Old Wadena Bogwalk to be constructed

WADENA -A community volunteer event will take place at 3 p.m. Monday at Old Wadena County Park on the Crow Wing River. Participants are a combination of volunteers from the Old Wadena Society, the 3M retirees group, the Staples-Motley F.F.A. and other interested individuals.

The activity is to construct a 750-foot long educational bogwalk across a bog on the park. When finished the walk will include environmental learning stations describing bog biology, identifying native plants, etc., with information being supplied by a Minnesota Science Museum biologist. The steel framework sections under the walk are donated docks by area lakeshore owners who switch from steel to aluminum docks. Fifteen docks have been donated so far, including several from the Brainerd area. Weekly work sessions have been conducted to prepare the dock sections for installing in the bog (constructing new decking, welding reinforcing where needed, attaching brackets for the pipe legs, etc.) On Monday, the sections will be hauled to the bogwalk site and carried out into the bog and installed - adding on to the six sections installed last year. The supporting pipe legs are drilled down almost 20 feet to hit solid ground. Monday's activity will involve 30 to 45 volunteers.

Old Wadena Park is about five miles northwest of Staples.