2019 Devil’s Lake Angel Awards

Every year there are folks who go the proverbial extra mile to preserve, protect and enhance Devil’s Lake State Park and our many surrounding public lands. Often they get little thanks or recognition for their efforts. Here at Skillet Creek, I want to take a moment to recognize them for making our community, our world and of course, Devil’s Lake State Park a better place. So to everyone mentioned below, THANK YOU! You are noticed and appreciated!

In no particular order…

The Wardens

First, I want to recognize the DNR wardens assigned to Devil’s Lake State Park. Since their arrival about 2 seasons back, they have made a real and noticeable improvement to the Devil’s Lake experience. Everything from parking to drones to pet issues has continued to improve with the arrival of the wardens. Given the tough situation, they’ve been in since the DNR’s big revamp, they’ve risen to the situation and made our park a better place to visit.

Nature Works LLC

Since first adopting Devil’s Lake’s East Bluff Trail, Kerstyn and Ben of Nature Works LLC in Friendship, WI., have been putting together workdays at both Devil’s Lake and Parfrey’s Glen. Their dedication, even when they are the only ones on the bluff… is admirable and appreciated.

Tom Elliot

Tom is from Madison and is probably the most “lone” of the “lone rangers” who are working to make the park a better place in his own personal war against invasives. Cutting jungles of honeysuckles from the forests along the trails is an endless and thankless mission in a war that can never be won. Yet, Tom is out doing it. He deserves a lot more than a mention here, but it’s a start. Thanks Tom!

Todd Persche

Remember that cell tower that was proposed to go up on the entrance of Devil’s Lake State Park? Todd was instrumental in stopping it. For now. Todd knows as well as anyone that the issue was not the tower, but the location. His activism on the issue slowed everything down enough for the public to see the larger picture.

Chis Kane

Chris has been volunteering more hours with the nature center than just about anyone and doing everything along the way from cutting invasive barberry, to staffing the nature center and helping out with various nature center programs. When it comes to education in the park, volunteers are the backbone and Chris would be hard to replace.

Dave Barger 

Dave was the (now-former) president of the Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park. Dave was probably a perfect example of a good person who just wanted to fix trails and enhance the visitor experience. Along the way, he tried to bring a national park’s volunteer spirit with him. Like many before him, he deserves a shoutout just for hanging in against a strong headwind.

The LTEs

In Wisconsin State Parks the LTE’s or “Limited Term Employees”, are basically the summer help. It can be a thankless and stressful job with total BS hours. Park LTE’s often start about Memorial Weekend with a free dive into “crazy busy” without much preparation. Great LTE’s are the ones who are going above and beyond just to figure things out on the fly. I can tell you from my days as an LTE, that survival was all about personal fortitude, camaraderie and knowing you were appreciated. LTEs that survive the summer all deserve a medal.

YOU!

I could go on all day… from the same small group of volunteers that show up to help out at every event to the folks with DNR’s Natural Areas Program who have way too many properties and far too few hands. Thanks to the Ice Age Trail Alliance who’s now taking on trails within the park. A shout out to the Wisconsin Climbers Association and the Access Fund who now put volunteer days together every year. Thank you to the guerrilla conservationists (You know who you are!) who have taken up the fight against invasives and spreading social trails. Folks who carry garbage bags on your hikes and in so many ways do the work that needs to be done to preserve our local public lands for the next generation. Kudos to everyone who carried blacktop up the bluff! And let’s not forget the people who investigate, challenge, call, write and email, those who as Marjory Stoneman Douglas taught us, “Be a nuisance where it counts.”

To everyone who does their bit, THANK YOU. Happy New Year!