What’s Happening

Painting Projects

The bathrooms in Long Dorm and Cross Dorm have been repainted!

New Shingles

The Andrews Cabin. Log Cabin, and Square Dorm were re-shingled this summer and a few spots were repaired on the roofs.

Shower House Updates

The shower house was cleaned from top to bottom and milk board was added behind the stalls in the men’s room. A fresh coat of paint is planned for early fall.

Trail Signs Complete!

Thanks for funds from 2019’s Taste of Washburn County and Northern Crossarms, Hunt Hill purchased discounted brown treated lumber to install trail signs. After a year and a half, and countless volunteer hours to router, paint and install the posts and signs, they are up!

Handrails Added

Thanks to a volunteer welder, board member, and Advanced Laser in Spooner, we received donated powder coated handrails for the new library ramp and the steps to the Richard Grand Recreation Hall.

Deep Cleaning

The maintenance staff has been hard at work deep cleaning and preserving our kitchen! The floors have been power washed, cement has been sealed, appliances deep cleaned, stoves repainted, walls scrubbed and wooden shelves given a fresh coat of poly!

Fixing the Pondless Waterfall

After needing to refill the pond nearly daily this spring, we made the decision to pull out all the rock to identify the issue. Thanks to volunteer rock movers, we found a small tear and some spots where the liner had sunk below the water level. These were fixed and all the rock was put back in place. After two months, it continues to hold water!

Screen Porch Updated

Serving as the new volunteer check-in and snowshoe check-out spot, the screen porch needed a cleanup!  The walls were washed and painted and the floor was stained. Nearly all of the ‘stuff’ stored in the space has been cleaned out as well. 

Andrews Cabin Updates Complete

The back bedroom was expanded, the old front door was closed off, new plugins and lights installed in porch, a fan was installed in the living room and the kitchen was completely remodeled. 

Finished Lower Level of the Richard Grand Recreation Hall

What was once a basement and maintenance shop is now a wonderful classroom space at Hunt Hill. The lower level now has walls, a bathroom, reading nook, nature displays, backpack cubbies, a cool splatter paint floor and storage for camp supplies. This space will be our craft room and day camp classroom.

Educational Signs

Thanks to artist Ruth King and designer Sheri Snowbank, educational signs were designed, made and installed. 

Gates Added

For the safety of our campers, the old driveway through camp has been turned into a walking path. To prevent cars from driving through camp, pedestrian gates have been installed so people can walk through, but vehicles cannot pass.

Beaver Baffle

With the help of our lake neighbors, we installed a beaver baffle in the dam located near the WCC bridge by the beaver pond. The baffle allows water to pass through the dam.

Mud Kitchen

Thanks to volunteer Billy, and utilizing wood from a tree that came down at Hunt Hill, a mud kitchen was created in the dirt play area of the nature playground. It has a beautiful woodburned butterfly design for storing supplies and a slab wood top for making mud pies!

Lower Parking Lot Lights

For safety of participants attending evening programs, and with the help of Barron Electric, lights were installed into the lower parking lot.

Library Ramp Added

To help our visitors access the library, volunteers helped us install a ramp.

Rain Gardens Complete

Thanks to volunteers from the Regional Center for Math and Science program out of UW-Green Bay, we planted over 450 plants into our new rain gardens.

Construction is Complete!

In June of 2019, we were able to start using the newly remodeled building. The A/C and additional bathrooms have been special highlights this summer, but we look forward to warm winter programs and more opportunities for the future!

Picnic Pad

In place of an unused garden, a picnic pad was installed across from the farmhouse and new picnic tables were purchased. Two of the new tables feature wheelchair accessibility.

Paved Pathway

Thanks to an incredible grant from the WDNR, in partnership with the Washburn County Land & Water Conservation Department Hunt Hill was able to address a number of stormwater runoff issues in camp. One feature of the grant allowed us to pave the old driveway through camp, making it easier and safer for visitors to get around camp.

