A timber expert believes you should be able to gaze upon Potawatomi State Park and Washington Island for many years to come. Dr. Daniel Tingley from the Wood Science and Research has been a frequent visitor to Door County as of late as local groups look to save the Potawatomi State Park Tower and the Mountain Park Lookout Tower from being destroyed. Both have been closed to the public in recent years due to concerns about their structural integrity. In both cases, Tingley believes there is still plenty of good in the timber used for the towers as long as a little maintenance is performed. For the Potawatomi State Park Tower, Tingley is frustrated that more has not been done to protect it from further damage, especially since it has been added to the state and federal historic registers.

As for the Mountain Park Lookout Tower on Washington Island, Tingley says folks there are moving forward with plans to restore it to its former glory so it can reopen.

There has not been much movement on restoring the Potawatomi State Park Tower since nearly $5 million was earmarked for saving the structure as a part of a special session legislation package that was not acted on by the Wisconsin Assembly or Senate. You can voice your concern about the Potawatomi State Park Tower by clicking this link.

A previous version had Tingley being a part of Wood Science and Technology Institute. We have made the correction.