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Downed trees from winter storm are being removed

A fierce, 18-hour windstorm on Wednesday, Dec. 17, included a microburst. It damaged an area 60 feet wide and 400 yards long through N-Sid-Sen from the chapel, across the volleyball and basketball courts up the hill to cabin 8, reported Randy Crowe, volunteer manager at the camp.

Top shows tree that fell against cabin 8. The middle photo shows the logger dragging out a log by the house. The bottom is fallen trees by a shore cabin. Photo Courtesy of Randy Crowe

The storm toppled about 40 trees, pulling up root balls of about 25 of them, dislodging cabin B from its foundation and causing roof damage to Forrester Lodge, the nurse’s cabin, cabin A and cabin 8. About four benches in the chapel were smashed. Four big trees northeast of the Ford Cabin fell, blocking the trail to the canoe beach.

“Along with that we have had some fir trees that were dead and dying because of root fungus that spreads as long as they are there, so we have had them taken out,” said Randy on Jan. 16.

That day an independent logger who has worked with N-Sid-Sen was there taking down more than 12 trees with root fungus along with dragging the storm-downed trees with a skidder to a loading area at one end of the parking lot for a logging truck to pick up.

“He used a skidder that could go anywhere and wrapped cables around the logs to drag them to the loading pile,” Randy described.

The logger had taken out two loads of 32-foot-long fir and pine logs, some three feet across. Randy estimated there would be about five more loads. The entire salvaging was expected to take seven days.

“Then volunteers will be coming to help clear out the branches by the summer. The logs have been drawn off the basketball and volleyball courts, but we still can’t see the courts because of the branches,” Randy said.

The insurance adjuster had just come a few days before and Randy was waiting to hear what insurance coverage there would be so he could start with repairs.

He summarized that there was damage to the Forrester Lodge roof that had temporary repairs. The skylight in the manager’s house had the frame torn and one layer of glass was broken, but the second layer of glass was holding out rain.

Cabin B was shifted off its foundation, but the stump beside it had to be removed to open the door and assess damage before reestablishing a new foundation under it. There was damage to the roof and eaves of cabin A, the nurse’s cabin and cabin 8, but there appeared to be no structural damage.

“We had to get the logs out before we could start repairs to the buildings,” he said.

Then an excavator will need to come in to remove the root balls that stand eight to 10-feet high and are not only an eyesore but also a safety concern if kids climb on them.

Meanwhile, $31,000 of the $50,000 gift from Broadview UCC closing is being used to paint the bedrooms, halls and kitchen of Spirit Lodge—with the help of volunteer teams—and to install new carpeting and flooring in the bedrooms, halls, bathrooms and kitchen.

Giving Back (Work) Camps through the spring will bring volunteers to clean up N-Sid-Sen grounds and prepare the facilities for the full season of UCC retreats and camps, as well as for use by partners.

The first retreat is Feb. 8 and the camp is half full in March, mostly full in April and booked fully from May through September, said Randy.

For information, call 208-689-3489 or visit https://n-sid-sen.org.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church of Christ News © January 2026

 

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