VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com) It’s no secret the Trump administration has been quick to make budget decisions, and some of those could now affect camping and other recreation in the Valley City area.
Baldhill Dam Resource Manager Scott Tichy says the federal hiring freeze has led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to push back their staffing decisions for the parks on Lake Ashtabula. Usually, the Corps would be in action adding rangers for the upcoming year, but the federal hiring freeze will not allow those hired to take place.
[audio wav="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/1065/2025/04/10155520/tichy-freeze.wav"]Tichy also says it could be later than normal, perhaps the end of April or the beginning of May, before docks go into Lake Ashtabula this year, due to continued ice-over. He says some of the ice is still a foot thick near shore, and with low flows through the lake this spring, melting the ice will take more time.