by DNR_Bald Mountain » May 8th, 2018, 8:20 am
Hi all,
Quick update for you. After last weeks windstorm we have had an abundance of downed trees to deal with. That, coupled with the overly wet conditions on the trails, I have been hesitant to send our gators out for fear of damaging the trails further. That being said, we did go out and clear the South Unit of downed trees yesterday 5/7, though my Ranger noted some drainage problems we haven't seen before. I will be researching that further today. The north unit has not been cleared of trees as of yet (hopefully today), but I was able to track down and address the most serious trail flooding on the orange loop before the lake George entrance coming from marker 11. Our crafty beavers have constructed a multi-tier dam near the inlet to West Graham lake coming from Bellis lake. I tore the dams out on 5/7 and the water was flowing at a very high rate. Hopefully the trail flooding is gone at this point and the area can begin to dry out. We will continue to monitor the area and rip the dams out as needed-though it is a big undertaking (took me 5+hrs yesterday) We will also look at building that section of trail up after it dries out to hopefully help the trail stay dry.
Thanks,
Paul Majchrowski
Lead Ranger A
Bald Mountain Recreation Area
248-693-6767