It is not unusual to see weeds growing up in cracks of roads and sidewalks. Nature has a way of making itself known, and the weeds that grow in such seemingly inhospitable locations show how resilient nature can be to man's activities. I have seen parking lots over taken by weeds and trees, and trees growing out of former buildings, and in gutters and on roofs. A slight buildup of detritus and it is amazing what seeds can do. Nature has an ability to reclaim land, in many cases with little assistance by humans and perhaps even in spite of humans.
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| Marl Lake, August 2024 |
We ended our 2024 camping season last week at Hartman Creek State Park. We visited nearby Marl Lake on three different days during our trip. It is a 12 or so minute bike ride from the campsite, using a short cut. Marl Lake is a rather unique lake, due to its geology which affects its lake color. It is a small, but deep lake, with clear green-blue colored water. I wrote about the lake last month, which you can find here. This post will discuss how, what is known as the Whispering Pines Park, has been reclaimed by nature. This peninsula (bordered on two sides by lakes, and a third by a creek, survived the last major tree cutting in the state in the 1800's, so its white pines, which give rise to the name, are tall and magnificent.
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| Main trees at Whispering Pines |
White pines dominate, as a view of the air photo taken in the winter can show. Originally private property, mainly owned by the Hyldegaard family and later sold to the state. When in private ownership by the Hyldegaard family it was open to the public as a park. The property came under state ownership in the mid 1970's. With the private ownership the land contained several buildings, including a museum, souvenir shop, home and its related outbuildings. There was also a former fishing resort, later acquired by the Hyldegaards. Today, the only building on the site is a toilet building, although some old foundations are visible. We noticed old foundations near Pope Lake, which may be related to the old fishing resort on Pope Lake.
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| Board discussing Resort at Whispering Pines |
The state tore the buildings down at Whispering Pines, and nature has been left to take over. The Friends of Hartman Creek have placed a variety of markers and some benches, and the hope is, on the fairly level ground that makes up much of the top, to place a handicap accessible path. The lake sits well below the top, as fifty-five stone steps take one down to Marl Lake. The historic markers provide an explanation of the geography and the history of the site. On some areas of the flat top of the property, old paver stones remain visible on the path that circles near the top edge. It is more natural than developed as large pines have fallen, and no effort has been made to even chain saw the down trunks covering the paths.
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| Fishing Resort discussion |
As I moseyed on some of the paths, I was struck by how little evidence of the prior development and structures existed, and how so much seems to have been reclaimed by nature, with little help from man, other than removal of the buildings. Yet, the effect of man is prevalent in some of the vegetation. For example, cedar trees were planted along the lake edge by the Hyldgaard family. There are also some non-native flowering catalpa, which may have come from bird dropped seeds from their location in other yards.
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| Pope Lake |
While the white pines dominate, their are other trees: red maple, birch, tamarack, some red pine, and some hemlock on the north face slope of Pope Lake. The tall canopy limits sunlight to the ground and so there is some, but limited ground or understory vegetation in some areas. Reclamation is not limited to land, but also is part of our waterways. Lake Erie was an industrial waste ground for many years, and was able to clean itself after the implementation of the clean water act which reduced pollutant loadings. The Madison lakes benefitted by the installation of sewage treatment which resulted in the Nine Springs Treatment plant which was built and is maintained by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. The sewer plant changes to adapt to a changing regulatory environment.
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| Marl Lake, view of bottom, Aug 2024 |
Change in our landscape is all around us. We see decay and we see rebirth. It is part of the pattern of life. Nature is resilient, as is shown by Marl Lake, and those small plants that eek out a living on a roadway. Nature, however, likely has limits, as do all of us, and it would be foolhardy to predict what climate change has in store for coming years. What I do know is that nature in some situation,, left to its own devices, can reclaim itself.
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