6 September 2024
SUPERIOR — There’s a new stop on the St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail and a new location to connect with nature.
City and state officials gathered at Woodstock Bay on Thursday, Sept. 5 to celebrate the revamped area just off Billings Drive at the end of North 28th Street, near White Birch Trail.
The revitalization of the 14-acre site along the St. Louis River began in 2017 with the acquisition of the property and the 2018 design that focused on a low-impact design that would enhance public access while maintaining its rustic charm. The project’s goal was to create a more accessible and inviting environment for visitors.
“This is one of the things that I’ve been more excited about than almost anything we’ve done in the last five to 10 years in Superior,” Mayor Jim Paine said. “Maybe one of the most exciting things that we’ve done in my life in Superior. I grew up in Billings Park. I grew up canoeing out of this launch, illegally. I was telling Secretary (Kathy) Blumenfeld we were all trespassing when we were doing that, but the owner was kind enough to let us.”
The secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration had the opportunity to tour the site along an American with Disabilities Act-compliant trail that follows a living waterfront, planted with 100 deciduous and 100 coniferous trees and 400 shrubs.
“I feel like I am in nature and admiring all that nature has to offer,” Blumenfeld said. “So your leadership has been second-to-none and the ability to have public-private partnerships … all for a common purpose, this is what can happen.”
Now Woodstock Bay is a place where the public can launch a canoe or kayak without fear of reprisal for trespassing.
And it’s a site that is more resilient and ecologically sound than the sandy isthmus once was.
Access enhancements include an ADA-accessible dock that gave people the opportunity to explore the water in kayaks provided by the St. Louis River Alliance on Thursday. Woodstock Bay also offers three overlook viewing platforms and a designated winter launch site for ice fishing.
In the winter, snowmobile riders will be required to stick to the trail to prevent damage to the pervious pavers that circle the parking area, said Linda Cadotte, forest, parks and recreation director, and Ryan Wintlend, forest, parks and recreation superintendent. Other vehicles will be able to access the ice from that area, they said. In the summer, the area is protected by bollards.
A pavilion, vault toilet, picnic tables, benches, a bench swing, recycling and garbage cans, and pet waste stations round out the amenities available to the public.
Paine encouraged visitors to walk around and see it as more than just a nice place to go.
“You practically are in the Superior Municipal Forest, Wisconsin’s only boreal forest — 4,400 acres completely contained within the city,” Paine said. “This is the best access to find the forest by water. You can get into the Pokegama River right around the corner. I frequently skip out of work to do that through the summer.”
Funding for the new $1.6 million park came from Wisconsin Coastal Management and the city of Superior.
Wisconsin Coastal contributed about $140,000 for the acquisition of the property, $100,000 for the design of the Woodstock Bay and Pokegama Bay rustic boat launches and $300,000 toward the construction at Woodstock Bay, Cadotte said.
“For 40 years, we have worked to support coastal communities, protecting nearly 1,000 miles of Wisconsin’s coastline,” Blumenfeld said. After touring the site with the mayor, she said she can envision people ice fishing in the area, children learning to kayak and canoe in the calmer waters of the bay and the weddings and celebrations that could take place in the new pavilion.
“Seeing that giant swing, I want to try that,” Blumenfeld said. “It looks really wonderful.”
]]>