WSU Biology Majors Lucas Mestad and Matt Unmacht spent the summer clearing the Krueger Woods.
By Abby Peschges ’13
Take a hike — in Krueger Woods, that is!
Krueger Woods, adjacent to Garvin Heights, was donated to the WSU Foundation in 2011 by the family of William Schuler of the Schuler candy fame. WSU Professor Emerita Carol Jefferson, a friend of the Schuler family, was a driving force behind the donation and subsequent restoration of this significant bluff side property. A condition of the land donation is that the land be available for use by the outlying community as well as serve as an educational resource for local students of all ages.
Formerly a ginseng operation, the 80 acre tract needed more than a little TLC. WSU biology professor Neal Mundahl and two of his Plant Ecology students, Lucas Mestad, a biology/environmental science major from Elgin, MN, and Matt Unmacht, a biology/ecology major from Eagan, MN, spent the summer diligently clearing Krueger Woods.
Overgrowth had reclaimed the former ginseng operation. Invasive species, including honeysuckle, buck thorn and Chinese bittersweet, were among the aggressive plants choking out the natural habitat. With the assistance of private contractors and initial funding from the WSU Foundation, the restoration project began in earnest. Armed with heavy-duty bug spray and chainsaws, Mestad and Unmacht got to work tearing out old fallen fence line and dismantling abandoned buildings.
“I had no idea this would be so difficult,” commented Unmacht. “It was a mess and has been a lot of work. But it has been great to work on this project all summer and see the progress.”
Mestad, a self-professed outdoorsman who spends a lot of time hunting and fishing, agreed that the opportunity to work on the Krueger Woods project has been both fun and educational. “It has been hot, buggy, exhausting work, but I’ve really had a good time. Who wouldn’t like to spend their entire summer outdoors?!”
Mundahl and his student crew quickly realized that the effort to restore the land to its natural state was bigger than anticipated and that additional funding would be necessary to continue the project. Mundahl applied for an Xcel Energy Environmental Stewardship Grant for Habitat and Park Projects, which encourages partnership efforts between nonprofit entities and Xcel Energy that preserve, restore, conserve and improve wildlife habitat, open lands, wet lands, parks, trail systems and recreational areas.
Xcel Energy awarded the Krueger Woods project $10,000 for continued restoration efforts.
The restoration project has three main components: access, trails and invasive plant control. Following the initial deforesting of invasive plants, Mestad and Unmacht began restoring existing trails and creating new ones. The trails will eventually connect to the existing trail system on the adjacent 40 acres within Garvin Heights Park. The newly created trails will provide a loop for local hikers to walk.
Habitat damaged in the clean-up process is being replanted with seedlings purchased locally from Prairie Moon Gardens, and will be maintained by student conservation efforts going forward. WSU student research projects and class exercises have been implemented to document the restoration.
Public access to Krueger Woods is found at the base trails to Garvin Heights, located just south of Garvin Heights Road on West Lake Boulevard, as well as from Garvin Heights Park, which is maintained by the City of Winona. WSU students, faculty, staff and the entire community are encouraged to get out for a hike in Krueger Woods for physical recreation and nature appreciation.
