A willow tree more than 200 years old had to be cut down recently at the Stilling Basin at Blue Marsh Lake in Bern Township. The remnants are shown April 5, 2023.

Sports Outdoors Off the Grid: The willow tree at the center of a Sandpoint parks debate Oct. 26, 2023 Updated Thu., Oct. 26, 2023 at 10:20 a.m.

When the kids were growing up, we had a giant weeping willow tree in the backyard. It was a magnificent specimen with long, graceful branches that swayed in the breeze. It was also a magnificent mess.

A specially equipped boat, from SOLitude Lake Management, dispenses an alum treatment into Willow Springs Lake, formerly a quarry, in Jackson Township, Lebanon County on Thursday, Sep. 14, 2023.