“Our natural resources manager got his first wood tick on his pants on February 2nd,” said Andy Soltvedt of the Anoka County Parks Department. “That’s a key indicator that the warm weather is here to stick.”
“We just had a pileated woodpecker flying around on our feeders out here,” Soltvedt said. “Red wing blackbirds, sandhill cranes. you’re seeing the spring turkeys strutting already. They are back and they are around.”
Yup, this has been a bizarre winter in the North Metro.
“We had a one-day ski season this year,” Soltvedt said.
“Forever October”
Even in March, Wargo is typically blanketed by snow and is a hot spot for cold weather sports.
Said Soltvedt: “Feels like forever October at this point.”
But in 2024 Wargo has a much different look. There is no snow and a lot of brown.
“Usually this time of the year we’re doing snowshoeing, cross country skiing. Maple syrup is usually just starting,” Soltvedt said. “All those things have come and gone. It was a lot different compared to last year being our snowiest winter on record. It’s definitely been a bit of a change from last year.”
Trail traffic up
The balmy weather means trail traffic is up at Wargo.
“People never put their bikes away,” Soltvedt said. “You see a lot of bike users. A lot of trail users. A lot of people out, enjoying the warm weather, taking advantage of it, just different than they would normally in Minnesota this time of year.”
This March, visitors are seeing unusual sights at Wargo. Cardinals have been spotted and some spring colors are popping early. This outdoor playground has already made the pivot to a new season.
“A lot of things we’ve done in the fall we’ve shifted throughout the whole winter,” Soltvedt said. “Now we’re looking at doing birding programs. What was a snowshoe program became a walking or hiking program. So it’s just making those adjustments with the weird winter we’ve all experienced…A lot of great opportunities for people to come out here at Wargo – regardless of rain, snow or shine.”
Even though maple syrup started flowing earlier than normal this year, Wargo is still going to have its annual maple syrup festival on March 23. The cost is $5.
