Park Shelter

UP Environment Article

In the Spring of 2022 the article "The Miskwaagamiiwiiziibi Shelter at the Bates Township Park, Iron County" by Maggie Scheffer was published by the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

A project of the Iron County Watershed Coalition (ICWC), with funding from the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition Community Conservation Grant program

History plays a part in a rewarding project that unfolded in Iron County along the Paint River in the summer of 2021. Along this scenic stretch of river, once referred to as "Miskwaagamiiwiziibi" by the local Ojibway, lies a 40-acre parcel now under the stewardship of Bates Township. Had it not been for the visionary passion of one man in 1923, this river frontage would very likely be divided and developed; inaccessible for public use.

That man was Herb Larson, an influencer who persuaded county officials to purchase land with water frontage so that future generations would be able to enjoy these natural resources as public spaces. Fast forward to 2005: the timber on the parcel was harvested and a disputed proposal to divide and sell the 2,800 feet of river frontage was fought and defeated. The ownership of the parcel was then transferred to Bates Township, which subsequently implemented a recreation plan for the parcel. What began in 2005 with two citizens concerned about the future of the park evolved into a plan to construct a park shelter for public enjoyment, as well as a stopover for paddlers to camp overnight.

Construction of the cordwood park shelter located on the north side of the Paint River in Bates Township began in 2019 with planning and site preparation, involving approximately ten volunteers. On June 12th, 2021, a work bee kicked off the actual shelter construction. Work bees were held June-October, one to two weekends per month. Over this period of time 110 people showed up to help, 45 of them returning multiple times, averaging five hours each day. It is the remarkable dedication of volunteers and the motivation to participate in cordwood construction of the shelter that has made the project so successful!

In addition to volunteer support, and to cover expenses beyond the $6,000 Community Conservation grant received from UPEC, in-kind donations of site materials valued at just under $3,000 as well as cash donations of $1300 have been made by local residents and supporters (see accompanying story, "A Place for Everyone").

At the present time, all but one of the eight shelter walls are completed, the door and windows are in, and the roof has an ice and snow barrier on it. Completing the eighth wall, putting in the floorboards, and finishing the roof covering is anticipated to be done soon.

In addition to the shelter itself, consideration must be given to a suitable fire ring, a pit toilet, as well as a take-out ramp at the river and trail between river and shelter. In partnership with the township trustees, these final touches will complete what can be a valuable asset for the park going forward. This shelter on the Paint River in Iron County can be an enduring recreational site forpaddlers as well as those wishing to find solitude for an afternoon near woods and water. It is "by educating and engaging our community in projects like this that we
work to restore and preserve our watersheds for future generations" (ICWC mission).

Project coordinators are grateful to the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition for providing the funds to
purchase building materials, and for the pledge of ICWC members to oversee light seasonal clean-up for the first two years of shelter use. Going forward, ICWC can also play a role in bringing awareness to the site so that the public may begin to reap the benefits of the visionary Herb Larson.

A Place for Everyone

Richard Sloat

The vision for Miskwaagamiiwiziibi(Misk-wa-ga-me-we-z-b) Park along the banks of the Paint River in Bates Township, Iron County, was for it to be a place where people, after a day or afternoon of canoeing, could rest or camp along the river or in a shelter. Or, a place for people who wanted to drive to the park to spend a day or evening camping with shelters at their disposal at no cost, with the hope that families with limited resources could and would take advantage.

Prior to applying for the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition Community Conservation Grant, there were constant concerns. Time, money, volunteers, self-induced pressure to create, and expectations from others. So, to keep the project forging ahead, we focused on planning the pre-construction tasks that were doable without a cut-and-dried plan. When the time came to do these tasks, who would show?

Well, people did show. We cut logs into cordwood; de-barked and hauled cordwood in sleighs; excavated a 21-foot-diameter building site; wheelbarrowed gravel over a rickety boardwalk to the excavation site; loaded lumber, unloaded lumber, loaded and unloaded lumber again. I laugh out loud typing this because these words do not portray the efforts and work actually involved.

In November of 2020 Maggie Scheffer suggested applying for the UPEC grant, so that's what happened-and just in case the $10,000 grant was awarded, a closer examination of the shelter plans and materials list needed to be made. Changes were in order; and, when it was official that a $6,000 grant would be awarded, the pencil needed to be sharpened again.

The first changes of many were apparent. The irregular-shaped octagon now became a simple (HA!) regular-shaped octagon. The wooden timber foundation now became a concrete footing.

Before any kind of construction could begin, measures needed to be taken in order to ensure easier, safer access to the site for ferrying building material over uneven rocky ground. A decision was made to construct a 60-foot-long boardwalk. The boardwalk was out of the scope of the grant requirements, but it had to be done. People would have been injured. The boardwalk was completed in June 2021 by four volunteers. Now water, lime, Portland cement, and sawdust for mixing the mortar could be transported with relative ease, together with timbers, lumber, and other miscellaneous items that needed to be safely brought to the site. Nine huge cedar logs were the most difficult haul, but was accomplished with three volunteers and a wheelbarrow.

In July, forms were built for the footing and concrete mixed in wheelbarrows. We mixed approximately two yards of concrete for the footings in three hours with ten volunteers.

Later in July, the cedar logs were placed as vertical supports, and rafters and some of the roof boards were put in place. It wasn't until September 18 that the roof, with two layers of treated 3/4-inch plywood for additional structural strength, was ready for the layer of ice and water shield to be placed. Meanwhile, the cordwood walls were being built, which began around the beginning of August. By October 17, nearly all of the walls were complete with a door and two windows. The last wall has half the cordwood in place and a frame prepared for a stained-glass window that is being built and donated by a Bates Township resident. By the end of October, we wrapped up work on the project for the year. We will finish the shelter in the summer of 2022, installing the stained-glass window, installing the cedar board floor, and laying the sod on the roof. Though we joke that we have a primitive shelter, it is much more than that. The shelter is a beautiful piece of art!

There were times myself and others wondered if we could do it. Well, we did-and it was all due to one person, Herb Larson, back in 1923, who had a vision that "recreational centers must be provided for the mass of people, who cannot, and never will be able to, own summer homes of their own."