A Three Piece Column: Parks & Rec, Surges and Scourges

P&R
Pickleball continues its Manifest Destiny as Henning Park becomes the latest to refurbish a pair of seldom used tennis courts into a Pickleball Palace, boasting a half dozen brand spanking new courts.
The new play area will help promote a sport that has continued to spawn new waves of local enthusiasts each season.
Now  toss in the collaborative effort between Parks and the city of Newaygo that has brought a new and innovative disc golf course to the area.
Yes, the abundant recreational opportunities our corner of this bipeninsular paradise offers continue to grow in leaps, bounds and tomahawk tosses.
All the while a partially constructed, yet immensely popular, Dragon Trail draws bikers and hikers from near and far to its pathways and county campgrounds continue to benefit from their improvements by seeing site reservations in demand  throughout the summer and well into fall.
Kudos to those who have the vision to see the economic impact of these initiatives.
And even more praise to those who recognize the obvious health benefits to be had from making recreation both fun and easily obtainable.
                                                                           
SURGE
Speaking of health, DHD#10 Director Kevin Hughes delivered his annual report to the NC Board of Commissioners  last week  and cited the challenges of increasing the % of vaccinated citizens. 
The current national surge in cases is primarily occurring in areas where vax rates are even lower than those in our fair county (under 50%? Seriously, folks?) and it is hoped the same fate doesn’t follow here since misinformation surrounding vaccinations seems to have found itself a bit of a niche in NC. 
For an interesting take on the influence of some segments of the media on anti-vax sentiment  in our area check out this recent article from Dr. Rob Davidson, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Healthcare. 
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-fox-news-covid-vaccine-denialism-hurts-my-patients-ncna1274236

SCOURGE
The ravenous moths that invaded our woodlands and traumatized our trees as caterpillars are a painful memory to be sure, but if one takes notice, the once dead looking branches on our oaks have begun to sprout new growth in an impressive showing of resiliency. 
Here are  some guidelines we’ll repeat from the Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding those brownish, furry looking remnants known as egg masses:

Egg masses will persist until next spring when the hatch begins. To lessen impacts next year, it is important to look for, remove and destroy egg masses.

• Look on trees, buildings, outdoor furniture and playsets – anything that’s outside.
• Use a scraper or hard plastic card to scrape egg masses into a container of soapy water.
• Let them soak overnight, then bag and dispose of them.
• Alternatively, egg masses can be placed in a fire and burned.
• Note that just scraping them onto the ground will not kill the eggs, and egg masses will still hatch next spring.
• It’s important to check for and remove egg masses from cars, equipment and anything that has been outdoors before you pack up for your travels.
• Leave firewood at home – it’s a common source for spreading gypsy moth.

To find out more about invasive gypsy moth life stages, identification and management, visit Michigan.gov/Invasives.

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”-Isaac Asimov

Ken DeLaat, N3 Publisher