Crew rebuilds accessible fishing pier
Crew member Jacob Wolf repaired a disability-accessible fishing platform on the Clearwater River near Bemidji.
More than 10 years ago, Minnesota Conservation Corps crews built the only disability-accessible fishing pier currently in use in northern Minnesota, on a beautiful trout stream near Bemidji. In late October, the Northwoods crew rebuilt three of the pier’s four fishing platforms on the banks of the Clearwater River. Streambank erosion had caused the posts to sink and made the pier unsafe. In partnership with the DNR Fisheries division, the crew of five removed the platforms and portions of an adjacent boardwalk, reset posts in new concrete and put it all back together. The DNR Fisheries construction crew brought in an excavator and front-end loader to do the heavy lifting, while also rebuilding the bank downstream to slow erosion that was degrading the river. Crew members included Will Jacques, Sawyer Denning, Jacob Wolf and Taylor Ouderkirk and Crew Leader Joel Tracey. Field Specialist Matt Frintner assisted on the project for several days.