Parks serve different purposes

We are writing in response to John Maynes’ opinion column, “City failing to attend to Dakota Nature Park,” published in the Aug. 5 print edition of the Brookings Beacon.

Residents like Mr. Maynes who take the time to share their observations demonstrate that they care about Brookings and its parks, and we value that engagement. The Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department shares that commitment.

Their responsibility is to provide safe, accessible, well-maintained parks while being responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to them. The Brookings Park & Recreation Advisory Board supports the city leadership (staff and City Council) decisions for responsible budgeting, financial resources and management.

The Parks Department must prioritize the areas most frequently used by the public, including trails and other high-use spaces. The Dakota Nature Park is different from many of our other parks. Its natural areas, meadows, trails, water features, and wildlife habitat require a different management approach than a traditional, highly manicured park. The same is true for the Brookings Prairie, an undeveloped 40-acre park to the southwest of the Dakota Nature Park.

In some areas of the Dakota Nature Park, staff use a minimalist approach (including no mowing/ minimal mowing) to the grounds maintenance to preserve its natural character while also controlling costs.

This is an intentional approach to managing a nature park – not a lack of maintenance.

That said, volunteer trees and invasive plants are ongoing challenges. Managing them is not as simple as mowing an area once. For example, treating volunteer trees, like thistles, may remove the plant above ground without eliminating the root system, allowing new growth to return within weeks. The Parks mowing crew must use resource management decisions to do this repeated monitoring and management.

There is also a balance between appearance and habitat. More frequent mowing and tree removal in some areas could create a more manicured appearance, but it would also reduce habitat for smaller wildlife. Responsible management requires us to balance safety, accessibility, appearance, invasive-species control, wildlife habitat, and cost.

Another tool used to manage the Dakota Nature Park’s ecosystem is periodic prescribed burns, like the one we did last October. Prescribed fires help keep the prairie healthy by reducing invasive plants and promoting native growth. When planning for prescribed burns, the staff needs to take into consideration drought and wind conditions, plus public use and private events scheduled at the park.

We recognize that there are different visions for Dakota Nature Park. Mr. Maynes has advocated for a higher level of maintenance. While we respect that perspective, it is simply different from the department’s approach of maintaining the Dakota Nature Park as a more natural environment.

Nature parks do not have to look like traditional city parks to be successful. They provide an opportunity for residents to experience nature with less human intervention.

Our staff hears many positive comments about the Dakota Nature Park, and the park receives significantly more visitors each day than many of the city’s other parks. We believe that speaks to the value residents place on its trails, natural character and wildlife habitat.

Ultimately, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department is committed to providing a high quality of life for all Brookings residents. We want to express our sincere appreciation for our employees’ time, expertise and attention to detail as they balance safety, recreation, natural resource management, and limited resources across the entire park system.
Brookings is fortunate to have parks that serve many purposes.

Our responsibility is to care for all of them safely, thoughtfully and responsibly, while making the best use of the resources entrusted to us and continuing to provide a high quality of life for the entire Brookings community.

Sincerely,

Erika Saunders
Chair, Brookings Park & Recreation Advisory Board

Jay Larsen
Vice Chair, Brookings Park & Recreation Advisory Board