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Pond Development Project at Hugh Rogers Wag Park
Thanks to the tireless work of our Board of Directors, the help of many volunteers, and the extreme generosity of our community, Hugh Rogers Wag Park now has a complete small dog area, twenty five shade trees, six freestanding six-foot benches on large concrete pads, a completed one-third loop mile accessible asphalt path, a greatly enhanced pavilion area, and a permanent obstacle course. Having completed all of our improvement goals for 2011, the Whitefish Animal Group [WAG] Board has turned its’ attention to our next goal...the Pond.
The Armory Park Master Plan, which was unanimously approved by the Whitefish City Council, includes a greatly expanded version of the existing pond. All of the park work completed to date has taken this concept into account, and WAG is now focused on the pond development project. As always, we will work closely with our outstanding Parks and Recreation Department and City Park Board.
The current pond, long unused, is completely fenced, spring-fed, and acts as a water collector. It has an installed one inch pipe for raising and lowering the water level, an old pumping station, and available electrical service already in place. These elements will be integrated in to the project design. The pond is partially surrounded by native trees and plants, primarily aspen and cattails. These will be retained, and additional native specimens may be added.
We are currently working on surveying, mapping and design work. WAG is working closely with Matt Daniels and his associates at River Design Group, and Leslie Lowe of Beargrass Landscape Architecture Designs. Subsequently we will meet with several expert pond contractors to obtain recommendations and project bids. The finished project will be a spectacular addition to our park system.
It is our intention to create a safe, clean swimming area for dogs only. To that end our design will include gently slopped, large beach areas. The pond will be large enough, deep enough, and adequately circulated to maintain high water quality and to discourage algae growth. One of the many benefits of the pond will be to offer an in-town alternative to the small, often crowded dog swimming area at Les Mason Park, the only authorized dog beach within City limits.
All necessary funding for this project will come from private donations and grants. We will post project design work, timetables, and specific fundraising targets on this website. We welcome inquiries, suggestions, and in-kind contribution offers to wagparks@gmail.com.
Please send you tax-deductible donations to:
W.A.G. PO Box 1690, Whitefish, Montana, 59937
Project fund raising chair: Steve Lull, [406] 863 9501
Project committee co-chairs: Rox Rogers, Joni Aronson
W.A.G. President: Jim Lockwood, [406] 862 7760
May 19th: WagRace, 10:30a.m Join us for our 3rd annual fun event for the whole community. Distances range from 1.5 miles to 15K, walking or running, with or without dogs. It’s free for kids ten and under. After racing we’ll enjoy great food and beverages, while listening to an all-star band. A wealth of fabulous prizes will be given away. Black Star Brewery beer, and Sweet Peaks ice cream is included. Entertainment by Barnyard Riot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtCVxsmzUAs
We hope to have at least 500 participants this year. Register now at www.runwhitefish.org.
Whitefish Animal Hospital; Run Whitefish, event sponsors.
http://www.whitefishanimalhospital.com/ http://www.runwhitefish.org
June 16th: U.S. Border Patrol presentation. 10:00-11:00a.m. Enjoy learning about the work of the Border Patrol, including its’ canine counterparts. This will be entertaining, educational, and suitable for the whole family.
August 18th: Wagminster [just for fun] Dog Show and Picnic. 12:00-3:00. Join us for the fourth annual fun-filled day of free food, raffle prizes and music. This event also features lots of pet related vendor booths. Vendor space inquiries can be made to Alpine Animal Hospital 862 2524, or vet@montanasky.net.
Alpine Animal Hospital; Invisible Fence Co. of Western Montana, sponsors
http://www.alpineanimalhospital.us/ http://westernmontana.invisiblefence.com/
September 8th: Bark For Life. The American Cancer Society fundraising event honors the life-long contributions of Canine Care Givers. The event features doggie games, music, top dog and dress up contests, and special canine demonstrations. It is loads of fun for kids and adults, and all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
September: Flathead County Search and Rescue: Learn about the FCSAR rapid respons unit, including the vaunted K9 rescue team
October 13th: The Big Read. This is a truly rewarding learning event for children. Talented Whitefish Children’s Theater Director April Vogel will coordinate.
