Sixty four years later, Lake Darling is rededicated to the future

By DAVID HOTLE

Golden Triangle News Service

BRIGHTON ? In a manner similar to the people who attended the reopening ceremony at Lake Darling in July, hundreds of people packed the new shelter on the bank of the lake to observe the 64th anniversary of the original dedication of the park and the rededication of the newly renovated park.

While the project that drained the lake for five years to remove the silt from the water, lower the depth and create a natural filter is complete, the renovations to the campground are not. On the way through the park, participants passed several large pieces of machinery and roads through the park that were closed off. Master of ceremonies Chad Dolan, an Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologist, said that the lake was named in honor of Jay N. ?Ding? Darling, recognizing his contributions to conservation. A bronze bust of Darling was displayed in front of the podium.

?It is appropriate rededicating a lake named after Ding Darling and for us this restoration effort serves as a model for what can be done around the state,? speaker George Antoniou, DNR lakes restoration program coordinator, told the audience.

In all, 10 people who had some connection to the project spoke. The people came from all over the country and from different walks of life.

Antoniou said that people are already working to promote such things as cover crops in the watershed. He briefly discussed the possibility of linking Lake Darling to Brighton with a bike trail.

Joe Larscheid, DNR fisheries bureau chief, said that Lake Darling is a ?gem? that sits in the southeastern portion of the state. He said that the people of the area have weathered the storm to get to the point it is at now.

Washington Economic Devel-opment Group director Ed Raber said that he is interested in seeing the growth in the lake that he first came to in the 1990s. He marveled at how the small groups of people had become larger groups, all working together with the goal of improving the lake.

?When you talk about community and economic development, that is the way most things happen,? he said. ?This didn?t happen in every state park in Iowa. This happened here and it happened because you did it.?

Don Kline of the Chicaqua Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, discussed the importance of shoreline access for an aging population. Fay Vittetoe, president of the Friends of Lake Darling, spoke about the future of the park and a possible bike trail leading into the park. She also presented one of two paintbrushes that belonged to Darling to the Federation Bank. She later presented the other to the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. Documentarian Sam Koltinsky spoke of his upcoming documentary on the rebirth of Lake Darling. DNR director Chuck Gipp discussed the importance of state parks to Iowa?s economy.