County lake is still a place to be in winter
Staff writer
Winter draws near and a lot of places and their activities tend to slow down.
Marion County Lake is one of those places but still will be a fine destination spot come that first cold.
According to lake superintendent Isaac Hett, winter does not impact lake levels too much.
“[We] do not have near the evaporation that we have during the summer,” Hett said. “We have had enough moisture and snow the past couple of years that the lake levels have stayed pretty steady throughout the winter.”
In the past, Marion County Lake and its surrounding area have been prone to heavy freezes. The freezes typically occur in January and last through February.
While those freezes can potentially cause damage to docks and move marker buoys, they are not necessarily harmful.
“We just have to keep an eye on ice levels when it freezes, to make sure the public doesn’t walk out on it when it’s not safe,” Hett said. “This lake is set up nicely; we get a large amount of natural water run-off, which keeps water levels pretty consistent. We can get low during times of drought, but if we get some rain, it doesn’t take it long to fill up due to the watershed surrounding the lake.”
Hett has been with the lake for almost eight years. He truly enjoys taking care of the property for visitors.
Winter is usually a time for projects.
Among them are a substantial amount of tree and shoreline cleanup, table and bench repairs, and brush clearing.
Staff also has to make sure nothing is freezing or getting damaged due to the colder temperatures.
“The summer months consist of mowing, mowing, mowing, and taking care of the customers and campgrounds,” Hett said. “Because of this, we don’t have a ton of time to focus on much else.”
The lake employs three full-time staff members.
Wildlife is plentiful and busy during winter.
Winter wildlife consists mostly of eagles, foxes, raccoons, opossum,s and skunks.
“We don’t have any invasive flora or fauna, but we do have an over abundance of cedar trees,, which are just considered a nuisance, so we do have to clear those out as much as we can,” Hett said. “As far as the wildlife goes, every once in a while we will have a rabid or injured animal which is taken care of by calling KDWP, and they will normally send out a game warden to assist with that.”
There is a strong appearance of migratory birds after winter.
The lake staff annually burns native prairie grass in the spring, which brings a lot of native wild flowers and pollinators as well.
Environmental studies take place during the winter, and Marion County Lake conducts theirs alongside Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Hett said that staff members do a fish creel study to look at the population and health of fish.
That study is done in the summer as well.
They also do a dam structural test during the winter to make sure the dam is without issues.
Preparations for the winter months have already been underway since around the second week of November.
“This is year-to-year, depending on the weather and extended forecast,” Hett said.
The staff has to winterize campgrounds and trailer parks, make sure all furnaces are working and ready to go in the buildings, and prepare the heated dock for the winter.
Additionally, they create a working list of projects they have to get done before spring.
Winter is fairly quiet.
Most guests visit for the lake hall rentals, fishing the heated dock, or just a pleasant drive within the confines of warm transportation to admire the wildlife and lake.
Really, according to Hett, the biggest challenge faced for employees is when it snows heavily. Their priority becomes keeping roads clear and maintaining traffic so that people do not get stuck or slide into ditches.
Lake-goers are advised to use extra caution when travelling around the lake, especially in bad or dangerous weather.
“We could also use help just as far as litter and trash cleanup around the lake,” Hett said. “Unfortunately, we do deal with this on a daily basis, and we do our best to keep everything clean, but it’s a never ending task.”
Everything is still open and accessible to the public.
The lake hall still can be rented, the bathroom and shower houses are open 24/7 to the public, and campgrounds still have electricity.
The only difference is that the campgrounds do not have access to water hookups. Water is shut off to prevent freezing and broken lines. The exception is the bathroom and shower house, where the water stays on year-round.
Hett said the lake’s biggest draw-in is the heated fishing dock.
Even in the frigid winter, Marion County Lake is a place to enjoy and appreciate the peace and tranquility of the outdoors, as well as wildlife and nature.
“Sometimes people get too caught up in what others are doing or upset they’re not catching enough fish to just stop and look around and enjoy where they are at,” Hett said.