Stormwater Grant

Thanks to a partnership with Washburn County Land & Water Conservation, Hunt Hill received a grant through the WDNR to help address some serious runoff issues through our camp. With the support of the grant, we have been able to reshape a portion of our yard and the parking lots to direct runoff into three new raingardens and a new waterway.

Shower Updates

Showers were installed with goose necks to increase height of the shower heads and new shower heads were installed. The women’s stalls were fitted with new waterproof board along the bottom of the stalls and a waterproof paint was applied to the walls.

Cabin Updates

The Andrews cabin is a historic cabin available for rent to those interested in a rustic retreat. To better accommodate our guests, the bathroom was remodeled, new furniture was added and this fall we plan to improve the lighting. See more about this cabin on Airbnb.

Construction Continues

The remodeling of the former program garage continues into the spring. Completion of the project is set for mid-April. Check out progress photos here.

Remodeling Begins

The building called the program garage is getting a complete remodel and addition so that Hunt Hill can have a year round building with heating, cooling, bathrooms, flexible program spaces, a real sound system, and kitchenette. This will provide visitors a more comfortable and accessible space. Stay up to date and see progress here.

Updated Log Cabin

Most of the furniture in the cabin ranged from 10-25 years old. So, with the help of Carolyn C. the furniture was updated and replaced. In addition, a lot of the electrical in the cabin was very dated or located in areas that no longer made sense, so fixtures and wiring were also updated. See more about this cabin on Airbnb.

Nature Playscape

A new children’s play area was built behind the farmhouse. The area uses only natural materials to create a play area. Play structures include: a pondless creek, sand pit with hopping stumps, mud kitchen, fort, berm, native flower garden, climbing rocks and logs, and forest trail. Thanks to many volunteers, including UW-Green Bay RCMS group, the playscape was significantly finished in just one week!

New Driveway

To address safety issues with traffic driving through camp activities, the driveway was rerouted around the south side of the main campus. Both of our parking areas were also leveled and graveled.

Updated Septic

By adding year round bathrooms to the remodeled Program Garage, we also needed to update a portion of our septic system.

New Maintenance Shop

Originally located in the lower level of the garage, the shop’s location was distracting to groups when the staff worked on projects, the space was too small and also served as an inadequate and unsafe storm shelter. The new shop has more space, is located away from program activities and opens up more program space in the program center.

Newly Epoxied Floors

The bathroom floors in the dormitory bathrooms and the ADA bathroom got a fresh coat of paint in October.

New Roof

Thanks to a small crew of volunteers, we were able to re-shingle the roof of the shower house.

New Bird Feeders

Thanks to the support of David Nelson and Mark Johnson Sr of Rice Lake Weighing, we were able to create two heavy duty bird feeding systems to allow for year round bird feeding and watching.  One of the feeders is located between the barn and lower parking lot and the other is located between the farmhouse and shower house, near the circle of benches.

Painted Chicken Coop

Thanks to the generous donation of LP Siding and the help of many wonderful volunteers led by board member, Tom V, we were able to stabilize and reside the chicken coop last fall.  This spring, we completed the painting of the coop and it looks beautiful!

New Program Learning Center Doors

With more public programs being offered year round, the facilities committee wanted to add another exit, specifically to help with access in the winter when the garage doors could not be opened.  The new door offers easier accessibility into and out of the learning center as well as another exit. In addition to an upstairs exit, a door was also installed in the lower level of the garage for maintenance staff.

Updated Signs

In May we installed a new double-sided entrance sign.  This new sign reminds people that the public is welcome, has our website and encourages everyone to visit again.  In June we were also able to move the Hunt Hill sign at the corner of Highway M and Audubon Road out of the woods and closer to the intersection, while still being respectful of the vision triangle.

Cleared Culvert

On September 22, the Town of Long Lake removed half of a dump truck full of debris that was plugging the culvert on Audubon Road.

