on April 17. He blew a tire on the Sidewinder Trail and a crew member called for help. When DNR personnel responded, the stranded biker  exclaimed, “They were so engaged and you could tell these guys loved their work. They asked questions about my visitor experience, talked about the site in glowing terms, and generally cared about how I used and enjoyed the trails.”  Despite what the biker described as a “bum tire,” he raved about our staff and said, “I am going to come back multiple times throughout the year. Loved the trails.  

- Gary, International Falls, April 17.

Tyler Gangelhoff has been appointed assistant manager of Jay Cooke State Park.  He first worked for the DNR at Rice Lake State Park in 1998.  He went on to work there in several capacities prior to going to Temperance River and Cascade River state parks. Most recently Ty was park manager at Charles A. Lindbergh State Park, where he has served for the past seven years. His first day in his new position was May 13.

Nick Bartels has been appointed assistant manager of Afton State Park.  He had previously worked as assistant manager at Upper Sioux Agency State Park. Nick began his DNR career as a buildings and grounds worker at Buffalo River State Park, and later as a park technician.  In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors with his wife and son. Nick’s first day in his new position was  May 13.

JoEllen Klemek  has been appointed office and administrative specialist intermediate at Forestville/Mystery Cave and Lake Louise state parks.  For the past nine years JoEllen was a parks worker at Itasca State Park.She has also worked in public schools and in retail. JoEllen’s first day in her new job was April 13.

Rachel Knutson has been appointed office and administrative specialist intermediate at Lake Carlos and Glacial Lakes state parks.  Rachel was previously with DNR  Division of Fish and Wildlife in Park Rapids, where she worked as the office and administrative specialist.  She was also administrative assistant for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bemidji State University.  Rachel’s first day at Lake Carlos State Park was April 22. 

Kelsey Olson has been appointed interpretive naturalist (2) at Sibley State Park.  Kelsey most recently served as a year-round naturalist at Gooseberry Falls State Park. Prior to that she served with AmeriCorps, assigned to the Maryland Conservation Corps.  Kelsey has also worked in the social services, Army Corps of Engineers, Three Rivers Park District, and as a Scientific and Natural Area  naturalist at Buffalo River State Park. She has a passion for serving the under-served, such as with an outreach program to the Veteran’s Home in Silver Bay and promoting accessible programs at Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls state parks. Kelsey’s first day in her new assignment was April 14.