NISSWA — On a cold and windy, gray and rainy Earth Day, a Minnesota company planted its 3 millionth tree - in Nisswa.
The mood was festive Friday, April 22, for the group that gathered to plant 10 Norway pines at a new, modern resort taking shape on Clark Lake where the former Minnesota Hockey Camps was located for more than 40 years.
Ben Vanden Wymelenberg is the founder and CEO of Woodchuck USA in St. Paul, a company that designs and manufactures high-end custom wood products and gifts.
For every product sold, the company plants a tree.
It just so happens that Vanden Wymelenberg and his wife, Zoie, and their business partners, Tony and Kate Becker, bought the former hockey camp property and are developing Nature Link Resort there.
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“There’s something magical that happens when you get your hands dirty and you plant a tree,” Vanden Wymelenberg told the group before the planting began amidst construction at the resort.
He said for those at Woodchuck USA, every time they make, sell or ship a product, “We’re literally planting a tree.”
Woodchuck USA believes in putting nature back into people’s lives, and the same is true of Nature Link Resort. The owners want to connect people with nature.
“Our mission is to impact the world by relentlessly delivering excellent service and helping people reconnect to themselves, nature, and the people around them,” the resort’s website says.
“Our lives have become so reliant on a constant connection with technology. Notifications, screen time, and social media consume our attention as if we are living our lives through a device as opposed to living in the present,” the site says. “We want to offer an experience of disconnecting so that our guests can reconnect with the things that matter most.”
A main lodge that will function as an event center and wedding venue is under construction with an expansive view of Clark Lake, and so far three cabins have been remodeled and are being rented at Nature Link with a few more set to open soon.
The resort will feature 25 cabins in what Vanden Wymelenberg calls a “clean Scandinavian design” that veers from the lakes area’s traditional up north theme.
While the resort has high speed internet, televisions won’t be installed in the cabins that feature a simple, sleek design.
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There will also be two 8- to 10-unit hotels as part of construction that will take a couple years. The wedding venue, which the Beckers will operate, is set to open in September.
Vanden Wymelenberg noted the resort’s proximity to the Paul Bunyan Trail, reiterating the purpose of connecting people with nature. The resort will have bikes, kayaks and paddleboards for guests, and plans include a walking trail through the 14-acre wooded property.
On Earth Day, workers with Tree Trust, a nonprofit in St. Paul, partnered with employees from Woodchuck USA and others to plant the trees on Nature Link property.
“Look around and see the Norway pines that are 50, 60, 70 years old. The trees that we plant today are going to be around a lot longer than most of us here today,” Vanden Wymelenberg said.
He announced Woodchuck USA’s commitment to plant 15 million trees by 2030, and the hope that others pick up the same habits for future generations.
Regarding the 3 millionth tree planted April 22, Vanden Wymelenberg said that’s roughly enough trees to fill up every major sports stadium in the world three times over.
“The next time you go to a ballgame, think, ‘What if this field was literally filled with trees,’” he said.
Nancy Vogt, editor, may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
