By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For three decades, Neil Munger has worked to protect natural areas of Wood County so the public has places to hike, bike, climb and canoe.
Munger, who is most at home sitting around a campfire surrounded by nature, knows the value of the outdoors. Growing up in the Milwaukee area, he spent much of his childhood relishing the outdoors.
“We camped a lot when I was a kid,” he said. “I loved doing things outside.”
He then turned that passion into his lifelong profession with the Wood County Park District. But his role as park district director is coming to a close, with Munger announcing his plans to retire early next year.
It was a natural fit when Munger was hired by the Wood County Park District 30 years ago as a seasonal maintenance worker.
“I started out riding around on a lawnmower,” he said.
Munger worked his way up to special projects coordinator and park ranger, then 21 years ago to the director’s position.
Since then, he has taken his role as steward of the county’s parklands very seriously.
“We have to look out for those areas and preserve what we have,” he said.
When Munger retires early next year, he will leave a county rich in natural areas for local residents to escape to.
When he was first hired, the county park district had just three parks – Otsego Park near Grand Rapids, William Henry Harrison Park in Pemberville, and Adam Phillips Park on the grounds of the county historical center.
Since then, the park district has added 16 more parklands.
“We’re very careful of what we add. We have to make sure we don’t spread ourselves too thin,” he said.
Munger’s favorite? “That’s like telling me to choose my favorite kid,” he said.
However, he is partial to Cedar Creeks Preserve in Lake Township, which was the first park “developed from scratch from a woods.” The park has trails, bridges over creeks, a playground and shelter house.
When adding parkland over the years, the district has focused on providing a variety of opportunities for county residents.
“All the parks are so different,” Munger said.
Bicyclists can pedal the Slippery Elm Trail, kayakers can put in the Maumee River at Otsego Park, rappellers can scale Sawyer Quarry, hikers can walk the woods at Bradner Preserve, archers can take aim at Arrowwood Archery Range, and history buffs can visit the one-room Zimmerman School and the Carter Historic Farm.
“We like to listen to what the county residents want,” Munger said. “That’s the big thing – listening to what the citizens want for their parks.”
While providing open spaces and some programming, the park district stops short of activities like sports leagues.
“We’re a park district – not a parks and recreation district,” he explained.
Munger was quick to share credit for the successes of the county park district.
“I can’t give enough credit to the people I work with,” he said of the park district staff.
After retiring, he and his wife, Kathy, will be able to retreat to camping for more than just stolen weekends.
“We love parks. We love hiking. We have always been drawn to parks,” he said. “We like to get out and get away from things.”
The couple has purchased some acreage in northern Michigan, where they plan to spend prolonged periods with nature, and with their two sons and two grandchildren when they can steal away.
Munger and his wife long ago traded in their tent for a fifth-wheel camper – which Munger referred to as “glamping,” for camping in glamour.
“We take our home with us now,” he said. “We’re too old to sleep on the ground.”
In their retirement, the Mungers hope to get out to Yellowstone and maybe spend some time in Florida during the cold winters. As huge Jimmy Buffett fans, the couple wants to make it down to Key West, then be able to retreat to their Michigan home away from home, which has been dubbed “Camp Mungeritaville” in homage to Buffett.
