Wednesday, April 23, 2025
BY MICHAEL MCFADZEN
I don’t mind
when Minnesota wins, unless it’s football against Green Bay. But Minnesota
State Parks won big as Parks Director Ben Bergy announced he will leave
Wisconsin’s top park job to take the role of Northwest Division Park and Trail
Director for Minnesota State Parks. Bergy is a known innovator with a long list
of accomplishments during his four plus year tenure. Building partnerships with
501c3s, businesses, top DNR staff and the legislature helped raise the profile
of state parks during his stay.
Bergy
positioned “Parks” to a stronger financial position by developing demand based
pricing and increasing revenue by working with DNR leadership and the
legislature to establish more parks funding. ACT 59 and ACT 71 added over $4M
for state lands. Water infrastructure
got a $10M boost through legislation advanced by Senator Rob Cowles. Bergy also automated fee collection by
developing self-pay kiosks and electronic pay stations allowing staff to spend
more time with visitors.
During a
recent visit, Bergy was hesitant to take credit. “I was surrounded by excellent
staff and great partners. Parks are key to quality of life and my staff is
talented and passionate about their work. It’s a dream job to have a positive
influence on people’s lives and parks do that”. Bergy and staff developed
big initiatives including the OutWiGo
program which helps create bonds between people, community health and wellness. Dozens of
events have taken place including OutWiGo Girls, in which 1600 women
participated in backcountry events, equestrian, skiing, hiking and other
outdoor activities. “Partnership are very important in this self-funding era. Give
credit to our partners like the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks and the Friends
Groups across the state,” Bergy told Silent Sports. “They fund and host thousands
of events across the state.”
There is a
bright future for Wisconsin State Parks, according to Bergy. “It’s an incredible vital system protecting
the most unique cultural, natural resource and recreational areas of the state.
It’s been an honor.”
“It was the
hardest decision of my life to leave.” Bergy cited personal and professional
life rebalancing as reasons for the job swap. “I’ve got four children and my
family is a priority.”
New Legislation Provides
Positive Impacts for Outdoor Recreation
Tick season
is approaching and the Wisconsin Legislature has responded. As previously
reported in Silent Sports, tick and tick related disease have had an oversize
impact on Midwest residents, particularly outdoor recreationists. Ticks are on
the move which is causing an increasingly severe public health threat.
Wisconsin Governor Evers recently signed two bills into law. Act 73 requires
tick awareness signage on state lands where ticks are present. Act 74 requires
tick repellant be available for sale at numerous state lands. Two other bills are
also expected to pass, including a Lymes Disease (LD) awareness program and the
establishment of a LD Task Force. A
measure to fund a LD Epidemiologist will likely not pass. This is a reasonable
start as Wisconsin has been lagging other states in LD legislation even though
Wisconsin is the fourth worst state in the country for Lymes Disease.
There will be
a huge boost for water facility and infrastructure as the Parks Revitalization Act
was signed into law by Governor Evers in February. The bill provides
$5.2M for critical health and safety-related water projects in state parks.
The
Water Quality Task Force has several bills in the works which will have a
positive impact on water quality and recreation. Senator Rob Cowles (R-Green
Bay) authored several of these including the Establishing Pollution Prevention
Partnerships, the SCHOOL Act to reduce lead exposure from water among children
in schools, daycares, group homes and summer camps. And the PFAS Pollution
Prevention Bill which regulates the use of polyfluoroalkyl substances ( PFAS).
Cowles
is concerned that progress be made on water quality problems. “With 15,000 lakes, and 44,000 miles of rivers
and streams, Wisconsin is blessed with abundant water but is still confronted by several key water
quality issues. Clean water is
fundamental for human health and crucial for maintaining a high standard of
living. As our knowledge of the water
challenges evolve we must employ measures to help.”
Wisconsin Winter/Spring Storm Damage Spirals Upward
High lake levels,
compounded by winter storms have had a huge impact on state lands
infrastructure. “The
Historical rains the past 2-3 years
compounded by winter freeze thaw cycles have led to significant lakeshore property damage,” according to
DNR Capital Development Coordinator Caitlyn Lill. “Water levels are so high that there is
almost no Lake Michigan beach left in many areas.” The damage includes-
from shore and lakeside road flooding.
damaged. The Garden was designed to accept storm water from a bio swale and
filter/disperse water into Lake Michigan.
ferry travelers. There is also significant foundation erosion on the historic
large boat dock.
Beach, and Pattison state parks and the Elroy Sparta State Trail.
“It’s hard to put an
exact price on the park’s damage but it’s going be more upwards of $1M,”
according to Lill. Wisconsin Governor Evers requested FEMA assistance for
Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties where damage is estimated at $30M.
Snowmobilers
Getting Big Raise
The snowmobile
community is pushing for legislation that would increase their statewide
funding from $2,475,400 to $5,475,400 annually. The astounding increase of $3M
annually is likely to pass the legislature. The fund is used for trail grooming,
infrastructure improvements, land easements and other purposes. There is no similar funding for silent sports
winter recreation.
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