Spring Time in Allouez

The last couple of weeks have tested my resolve to accept whatever Mother Nature tosses in my direction in an uncomplaining fashion. But the promise of those first few warm days and the early signals from the earth that spring has arrived are what make this such a great place to live. The change of seasons is something that appeals to many Wisconsin residents and my favorite change is the one from winter to spring.

Although this spring entered the month of April kicking and screaming, there are signs other than the date on the calendar that it has arrived. There are tiny buds on the trees and bushes, fewer houses have Christmas decorations on them, residents have had a chance to visit with neighbors without competing with the roar of a snowblower, and road construction has begun.

The snow on portions of the Resch Family East River and Fox River Trails that stubbornly clung to the asphalt in areas sheltered from the wind and shaded from the pale spring sun is now gone. Regular bicycle traffic, commuters and riders on bikes with regular size tires, has returned to the trails. The relatively new fat tired bikes are made to travel over snow and there have been some of those on local trails all winter.

Early spring riders find that they do not have to contend with many other trail users. There are runners training for the Bellin Run or the Cellcom Marathon and the occasional roller blader. But the trails will remain quiet until the weather warms up enough for more fair weather exercise warriors and families out for walks.

On the Fox River Trail, the Brown County Parks Department has been busy. A brisk walk or ride through Allouez will reveal the stumps of trees cut down and piles of wood chips that are the remains of those trees. The county cut down fifty trees that were leaning over the corridor and were considered hazards. They also cut down or removed up to thirty trees that were damaged by high winds. Some of the trees were deemed too hazardous for the county to remove, so the work was contracted out.

County and village workers have been out cleaning off the trails. They use blowers to remove leaves, sticks and gravel from the trail to provide as safe a surface as possible. If there are cracks or holes that have developed over the winter, they will repair those.

People using the Fox River Trail near Heritage Hill in mid-April heard the sounds of creaking boards and nails being noisily pulled. Workers are removing the old cedar shingle roof from the sugar shack and replacing it with resawn red cedar shake.

The wildlife is returning to the area as the weather warms. The geese are making their presence known in their own unmistakable way. The waterfowl and deer have returned to the retention pond area south of Heritage Hill. The egret that has been there the past few summers has not shown up, but could be here soon. Turkeys are abundant and drivers on Riverside Drive are forced to yield as flocks of up to a dozen bob and weave across the state highway. The graceful American white pelicans can again be seen soaring over the Fox River and songbirds have returned to backyard feeders.

When strolling or riding around the village daffodils can be seen beginning to sprout in the flower beds that face the low April sun. Siberian Squill, the delicate blue flowers that grace some lawns in spring, are delighting some residents and annoying others. Early yardbirds have been out raking up what the winter snow and wind deposited on the lawn and hardy automobile lovers can be seen giving their car or truck a much needed spring cleaning.

All of these are harbingers of the warm and welcome weather to come in Allouez. Those of us who live here anticipate that first beautiful day in the spring when we can joyfully exclaim, “We deserve this!”