FROM THE BLUFFS
OF WYALUSING
Wyalusing State Park
13081 State Park Lane
Bagley, WI 53801
Phone: 608-996-2261
www.wyalusing.org
DATE:Wednesday, December 21, 2011
TRAIL CONDITIONS: Trails should be in
good hiking condition. Wyalusing received a very slight dusting of
snow overnight. With the present forecast, it looks as though we
will not have a white Christmas at Wyalusing. Sentinel Ridge Trail is
an excellent choice for a short, easy walk through the woods
overlooking the bluffs and the confluence of the Mississippi and the
Wisconsin Rivers. Bird and squirrel nests, previously hidden by full
leaf coverage, are now clearly visible in the bare trees. Amazing
river views can now be seen due to lack of vegetation.
CAMPING INFORMATION:Homestead
Campground, Outdoor Group Campground and the Indoor Group Camp are
closed for the season. The Wisconsin Ridge Campground is open for
camping on a first come, first served basis. The reservation period
has ended for both family campgrounds and the Outdoor Group
Campground. The dumping station is closed, but campers can fill their
tanks, using their own hose at the winterized faucet located just
east of the shower flush building in the Wisconsin Ridge Campground.
Campers can use the dumping station to dump. The water at the dumping
station has been shut off. The shower/flush toilet building is closed
for the season. All fountains throughout the park are shut down for
the season with the exception of the winterized faucet All
reservations for campsites in Wisconsin State Parks and Forests are
made through Reserve America. Reservations can be made 11 months in
advance over the telephone at888-947-2757, or online
atwww.wiparks.net.
The concession stand is closed for the
season. Firewood should be available from vendors located near the
park entrance.
Fees for using the Indoor Group Camp
have changed. Fees are now $6 per person per night and $300 minimum
per night.
BIRD SIGHTINGS:The local bird
population has now found the new feeding station. So have the
raccoons. The unseasonably warm temperatures mean the raccoons are
still out and they attack the feeders overnight, leaving them empty
and on the ground. Bird sightings in the park include: bluejays,
juncos, cardinals, goldfinches, mourning doves, bluebirds,
red-bellied woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers,
red-headed woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, tufted titmice, wild
turkeys, pheasants, various hawks, bald eagles.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER REPORT:No ice anglers
to date at the boat landing at Wyalusing State Park yet this year. I
think the ice fishermen are getting impatient for colder weather and
thick ice.Mississippi River stage at Prairie du Chien is at 7.9
PARK HAPPENINGS:Camping and visitation
have all but ended. The 2012 stickers are ready for sale and people
are coming up to buy them for Christmas presents. Stickers can also
be purchased over the phone with a credit card – stickers will be
mailed out the same day or next. The last day for mailing stickers
in time for Christmas is Thursday, December 22. Many of us have
annual leave to use before the end of the year, so some days park
staff may be hard to find. The park will not be staffed on Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day, December 26, December 31, January 1 and January
2. This means that in the event of snowfall, the park roads will not
be plowed. If you would like to purchase a park sticker, please
complete a self registration form (located in the kiosk by the front
door of the office) and the sticker will be mailed out the following
day. Greg Pittz continues at Wyalusing until a new manager is in
place which could be sometime next month. Interviews for vacant
manager positions were held about 3 weeks ago.
The next Friends of Wyalusing meeting
will be held on Saturday, January 28that the Bagley Community Center.
Meeting will start at 4 p.m. with a Holiday Party to follow. Ground
Hog Daze events were discussed at the November meeting. Email
discussion on proceeding with Ground Hog Daze was held among board
members last week and to date no decision has been made.
2011 Starsplitter Astronomy Schedule
The last astronomy program was last
Saturday. They will resume in the spring.
Upcoming Friends of Wyalusing Events
Saturday, February 4
Ground Hog Daze ??
Peterson Shelter – Wyalusing State
Park
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, September 29
Spirits of Wyalusing Past
Make your camping reservation now. More
info to be announced at a later date.
This will be the last Bluff Report for
2011. I would once again like to thank everyone who has helped
Wyalusing and Nelson Dewey State Parks this past year to continue to
be the beautiful properties that they are. You are a force to be
reckoned with and your continued volunteering and support does not go
unnoticed or unappreciated. We have come to depend on volunteers at
both properties. I would also like to thank those of you who have
chosen both Wyalusing and Nelson Dewey State Parks as your favorite
camping and day use properties. We will do our best to maintain these
parks in the high standards that you have been accustomed to. One
more note of appreciation – I would like to thank the staff at
Wyalusing State Park for their dedication and commitment to the park
and to each other. We are truly a team and realize that together
there we can accomplish great things for the parks. I think we all
feel that working at the parks is more than just a job. We feel
privileged to work for the Wisconsin DNR at Wyalusing and Nelson
Dewey State Parks.
One more thing to share in this holiday
season – 2 “regular” campers just came to Wyalusing to bring us
some Christmas treats (hint hint) and they told me the following:
“Coming to Wyalusing State Park is
better than going to Disney World”.
I wish all of you a very Merry
Christmas and the very best in 2012.
