Portage paths constructed at Wagaman Mill

Employees of the Jasper County Conservation Board, plus a couple of volunteers, spent a blustery Wednesday in Lynnville, making it easier for canoeists to enjoy a ride down the North Skunk River. The group spent the day building a pair of portage paths, places where travelers on the river, in canoes or small boats or inner tubes, can circumnavigate the dam at Wagaman Mill. Cory Van Zante of Sully Construction used a backhoe to create the initial paths from the river’s edge both upstream and downstream from the dam. Then an erosion control fabric was laid down with “Geo-Webbing” on top of that to hold the gravel in place. Recycled railroad ties were added to create steps. Others working Wednesday included Conservation Board employees Keri Van Zante, Katie Cantu, Rob Graham, Jerry Ratliff, Kent Dunsbergen and Dennis Cooling, and Lynnville resident Roy James. The portage paths were constructed on land easements obtained from the Gosselink family and the Lynnville Historical Society. Keri Van Zante, Conservation Board director, said the project was made possible by a grant from the Department of Natural Resources water trails program. The program is ongoing, with Kellogg next in line for the portage paths. Van Zante said the Conservation Board would be concentrating on portage paths for the North Skunk River, then move on to the South Skunk River as well.