The Old Stone Wall on the Ski Trail - Photo credit: Donna Franczek | |
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FOHC Sponsors Lime Kiln Trail Improvements!
Submitted by Greg Burns
The Friends of High Cliff State Park (FOHC) have adopted the Lime Kiln Trail as a major fund raising and improvement project.
As one of High Cliff State Park’s most popular hikes, the Lime Kiln Trail annually provides the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of park visitors to intimately experience iconic geologic features and the wonder of the Niagara Escarpment in all seasons. Though long recognized for its beauty and unique features, little funding has been provided over the years for maintenance and improvement of the trail. The multi-year FOHC project will address safety, accessibility, and environmental sustainability issues along the full length of the 1.7-mile trail.
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE: Phase 1 construction will occur this fall in the waterfall area, one-half mile south of the Lime Kiln Trail Parking lot. Priorities include the construction of a gentle swale to help direct water flow from the upslope stream that frequently floods the trail and during winter months leads to dangerous ice-sheeting. An observation lobe with council stones will be constructed overlooking Lake Winnebago, providing the opportunity for relaxation and reflection.
The fall 2024 construction is scheduled November 1-December 15, 2024. A partial closure of the Lime Kiln Trail will take place during that time. The Lime Kiln Trail Parking Lot will be closed along with access to the Lime Kiln Trail at the trail kiosk. The remainder of the Lime Kiln Trail south of the waterfall area will remain open to the public during the construction period but must be accessed from alternate parking areas.
Alternate Parking Areas for Lime Kiln Trail access during construction include the Indian Mound Parking Lot and overflow parking available throughout the Family Campground.
The Alternate Lime Kiln Trail Access Point during the fall 2024 construction will be via the trailhead stairway at Mile Marker 1.1 on the Red Bird Trail. It can be reached by hiking south on the Red Bird Trail from the Indian Mound Trail parking lot or from the Family Campground near Campsite #39.
Generous funding for the Fall 2024 Phase 1 construction has been provided by the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, and the William and Mary Bergstrom Family through the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. FOHC has also secured matched-grant support through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. Thank you to everyone for your donations. FOHC continues to welcome public and corporate support to advance the Lime Kiln Trail improvement project.
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The old Lime Kilns appeared eerie on October 22, 2024, as captured by Daniel M. Seurer after the FOHC Annual Meeting. | |
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Remembering Bun - High Cliff General Store
By Cynthia R Mueller, Retired High Cliff Naturalist
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Did you ever remember an elderly relative or friend and say to yourself, "I wish I had paid more attention to their stories?" I am so guilty of that! Though I only knew her for a relatively short time, I feel privileged to say that I knew Bernitta Funk of High Cliff, and I considered her a friend.
Who was Bernitta Funk? Though there aren’t as many people who know her name today, she was an important piece of High Cliff’s history. Bernitta Funk, affectionately known as Bun, and her husband Roman – known as Red, were the last storekeepers of the High Cliff General Store. Bun and Red operated the store for 23 years from 1946 to1969. Unlike other storekeepers before them, the Funks purchased the inventory and fixtures from Fred Nast, owner of Western Lime & Cement Co.
A residence was added to the back of the building shortly the Funks took over operations. Kerosene lanterns and a hand pump in the pantry were ample until electricity and running water were added later. They raised their son Joel there. He has many fond memories of this home. Another family convenience that few know about, is a fancy, indoor outhouse in the upper area of the home. (It’s still there.) The walls are made of mahogany, a string hangs from a light bulb, and a child step up and an emptying pan complete this special room. It was doubtful when they invested in the store and added a family residence, that they knew their tenure as storekeepers would be the last.
