Size:
27 acres
Activities at this tract:
MAY-OCTOBER ONLY (No access Nov 1 through April 30; Road not plowed) And note that this trail is only infrequently maintained at this time. USE CAUTION.
Birding, photography, botanizing, and canoeing. There is a public boat access on Stone Lake that allows one to canoe/kayak to East Stone Lake via the channel in spring/early summer before dense growths of Wild Rice grow thick enough to block passage. A Hiking/Snowshoeing Trail is marked with signage and flagging. Information about trails can be found here.
Species of Interest:
Canada Jays (year-round), Trumpeter Swans on the lake, Rattlesnake and Royal Fern, Spotted and Early Coralroot Orchids, floating bog habitat, and dragonflies.
If you do explore this property and have some interesting sightings email Head Naturalist Clinton at naturalist@saxzim.org with your report.
Check out the species documented on iNaturalist for this property here.
Parking:
MAY-OCTOBER ONLY (No access Nov 1 through April 30; Road not plowed)
There is a small (2-3 car) pull-in area off the road or park at the snowplow turnaround, before the road narrows, for winter parking.
Signage:
Large “Blue Dasher Bog” sign at trailhead of property. No signage yet at corners of property. Trailhead, loop marker, and directional signage present on trails.
Location:
East of Stone Lake, adjacent to East Stone Lake and West Stone Lake at the end of Stone Lake Road (See Birding Map).
Directions:
MAY-OCTOBER ONLY (No access Nov 1 through April 30; Road not plowed)
From Stone Lake Boat Landing: Head east along East Stone Lake Road. Stay right at first bend in road. At Y in road (1/10 mi south) stay left and you will cross between West Stone Lake and a backwater area. Continue along the road for another 1/10 mi. Parking along the east side of the road may or may not be cleared. Parking can also be done in the powerline corridor just down the road.
Bog Namesake:
Naming rights to the Bog were secured during the fall of 2018 by a very generous donation to our Acres for Owls Land Preservation Fund by Arvella from St Paul. The property is named for a species of dragonfly, the Blue Dasher, which can be found in only a few places in northern Minnesota including this property.
Arvella believes strongly in conservation and land preservation. She visited the property and was impressed with the parcel and was thrilled that her very generous donation would help Friends of Sax-Zim Bog in its mission to Preserve, Promote, and Protect the Sax-Zim Bog for future generations of Birds and Birders. Arvella wanted her donation for naming rights to honor the legacy of one of her hero, Rachel Carson of “Silent Spring” fame. Here is a quote by Rachel Carson that Arvella shared with us:
— The Sense of Wonder, Rachel Carson 1965
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life itself. There is a symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
Donor Notes:
Our Bog Buddies do it again! The purchase of this bog was made possible by our generous “1-acre legacy donors” who funded the payment on this 24 acre parcel wedged between East and West Stone Lakes. The last acre was claimed in April 2018. Their names are listed below.
Many thanks to Arvella and our legacy donors who made the purchase of this property possible:
