Blahnik Park

I. Introduction

In August 2004 Paul and Evelyn (Blahnik) Brookhyser returned to Kewaunee County from their home in Oregon. They were just setting off on their retirement. They came to visit Evelyn�s mother Dorothy, family, and friends and to plant the seeds of a dream: creation of an educational and recreational park in memory of Evelyn�s father � Wenzel Blahnik. Wenzel purchased the land for the park years ago as a site for family reunions, summer picnics, fishing expeditions spring and fall, and ice skating parties in the winter. It is one of a number of special parcels he acquired over the years, tilled, preserved, and willed to his children.

Evelyn�s parcel is twenty-three acres he told friend and neighbor Myrton Schley he would never sell. Evelyn received the Ahnapee River property at Washington Road upon his passing. Now she and her husband seek to share it in perpetuity with the community of her birth. The Brookhysers sought out friends, public officials, and community-minded individuals to discuss their dream. Meeting in cafes and kitchens, offices and on the land, they explored their idea and sought others who might share their dream. They needed local people to carry it forward to reality when they returned to Oregon. They spoke with Ed Dorner and Mark Kanz at �the county;� Gary Paape, Town Board Chair in Ahnapee Township; representatives of the Ahnapee River Watershed Alliance, John Rybski of the Friends of the Ahnapee State Trail and his spouse, architect Tricia Croyle, long time family friend Mahlon Dier, and many others. Based on those conversations and their faith in those they met Paul and Evelyn Brookhyser generously offered by letter dated September 2, 2004 to donate their land for a public park in the Town of Ahnapee, Kewaunee County. They asked that the facility be planned by a diverse citizen�s group convened by their representatives, provide both educational and recreational opportunities to citizens and visitors, and be named Blahnik

Heritage Park.

The Brookhysers envisioned the 23-acre property, framed by the Ahnapee River to the east and the Ahnapee Trail to the west, as a family-friendly park. Wenzel Blahnik loved the land and was fascinated by genealogy. The property was the site of many family reunions celebrating his Belgian (error: should be Bohemian) heritage and the gifts of the land and waters. Now his daughter and her husband asked that this tradition be carried on in the broader community. They asked Kewaunee County to accept the property as a new asset in its countywide system of parks.

In December 2004, the Kewaunee County Finance and Public Property Committee agreed to accept the Brookhyser�s gift. The diverse citizen�s group, called the Blahnik Heritage Park. Volunteer Advisory Committee, met monthly from December 2004 to March 2005 to create a plan guiding the county�s park development initiatives. This document summarizes their recommendations

II. Blahnik Park Vision and Development Guideposts

Paul & Evelyn Brookhyser, the people who got this project started, see a future Blahnik Heritage Park that includes designated space for large family reunions and picnics, multiple uses and activities, a parking area, access to Ahnapee State Trail, and restrooms. (See Appendix A: Letters from Brookhysers to John Rybski and County Administrator.)

Vision for Blahnik Heritage Park

Inspired by the Brookhysers� ideas, the Volunteer Advisory Committee developed this Vision: In the future Blahnik Heritage Park is a unique environmental education and recreation area, and a gathering place for individuals and families. Diverse habitats are restored and maintained. Human facilities and access-ways are carefully integrated into the natural landscape. A wide variety of visitors and learners, including those with disabilities, are able to utilize the property for educational and recreational purposes throughout the four seasons. The park is linked with the other natural recreational resources throughout the
county by trails and waterways. The park has been developed and is supported and maintained by a partnership of environmentalists, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, students, educators, community volunteers, businesses, neighbors and public officials.

Development Guideposts
These principles and values are offered to 'guide' decision making as the property is restored, enhanced and developed:

� Provide for and support activities that strengthen family relationships
� Balance educational and recreational uses of the property
� Seek opportunities to promote diverse activities including, but not limited to, bird watching,
camping, bicycling, duck hunting, canoeing, cross country skiing, fishing, horseback riding,
duck hunting, nature study, picnicking, snowmobiling, habitat restoration and watershed protection
� Build in a scale that respects the community and the scale of the property
� Use materials that are local including materials that can be sustainably harvested from or relocated
on the property
� Do no harm to the environment
� Strive to re-establish the natural environment characteristic of the area prior to 1850
� Integrate man-made facilities into the natural landscape

more info at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/kewaunee/cnred/documents/BLAHNIKPARKPLAN_DRAFT5b.pdf#search='Blahnik%20Heritage%20Park'

Blahnik Heritage Park to be constructed on the old land of Wenzel Blahnik in Ahnapee, WI. Land is being donated by Paul and Evelyn Brookhyser. Evelyn is Wenzel's daughter.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004