While Bun managed the day-to-day operations of the store, Red did the book work and payroll for the lime plant. At the same time, he worked in the quarry and at the mill until it closed in 1956. Indicative of the time, both were very hard-working individuals. Although she said that she didn’t cater to Sunday suits or women’s hats, she stocked everyday clothes for locals, including shoes, socks, and bolts of fabric to sew your own. She mentioned that the store had everything from cure-all remedies to face powder. Children from the country school down the road, the Walter Cheever School, could buy their school supplies from the store. Groceries consisted of bulk items such as crackers, peas, beans, barrels or measured amounts of sugar and salt. And of course, candy. Plenty of candy!
Bun saw many changes during her days at High Cliff. Something she once said to me that still resonates today is, “If you can't accept change, you aren't gonna do very well in life”.
And indeed, life changed once again for the Funks after the lime plant closed. The little community of High Cliff vanished. Former workers and their families moved away. The store business slowed considerably. Bun said that winters were very lonely.
Still, Bun and Red saw opportunities to make some extra income by leasing a former cottage turned tavern, and a boat livery on the shoreline below where the kilns once stood. You could rent a boat by the hour or by the day. Red’s Bar and Boat Livery operated from 1959 to 1973.
After the store, tavern and boat livery closed. The Funks no longer lived in the store residence. They moved to a modest little cottage on the north shore of Lake Winnebago, just down the street from High Cliff State Park, which was dedicated in 1964.
As time went on, the love of her life, Red, passed away. However, Bun’s love of High Cliff lived on. She was a charter member of the High Cliff Historical Society. Organized by John Stumpf of Sherwood, the Society saved the store from demolition in the early 1970s. By 1978, the store reopened as a history museum, with Bun being the lead curator and docent. That’s where I met her. As the naturalist for High Cliff State Park, working and learning from her was so much fun. She recalled her days as the storekeeper during the Western Lime days. I wish that I had written things down…listened more. Bernitta passed away at age 87, in 2001.
Bun always wanted to write a book about High Cliff. I met with her several times, and we started to try to figure out what exactly she wanted people to know about it. She looked at old photos that brought back many recollections of days gone by. Unfortunately, ill health stalled our meetings. She was so afraid that she wouldn’t get it done while she “still had her faculties!” But not all was lost. Thankfully, as she felt better and was more motivated than ever about putting her book together, Jean and Paul Preissner, dear friends of Bun, helped her gather articles and information already written about the history of the area. They also helped put many of her memories into words. Bun’s book “High Cliff – Community by the Shore” was finally published in 1997. The Friends of High Cliff are keeping it available at the High Cliff State Park office. Stop in for yours!
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An Invitation
by Debra Cook
One of my favorite trails at High Cliff State Park is the Butterfly Pond Trail. I have walked that path hundreds of times, yet each visit is a unique experience.
I remember watching a Pileated Woodpecker rapidly pecking on an old, dead log unaware of me standing nearby. I was once surprised by a pine tree full of Cape May Warblers eating away at the tree’s seeds. I listened to the unique call of a pair of Bobolinks—a rare pond trail experience—and I often hear the distinctive call of the Wood Duck. I was excited to spot a one-eyed owl across the pond and I love meeting the friendly deer that often use the trails too.
Seasons change and the trail changes, too. Spring brings migrating warblers to High Cliff, filling the air with their songs. In summer, Purple Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans and Milkweed grow along the paths, attracting a variety of butterflies. Autumn wins the prize for the park’s most picturesque season—cool days with woods filled with brilliant oranges and reds. Brightly-colored leaves tumble down from oaks and maples, blanketing the trails and carrying the scent of autumn. And there is nothing so peaceful as a wintery walk down one of the park’s trails on a silent, frosty December morning.
Many have walked along the Butterfly Pond Trail and other trails of High Cliff State Park, but no one ever walks the same path. Each time someone treads the trail, each time someone wanders the worn path, the sights, sounds, smells are different.
The trails of High Cliff State Park are an open invitation, a chance to discover, an opportunity, an adventure, and they beckon you to come.
