Blazing a trail

By Cindy Votruba
CAMDEN STATE PARK — Trying to develop a recreational trail can be tricky — having to figure out issues such as permits, funding sources, materials and ordinances.

That’s what high school students had to deal with when preparing for the oral presentation at an environmental competition.

Four area schools: Marshall, Yellow Medicine East, Redwood Valley and Worthington, participated in the annual Southwest Regional Envirothon Wednesday at Camden State Park.

Students visited different stations around the park, learning about wildlife, forestry, aquatics and soils. Teams also had to do a presentation on an environmental topic.

For the oral presentation, students talked about the recreational impacts on natural resources with a hypothetical 20-mile proposed recreational trail. The trail would be from Fergus Falls north to Maplewood State Park.

The trail would cross through residential areas, and the students also had to look at the effect on native grasses, wetlands, wildlife and safety issues.

The Marshall High School team of Erik Mather, James Hey, Brandi Shover, Michelle DeVries and Courtney Otto had several aspects to their recreational trail plan. The speed limit would be 25 miles per hour and no alcohol or smoking would be allowed.

“It’s polluting, and if you smoke a cigarette and throw it, it could be hazardous,” Mather said.

Team members talked about how they would have shops, a cafe and rental outlets along the trail to provide jobs.

DeVries said they would look at getting state funding, as the trail would be connected to a state park as well as funding from individual counties.

Mather said they could also get a deal with the state park, so they could put up state park signs along the trail.

The trail would close at 8 p.m. because of safety issues, Mather said.

Shawn Wohnoutka, GIS/outreach technician for the Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area, and Brian Pfarr, soil conservation technician for Redwood County Soil and Water Conservation District, judged the Marshall team. Wohnoutka was impressed about the team’s explanation on funding sources.

“It’s nice you’re going to multiple stakeholders,” Wohnoutka said.

Wohnoutka said the team made good use of rock for the trail, and he liked the idea of creating local jobs.

The Marshall team said they had a week to get ready for the presentation.

“We took it in little sections to get more information, and then focused on all the aspects of it (the situation),” DeVries said.

Shover said the students also worked on the project outside of class.

“It’s just all things that need to be on a trail,” Shover said.

“It’s all things to make it (the trail) run smoothly,” Otto said.

Basically, developing the trail came down to common sense, Hey said.

For example, Hey said, you don’t want to be driving 50 miles per hour around a curve on an all-terrain vehicle.

The students said Jim Muchlinski, Lyon County SWCD education coordinator, gave them a few ideas for their hypothetical proposal.

“He came in and talked to our class about what is needed to be there to set up,” Mather said.

Mather said the team looked at the costs of bridges and signs.

“The cost of everything to build the trail,” Shover said.

Mather said they also compared costs of materials, such as clay versus rocks.

Mather said he learned about things in Minnesota he didn’t know.

“Like the history of the Pipestone National Park,” Mather said.

Hey said he attended the Envirothon because it sounded like a fun experience, and he wanted to learn more.

“I didn’t know much about wildlife,” Hey said.