New trail completed inside Marr Park

    Recent visitors to Marr Park have noticed something different about one of the trails. The trail at the northwest corner of the park has been rerouted and surfaced with rock. The trail begins farther north than before and crosses a newly formed dike at the edge of a newly formed pond. A bird-blind structure will be built at the southern end of the trail, and many bird-feeders will be installed just feet away. This will allow visitors to get an up-close look at birds without the birds noticing them.  

    Steve Anderson, director of the Washington County Conservation, said the former trail was often wet because it had drainage problems.

    ?We would have issues with our maintenance equipment getting stuck when we would come down to mow,? said Anderson. ?It?s always been like that.?

    The conservation center was given REAP money (Resource Enhancement And Protection) from the state government, and used it to build a dike on the trail, to give the water a place to go other than the trail itself. Anderson said he and local conservationists have installed dikes in other places before. He said that the dike allowed for the creation of a pond on the east side of the trail. 

    ?I like to have a little impoundment of water,? said Anderson. ?My board accuses me of wanting to build another pond every chance I get. If you need to make a dike, you might as well end up with a puddle behind it. It doesn?t cost anything, and in fact it often costs less than the alternatives.?

    During the landscaping that was done this fall, the grass and shrubs near the pond were dug up. Anderson said that by next fall, the area will be completely green.

    ?It might be what you call weedy, but that?s part of nature healing itself,? he said. ?I expect this area to become a thicket. We like a good balance of brush and trees from a wildlife perspective.?  

    Anderson said he expects the trail to be used more often now that it?s developed, and he doesn?t think the extra use will make it any less attractive.

    ?There?s always that fine balance between being lonely and busy,? he said. ?I think more people will use it, but it will still be scenic and beautiful.?

    Jack McFarland was a frequent visitor to the park who passed away. McFarland donated money for the rock and for a bench on the trail. Anderson said the rock is a welcome addition to the trail?s makeover.

For the full story, see the Nov. 10 edition of The Washington Evening Journal