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1 DOUGLAS COUNTY OUTDOORS DOUGLAS COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT OUTDOOR REPORT NATURE Purple and gold flowers are dominating the floral color scheme right now. Fire- weed, Wild Bergamont, Blazing Star, Joe-pye Weed, Milkweed, and the invasive Spotted knapweed are some of the bright purple flowers blooming while the na- tive sunflowers, Black-eyed-Susans, Goldenrod, Bird’s-Foot Trefoil, and Tansy are providing gold to the color show. Whitetail deer fawns are quite mobile now and are following their mothers. Watch out when the does are crossing roads, the little ones are trailing behind! To the disappointment of many the blueberry crop seemed to be sparse and quite small this year. Hopefully the blackberry crop will be better so wildlife and humans can enjoy some of natures tasty treats. The Douglas County foresters have noticed some Jackpine budworm damage in pockets of the forest. The jackpine budworms chew through the needles causing them to dry out and turn brown. This damage can result in the tops of the trees dying or killing the entire tree (older or weaker suppressed trees are more sus- ceptible to long term damage). The jackpine budworm is a native insect that ex- periences cyclical outbreaks every 10-12 years. The Barrens Fest in the Douglas County Wildlife Area (The Bird Sanctuary) turned out to be a well attended event. The weather cooperated, and the partici- pants enjoyed the presentations, hikes, activities, and horseback riding. Douglas County Parks July turned out to be quite warm with high humidity. The lakes and parks were busy with people trying to cool off. The Douglas County Parks do not require an entrance fee so it is a fun and inexpensive way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. august 2015 Douglas County Forestry Department Home of Wisconsin’s Largest County Forest 9182 E. Hughes Ave., PO Box 211 Solon Springs, WI 54873 Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] Park/Trails Recording-[PHONE REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED] Barrens Fest Jackpine Budworm Lucius Woods County Park Gordon Dam County Park ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 Douglas County Parks continued from page 1 August is here, summer will soon be winding to an end, the kids will soon be back in school, and as of September 14 the Douglas County parks will close for the season. Make use of what is left of summer...camping, swimming, boating, and fishing await! Beginning July 27th the Mooney Dam boat launch and dam area will be closed to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday - Friday and will be open each evening and all weekend. The estimated length of the dam repair project is 7 weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The Mooney Dam Campground will remain open during the repairs. RECREATIONAL TRAILS All Summer recreation trails under the management of the Douglas County Forestry Department are open for the season. As conditions change throughout the season, be sure to get the latest update on trail conditions by visiting www.douglascountywi.org/forestry, or by calling the Douglas County Trail Hotline 24 hours a day 7 days a week at (715) 378-4528. UPCOMING EVENTS LUCIUS WOODS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER CONCERTS Summer is here....that means that the Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center concert series has begun at Lucius Woods County Park. Find more infor- mation about the concert schedule at http://www.lwmusic.org/ CHILDREN’S NATURE PLAYGROUP A Children's Nature Playgroup, sponsored by the Friends of the Bird Sanc- tuary will be gathering every 3rd Wednesday through September at the Bird Sanctuary Clubhouse in Solon Springs. See the attached flyer for more information and the schedule of events. Find their Facebook page at HIKING Join members of the North Country Trail Association’s Brule-St. Croix Chapter for hikes on the North Country National Scenic Trail. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at KD’s Restaurant in Solon Springs. See the attached flyer for the schedule. For more information; [PHONE REDACTED] email: Facebook: NCTinWI ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- 6