National Endowment for the Arts http://www.neabigread.org/
May-September, every Wednesday, 5:30-6:30: Pedicures in the Park , Whitefish Animal Hospital staff will clip your dog’s nails, and be available to answer pet health and care questions as well. It’s valuable, fun and free. Whitefish Animal Hospital, sponsor.
http://www.whitefishanimalhospital.com/
June-August?: Obedience Classes: program through the Whitefish Parks and Recreation Department
3/3/2012
After several years of wonderful service both Doug Wise and Jillian Lawrence resigned from the WAG Board of Directors effective February of this year. As a member of the city Parks and Recreations board, Doug will continue to attend WAG board meetings as the Parks and Recreation board’s representative for the dog park, so he will continue to be an invaluable resource to the WAG board and to the dog park. Jillian needs more personal time as she prepares for the exams necessary to become a licensed Architect, but she too has promised to stay involved with WAG activities. The WAG board and the entire community thank them both for their service over the years.
At the February 2012 WAG board meeting two new board members were unanimously elected to fill the two vacancies. Melissa Nutant is an individual and family therapist with a Master’s degree in social work. She and her husband have two wonderful dogs, Wilbur and Orville, who constantly clamor for attention. Melissa is active in the community and will be a wonderful asset to the board. Matt Smith was born in Illinois but grew up in the Missoula area where he was captain of his High School wrestling team. He has a playful Bull Mastiff Pit-bull mix that we often see at the park. Matt currently works for DePratu Ford VW and is also very active in the community. He is looking forward to working with the WAG board to continue its efforts to make the Hugh Rogers WAG Park the best dog park in the country. The WAG board is grateful to have both Melissa and Matt on the team.
Jim Lockwood
WAG President
1/6/12
A Message from the WAG Board:
WAG 2011 Recap and 2012 Preview
The WAG Board would like to thank all of you for a wonderful 2011.
As you all know, since its inception, the park has been a collaborative effort between the City of Whitefish, through its Parks and Recreation department, and the Whitefish Animal Group (WAG), a 501 (c) non-profit corporation, and a host of volunteers who have donated time and money every step of the way. Used 365 days a year, the park receives an estimated 30,000 visits per year by dogs of all sizes and breeds, and by people of all ages and abilities. In addition to its value to pet owners, the WAG park is also utilized by a diverse cross-section of the community, many without dogs.
For those of you who do not know the history, following the donation of five acres by the City of Whitefish, WAG received private donations allowing for construction of fencing, benches, a five foot wide ADA compliant asphalt path, a water fountain for people and dogs, garbage cans and mutt mitts disposable bags; allowing the park to open to the public in 2009. In 2010 a state of the art pavilion was constructed, again with private donations made to WAG, and more than 25 trees were planted.
2011 was a banner year as several more projects were completed. A small dog area was installed early in the year with bench, garbage can and Mutt Mitt station. The City provided a new underground sprinkling system around the pavilion for more than 8,000 plus square feet of sod which was placed by volunteers. This greatly beautified the area and improved the accessibility and use of the Pavilion, particularly in inclement weather. Also this year, the design and construction of a permanent safe obstacle course for dogs took place, consisting of five obstacles complete with new sod over the two culvert obstacles. This addition to the Park, along with the addition of a new bench in the area provides wonderful new activity/exercise opportunities for the dogs and people, and has increased the use of this section of the Park dramatically.
The last project completed in 2011 was the extension of the five foot wide ADA compliant asphalt path, providing more than 2,200 linear feet of path that will be of great benefit to everyone who uses this park, including those in wheelchairs, parents with babies in carriages, and people without dogs who just want to walk the path and take in the panoramic view of the mountains. The success and quality of Huge Rogers WAG park has elicited widespread praise, as well as numerous inquiries for advice from other municipalities and out of town visitors seeking similar park development.
Our next major project, which will begin in earnest in 2012, will be to fund, design, renovate and expand an existing, but not currently useable, pond and beach in the park. Native plants and a beach area will be included in the design. We hope to be able to expand the total area of the park to the South in conjunction with the pond project. Once the preliminary design and estimated budget is established by our Pond Committee, we will begin a large funding campaign specifically for this project.
With the addition of this water feature for dogs, the WAG park may well be the finest dog park in the country. For photos and more on this wonderful park, visit wag park.org.
Jim Lockwood
WAG President
406/862-7760 (h)
406/250-9737 (c)
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