WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 120 NO. 35 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Powerlifters compete at Nationals. PAGE 10
Fellowship of moss and mire Trio crosses Red Lake Peatland BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
It was an unusual invitation, to say the least. “Two or three shadeless days of biting flies, clouds of mosquitoes and miles of water-soaked sphagnum [peat moss],” recalls Rob Henderson, describing the summons to join two fellow endurance athletes on a 43-mile scientific field trip across Minnesota’s Red Lake Peatland. “It sounded delightful!” Henderson jokes. Although it’s possible he’s not kidding. Immediately, he responded with an enthusiastic “yes” to the invitation from ecologist Jason Husveth. For his part, Husveth had wanted to explore the peatland for decades. As a graduate student at the University of Minnesota he’d pored over a textbook, “Patterned Peatlands of Minnesota,” mesmerized by the vastness and complexity of the biological systems in the Red Lake Peatland
Insight out: Osceola artist’s work on display at Cafe Wren BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
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Jason Husveth, right, and Rob Henderson make their way through the soggy ground of the Red Lake Peatland, one of Minnesota’s most remote and inhospitable landscapes. Husveth, Henderson and expedition partner John Storkamp will talk about the adventure April 3 at Cyclova XC.
(RLP). He was also intrigued by its relative inaccessibility. ‘Remote Minnesota’ The mossy, wet terrain of any peatland is unpredictable and difficult to cross. “Bogs have a mystery of their own,” wrote Tom Anderson in a 2014 article, “Remote Minnesota,” published in Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
magazine. “In storytelling and literature, they are often portrayed as dark, threatening haunts. These are the kind of places that heroes must pass through as a test of their mettle.” Husveth’s crew was not the first to venture into the bog in recent history. Anderson, a former director at the Warner Nature Center in
May Township, and his wife, Nancy, had trekked there in search of remote and primal wilderness. Despite recent subzero temperatures, Anderson broke through the bog’s ice about three miles into what was supposed to be an eight-mile hike. He leapt to safety, but the scare convinced the pair to turn around. SEE FELLOWSHIP, PAGE 20
Polk County Board sets strategy for trail lawsuit BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
The Polk County Board has adopted litigation strategy for a lawsuit concerning the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail, Interim County Administrator Jeffrey Fuge announced last week. The announcement came after the board met in closed session last Tuesday, March 20, to discuss the legal strategy. The suit in question was brought last November by Amery resident Peter Henry, who alleges that the county board violated procedural rules when it approved a partnership document with the DNR that opened the possibility of allowing motorized vehicles on the trail. Henry contends that the board had not yet considered the potential costs associated with allowing motors on the trail, and
should not have approved the agreement. Last November, Fuge (speaking as the county’s legal counsel) argued that the partnership with the DNR was the first step toward investigating the financial implications of allowing motors on the trail. A motion hearing regarding the case is scheduled for April 9. Trail plans Parallel to the lawsuit, the board is moving forward with a comprehensive planning process for the Stower Seven Lakes and Cattail state trails. A resolution approved last week (no. 28-18) renders null an earlier one (no. 43-17) to develop a multi-use, multi-season trail plan for the Stower. The new resolution also amends the resolution that prompted Henry to file the lawsuit (no. 59-17). It was not immediately clear whether the
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At a glance, they could be paintings: Trees bare of leaves, their branches and twigs breaking the sky into mosaic. A trail mowed through a field of flowering goldenrod, wind and clouds invoking the drama of a coming storm. A vintage cruiser propped against aged panels of wood, some barn red, others weatherworn to gray. For Osceola artist Wendi Lindenmuth, the images reflect a new way of seeing, figuratively and literally. An active outdoorswoman, Lindenmuth was diagnosed with Lyme disease in the summer of 2015. The ailment ravaged her immune system, leading to a series of co-infections including meningitis. Her muscles and nerves were damaged, and everyday activities became overwhelmingly difficult, even painful. Slowly, she has worked to improve her health.
But her encounter with disease has changed her vision, seemingly permanently. Her depth perception has changed.
‘It really is a completely different way of looking at things.’ Wendi Lindenmuth Artist Her center of focus has shifted. To correct for this, she wears glasses with a prism. “Things look very different now,” she says. “That’s kind of how all this started.” Lindenmuth, whose artwork is currently on exhibition at Cafe Wren in Luck, compares herself to Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” “She starts off in black and white, then goes to Oz,” Lindenmuth explains. “It’s the first time she sees color. The way SEE ARTIST, PAGE 18
changes might affect the pending suit. The resolution calls for the Environmental Services Committee to develop an advisory group to help with the comprehensive trail planning process. The committee will include one member of the Environmental Services Committee, at least one representative of the Friends of the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail, and others who are affected by the use of the trails. The Environmental Services Committee will present the proposed comprehensive trail plans for public hearing before they are approved. Other business • The board accepted the resignation of former county administrator Dana Frey and confirmed the appointment of Jeffrey Fuge
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A digitally altered photograph by Osceola resident Wendi Lindenmuth, whose work is currently on exhibit at Cafe Wren in Luck.
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