News & Stories

Civilian Conservation Corps clears Trail Loppet Course

I’m writing this now as I can hear the chain saws buzzing out back- music to everyone in the office’s ears.  Once again, the Civilian Conservation Corps has arrived to muscle through the massive amounts of downed trees and brush crisscrossing the Trail Loppet course, remnants of the tornado that tore through the park in late May.  “We were here for the Tri-Loppet as well.  The amount of downed trees was crazy!” said crew member Kelley Martin said as she put her chainsaw down for a moment and smiled, “This is a lot of fun.” 

Team leader Clinton Lee commanded the Tri-Loppet clearing operation back in June. Most people in the Loppet office would agree that the CCC came and preformed a miracle in the woods.  “What seemed like an impossible amount of trees on the trail, they muscled through in a few days.  It would have been a completely different story without them,” said Foundation director John Munger who brought in bagels for the group today.

Currently, the team of four is back with a vengeance tackling nearly 13 miles of trails that need to be liberated before the September 10 Trail Loppet.  If things go as planned, the course should be cleared by the end of the week.  “The group loves these projects,” Lee shared.  “It’s like a giant puzzle they get to solve with chainsaws.”