Updating the Coop

In August work began to stabilize and reside the chicken coop storage building.  The coop was beginning to sag in the roof, so pillars were added for support.  The old siding has been removed from the coop, rotten boards have been replaced and leftover smartsiding from the farmhouse project was also put up. Painting will take place this fall.

Beaver Baffle

In July 2016, our RCMS campers helped us install a beaver baffle into the dam near Heron Point. The baffle features a 15″ culvert with fencing around each end inserted into the dam. This baffle allows water to pass through the dam while preventing, or at least making it harder for the beaver to stop the flow.

Farmhouse Siding

With the dedicated help from board members, volunteers and summer staff, the farmhouse painting project has been completed! The addition of foam insulation and new smartsiding should make the farmhouse more energy efficient AND, it looks beautiful.

LP Donation

In addition to the donation of smartsiding to fix the farmhouse and chicken coop, Hunt Hill received a $4,000 grant to support youth programming from LP Building Products. THANK YOU to LP Building Products, Hayward Plant, for an incredible year of support.

Volunteers

A big thank you to John and Steve King for volunteering time this summer to help the raptors and plants of Hunt Hill. In July, five Kestrel/Owl houses were installed around Hunt Hill.  These houses can be found: behind the log cabin on the Frances Andrews trail, Hunt Hill Rd. just south of the Red Oak Trail, near Heron Point in the prairie, near the Red Shed across Audubon Road, and near the Hunt Hill sign on Highway M.  The guys also spent time removing the invasive foxglove from Hunt Hill Road.

New Siding

Thanks to board member Tom Vonasek and an incredible crew of hardworking volunteers the farmhouse re-insulation and new siding installation was completed on May 13. Volunteers are being assembled and we hope to finish painting the farmhouse by the end of July. A special thanks to LP Building Products for their donation of siding.

Thanks to an amazing donation from LP Building Products, we have been able to complete a long standing siding project of the farmhouse.  As of April 12, the old siding has been removed from the farmhouse!  Rotten boards will be replaced, insulation will be added, new smartsiding will be applied and it will get a fresh coat of paint in the weeks ahead (but don’t worry, it will maintain the rustic look we’ve come to love).  We are thankful to our facilities chair, Gary E for securing such a great donation for us!

Subnivium Research

In the fall of 2015, three microgreenhouses were installed behind Square Dorm to monitor the subnivium layer in the winter. This is a three year project and the greenhouses will remain up during that time. To learn more, check out Peering into the Secret World of Life Beneath Winter Snows.

New Roof

After a long wait, FOHHAS has completed reshingling of the Cross Dorm and Barn.  The barn received a completely new roof with plywood base. These projects will ensure the health of our buildings into the future.

Prairie Restoration

After consulting with the WDNR and a prairie restoration specialist, the board decided to protect our prairie and the creatures that call it home by actively managing this area of Hunt Hill. In years past the prairie had been managed from succession by fire. However, it would often be too many years between fires and when there was a burn,  it would rarely get hot enough to kill off the encroaching woody plants.  So, in October 2015, a fecon was brought in to mechanically remove the woody vegetation that were overtaking the prairie. By mechanically removing the plants, we were able to avoid the widespread use of herbicides in our effort to control the forests’ progression.  We recognize that removal of the trees in the prairie will impact some of the bird species that were here in the past, but know that this will make an overall more suitable habitat for the long term.

New Roof

The Long Dorm finally got a new roof!  Through a certain warranty issue, we received some reimbursement for shingles that allowed us to reshingle the Long Dorm. The new roof will help protect our historic buildings well into the future.

New Pavement and Ramp

A paved walkway to Cross Dorm and the Showerhouse was completed thanks to a donation by Monarch paving of blacktop and volunteer time by board member Tom Vonasek and his team. In addition, we were able to add a handicap accessible ramp to Cross Dorm.  The completion of the walkway and ramp perfectly lined up with a group visit from Ventures Unlimited participants.