City crews remove fallen foliage from Rudolphi Woods trails

One of Dowagiac’s best-kept secrets is literally hidden inside a forest.

Rudolphi Wildlife Refuge, located on Daily Road across from Southwestern Michigan College, contains more than eight miles of nature trails, which connects the 350-acre forest to the college, Riverside Cemetery and Dowagiac Middle School.

In recent months, though, a barrage of high-speed windstorms has wreaked havoc on the quaint woodland area, with fallen trees causing portions of the trail to be blocked off, and in many cases, impossible to traverse. One member of the community voiced his concern about the issue during last week’s meeting of the Dowagiac City Council.

Thanks to the efforts of the Dowagiac Department of Public Services, the trails are back in business. Crews worked all throughout last week to clear fallen foliage and reopen the path to runners and walkers, said City Manager Kevin Anderson.

“We’re out there on a regular basis to make sure the trails usable,” Anderson said. “They’re a great asset for the community and we want to make sure they continue to be in the future.”

The city has been the warden of Rudolphi Woods for over 20 years, Anderson said. Officials often rely on feedback from visitors to let them know when issues arise with the trail systems out there.

“It’s a continual process,” Anderson said. “In an area like that, trees will continue to fall, and we continue to take care of them.”

Earlier in the summer, DPS crews spruced up other areas of the refuge as well, including the entrance and parking lot, the city manager said.

“We got out there and not only cleaned up some of the dead trees but also cleared up some of the underbrush,” Anderson said. “I think it was a nice project that opens up that area in ways that it wasn’t before.”