Note: The Butterfly Pond Trail is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
The Friends of High Cliff would like to acknowledge and thank Franklin Schneider. It was Franklin's vision, design and work that provided the beautiful scenery that we enjoy when we walk the Butterfly Pond Trail.
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Holiday Gifts Made Easy!
The Friends of High Cliff have merchandise available for all the park lovers on your list, from hats to water bottles or stickers to coffee mugs! The park office hours are 10:00-4:00 Tuesday-Sunday (closed holidays). Members receive 10% off their purchases. Dick's Family Foods in Sherwood also has some merchandise for sale. However, no discounts are available there. Another great gift is purchasing a plaque. The displayed plaque will show your support of the park for many years to come! You can also gift a membership, please visit our website for the form.
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The Wings of Winter
Bird Photos and Article by Rob Zimmer
As November arrives and we enter late fall and early winter, many of the songbird migrations have already passed by. The journeys have passed, and the birds are now well on their way to their wintering grounds in the southern states and beyond.
Throughout late fall and winter season, however, we enjoy a plethora of wild birds here at High Cliff. Songbirds, game birds, birds of prey, waterfowl and others remain, even through the coldest and snowiest days, to enchant and mystify and comfort those who watch them. The owls are especially active during late fall and winter, erupting into haunting chorus each evening at sunset, lasting all through the night. Take a stroll along the trails after dark and listen for the songs of great horned owl, barred owl, eastern screech owl and perhaps, if you’re lucky, a northern saw-whet owl. With the trees now free of their leaves, you may be lucky enough to spot one of these owls roosting during daylight hours, silently watching you pass by on the trails below.
Of course, everyone awaits the arrival of the dark-eyed juncos, fun, friendly little sparrows dressed in black and white and gray with an adorable pink bill. Juncos can be seen now all along the wooded trails and prairie edges where they feed on the ground, upon weed, wildflower and grass seeds.
Winter is also the best time of year to be on the lookout for the huge, majestic pileated woodpecker. These woodpeckers, our largest, can be seen more easily now that the leaves have fallen. Pileated woodpeckers feast all winter long on the trees of High Cliff. There are other woodpeckers, that remain all winter, as well. The red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker and hairy woodpecker are commonly seen along the forest trails.
Familiar winter birds, such as cardinal, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, American crow and others can also be seen regularly upon visits to High Cliff. Walk a different trail each time you come to enjoy a greater selection of birds.
To the surprise of many visitors, fruit-eating birds, such as American robins and cedar waxwings are often plentiful throughout the winter season. Numerous sources of food, such as wild grape, highbush cranberry, staghorn sumac, Virginia creeper, as well as, unfortunately, buckthorn, invite these birds to stay throughout the winter season.
As long as water remains open in the marina and on the lake, large numbers of waterfowl species may also be present. Canada geese spend the winter in large numbers. Visiting sea ducks from Canada and the coasts, such as common merganser, red-breasted merganser, lesser scaup, greater scaup, canvasback, goldeneyes, bufflehead, long-tailed duck and others may also be seen through much of the winter season when open water remains.
Wild turkeys can be seen throughout the park, feeding upon abundant acorns, hickory nuts, black walnut and other crops that are available here throughout the season.
Adorable snow buntings, dressed in black and white, are often seen on the limestone breakwalls around the marina. They may also be seen feeding on the trails where they find wildflower and weed seeds. In any given year, a number of unexpected avian visitors may choose to spend the winter. I have seen winter wren, yellow-rumped warbler, hermit thrush and eastern bluebirds along the trails, all throughout the winter season.
A number of different hawks and falcons me also be seen throughout the winter season. Red-tailed hawks, merlin, American kestrel, sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper’s hawks have all been spotted throughout the winter months.
Be sure to explore different areas of the park and enjoy the energy and beauty of the wings of winter.
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Established in 1997, the Friends of High Cliff State Park Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that supports, assists, and promotes the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with interpretive, scientific, historical, educational, and related visitor services.
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