Letter to the Editor: Full-time ranger keeps Yellow River State Forest safe

To the Editor:

We have been going to Yellow River State Forest for the last 27-plus years. We have seen many, many improvements over the years, especially in the last 19 years since DNR ranger Rylan Retallick has been in charge. Not only does he make sure that the campgrounds are clean and looking nice for campers, but he takes pride in keeping the park safe.

For example, a few years ago we were camping in Creekside Equestrian Campground on Memorial Day weekend when all of a sudden someone started shooting guns. We were not but 100 yards away from where the bullets were hitting. We had kids, adults, dogs and horses taking cover. Talk about scary!

Some kids were shooting across the pond, not realizing they were shooting towards the campground. Thank goodness we had OnStar in our truck and called the park ranger. He was there within five minutes to stop them and give them a ticket. Thank the good Lord that no one got shot. If there had been no one to respond that quickly, who knows what would have happened.

Since he has been spending only 25% of his time at Yellow River, we have personally witnessed ATVs/UTVs in the park. On one weekend, as we were riding our horses, we saw three different ATVs in one day. I thought it was illegal to ride an ATV/UTV in the park (except for park personnel). If Rylan would have been there, we could have called him, told them where we saw them and he would have caught them and given them a ticket.

You know I have an ATV and respect places that you’re not supposed to ride them. Thankfully, our horses are used to ATVs, but many aren’t. If you have a young horse and a young or novice rider, it could be a disaster waiting to happen. And most importantly, most people don’t even realize that the horse has the right of way, always!

Many families want to continue to come and play at Yellow River, but not knowing if they’ll be safe or not if something bad happens is what will keep them away.

If you are passionate about keeping the safety of Yellow River State Forest please contact Senator Klimesh at mike.klimesh@legis.iowa.gov  or 563-380-4224, and Rep. Anne Osmundson at Anne.Osmundson@legis.iowa.gov or 563-880-8227 to tell them why you think Yellow River State Forest needs a full-time park ranger. The need for a full-time park ranger is important.

The people who come to this beautiful forest to camp, hike, ride horses and bikes, fish, bird watch or to just relax in the peace and quiet of the surroundings need to know that they are safe! So please take a moment to sign the petition at tiny.cc/yrsfranger.

Thank you,

Wendy Morris
Lansing