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Just see the sign bearing the words “poison ivy” with a picture of three green ivy leaves, would put one on guard to the danger at hand. 

This is a report about our lovely little city park known as the Park Point Recreation area, and also the Park Point Hiking Trail. Both are located at the end of Park Point, and both see a lot of use by locals as well as visitors. 

 The Park Point beach house is located in the recreation area: a play area, picnic grounds, two pavilions, and several pathways to the life guarded beach. The woods adjacent to these areas are prime habitat for the wicked poison ivy. This plant grows in profusion all over these areas and looks so innocent, yet is so very not. 

 The pine forest past the Sky Harbor Airport is also sporting a bumper crop of this plant. All over in the beach grass on the lake side in the woods and all the way to the Superior bayside, it is crawling with ivy. 

 There is one tiny mention of this fact on a small sign in the recreation area. The Park Point Art Fair posts several bold “Beware Poison Ivy” with a picture of the three ivy leaves, very brightly visible to all.

 We wish the City of Duluth would do the same, to inform all visitors to these areas the dangers present. Avoid the woods, stay on the pathways, and don’t touch the leaves. Poison ivy is not good PR for out parks, and could be avoided with good informational signage.

 Please inform our park users, as it is a miserable way to wreck the memory of an enjoyable day in the park.