County grapples with crowded parks

Sheriff’s Department called to regulate access to Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve while officials work to enforce social distancing rules

AN OZAUKEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S deputy helped control traffic Saturday on High Bluff Drive as people tried to get into Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve in the Town of Grafton. Officials say attendance at county parks has doubled in recent days. Photo by Sam Arendt
By 
DAN BENSON
Ozaukee Press staff

Demand on the Ozaukee County parks system has likely doubled in recent days, especially since Gov. Tony Evers closed most state parks, including Harrington Beach State Park near Belgium.

Crowded conditions were most noticeable over the weekend at Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve in the Town of Grafton where Ozaukee Sheriff’s deputies were called in to help park personnel manage traffic and restrict parking.

“We were restricting parking and the number (of people) in the park at any given time,” Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck said. 

With the parking lot full, cars lined High Bluff Drive as deputies allowed one car into the park whenever a car left.

Groups of people enjoyed the relatively warm weather, wandering the park, sometimes finding it difficult to maintain the required social distancing, especially on the narrow stairway leading to the beach.

Earlier this month, Evers closed 40 state parks after unprecedented crowds swarmed them after Evers waived admission fees.

County officials decided to keep county parks open, they said, as long as people could maintain social distancing.

“We are trying very hard not to have to close Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve or any other county park, but we are enforcing the social distancing,” Struck said.  “We will continue to monitor usage at the park.”

Lion’s Den is the county’s most used park, with more than half its visitors coming from outside Ozaukee County, Struck said.

Struck said he did not have exact park attendance figures for the parks since the Covid-19 outbreak began.

“We don’t have these comparison counts as my staff who take care of the counters is working remotely from home, so we have not downloaded or analyzed any of this data yet,” Struck said.

“I would say all the parks have seen a significant uptick — just a guesstimate, but probably double the normal attendance, although, like I said that is anecdotal, in each given park.”

Struck said his hope is that park visitors will maintain social distancing so the county can avoid restricting access or potential closures.

“We are really encouraging people to avoid crowded parks at peak times and try to spread out,” he said.

At the 32 Ozaukee Washington Land Trust nature preserves, the crowds have been larger than usual, but “appropriate,” OWLT Executive Director Tom Stolp said.

“The crowds are appropriate and a lot of people are using good judgment. If the parking lots are full they are moving along to one of our other preserves,” he said. 

Stolp said many preserves are seeing “sustained use,” with Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in the Town of Belgium being one of the most popular, causing the rules there to be adjusted.

“We had to change the rules, specifically around dogs in the preserve. The habitat goal (at Forest Beach) is to preserve nesting habitats for migratory birds. This being nesting season, we are asking that people refrain from bringing dogs with them, dogs being dogs,” he said. “There are a lot of ground nesting birds.”

Nesting season lasts through August, he said.

He said the decision was made in consultation with  the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory.

He also asked that people visiting the preserves stay on trails because of the onset of ephemerals flower season when perennial woodland plants emerge and bloom, producing seeds.

In addition, Stolp pointed out that spring turkey hunting season is in session.

“Our preserves exist so users can enjoy many of Wisconsin’s different outdoor traditions,” he said.

For more information on OWLT’s preserves and rules, visit owlt.org.

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Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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