News Release Published: May 6, 2009 by the West Central Region

Contact(s): Peter Bakken, superintendent, Black River State Forest, 715-284-1406

EAU CLAIRE – Renovation of all-terrain vehicle trails at the Black River State Forest will begin this week, the state Department of Natural Resources reports. Small segments of trail will be closed on weekdays during the project.

The plan is to upgrade one wetland crossing a week with the affected section of trail ready to ride again by the weekend. The first area to be affected is the 2.2 miles of trail between State Hwy. 54 and Bartos Road. Once these six crossings have been improved, work will begin on the eight crossings to the south between 54 and the state forest border.

A Chapter 30 wetland permits was applied for as required by law.

ATV trails in the state forest are part of a 230-mile regional trail system in Jackson and Clark counties. The trails were originally designed for snowmobiles. ATV usage was first permitted in the mid 1980s. At the time there were no engineering standards for ATV trail construction.

During the past decade ATV ridership has greatly increased. The large number of riders, combined with inadequate trail engineering, has created environmental problems. Engineering the wetland crossings is a crucial step in the long-term plan to improve the trails to modern standards.

After Labor Day, phase two will begin with work on remaining crossings just south of Highway 54 followed by the six crossings between East Seventh Street and Cranberry Drive.

ATV trails are open from May 15 through October 15 and from December 15 through March 15. Weekly trail condition reports are available at: Black River State Forest. During construction updated maps showing the section of trail closed will be available at this website.

For additional information please call the Black River State Forest staff at 715-284-1406.