Burnett County Update

Burnett County Winter Trails are currently OPEN!!!  We have 4-10" of snow throughout the county.  The majority of the snowfall was in the south half of the county.  Not all trails are being groomed, but are open.  They are forecasting more snow for this Saturday.

Please use caution over lakes and swamps as they are not all frozen yet and you could find some open water.

Remember that it is illegal to ride your ATV/UTV on the Gandy Dancer Trail in Burnett County south of highway 77 at any time.

***THE BRIDGE OVER THE ST. CROIX RIVER ON THE GANDY DANCER TRAIL WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO VEHICLES OVER 5,000 LBS. GVW UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*** 

Please continue to watch for new deadfalls and branches throughout the 2012-2013 snowmobile season.  The storms of 2011 may continue to create hazards.

If you need any maps or any other information, please contact Burnett County Tourism at 1-800-788-3164 or email them at bctour@sirentel.net.

Jackson County ATV & UTV Trail Update

Jackson County ATV & UTV trails are set to open this Saturday, December 15. We did receive some snow over the weekend and will be evaluating the trails in the next few days and making a final decision. Please continue to check our website or call our office for updates. A reminder that UTV's are NOT allowed on our trails during the winter riding months.

Thank you.
Jackson County Trails
715-284-8475

Burnett County Trails: Open!

ALL SNOWMOBILE AND ATV WINTER TRAILS IN BURNETT COUNTY ARE OPEN!!!

Groomers are out and gates are being opened as soon as possible.

Below is a reminder to you all of the winter trail rules:

1. Only registered machines meeting the state definition of an ATV and UTV, Wisconsin Statutes 340.01 (2g) and 23.33 (11p), are allowed on the trail system, as well as registered snowmobiles.   Follow this link for state definitions: http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/le/LEA507.pdf or call the DNR Call Center: 1-888-936-7463 (7 am – 10 pm, seven days/week).
2. From December 1 through March 31st you may operate your ATV/UTV on State-Funded Winter ATV trails when a 4 inch groomed snow base is present. These trails are shown on the Snow Trails Map in blue. If we do not have snow, the Frozen Ground ATV Winter Trail will be open for use once the ground is frozen. These trails are shown on the back of the Winter Trail Map.  
3. The blue blazers indicate the Winter-use ATV trail.  Green blazers indicate the Frozen Ground ATV Winter Trail.  
4. These trail systems may be closed by the county if an early thaw exists, and rutting or damage begins to show.

Remember to respect other trail users and enjoy the ride!

Kari Letch
Bookkeeper
Burnett County Forest & Parks

Community comes together to help family of man paralyzed in ATV accident

Kevin’s recovery: Community comes together to help family of man paralyzed in ATV accident

The following article was reported from WEAU in Eau Claire.


MENOMONIE, Wis. (WEAU) – A local man continues to recover after being paralyzed in an ATV accident.

Faced with a mountain of medical bills, the community is coming together to help the man's family in their time of need.

This past May, Kevin Knospe was riding an ATV around his family's cabin in northern Wisconsin when his life changed forever.

“I missed a corner and hit a dirt berm and it tipped the machine over,” Knospe said.

Part of his vertebrae was broken and his spinal cord was stretched.

The 43-year-old soon found out he was paralyzed from the chest down and there was a five percent chance that he'd get any feeling back.

“We've never dwelled on the 95 percent. It's always been whatever we got to do to get better,” Knospe said.

And that's what Sunday’s benefit at the Veterans Center of Menomonie was all about.

Dozens of family, friends and people from the area came together to the event to raise money.

“There’s a lot of stuff that health insurance doesn't cover. We have some hefty hospital bills and things like that so hopefully that will help relieve some of the pressure,” Knospe said.

Knospe said this benefit is going to inspire him on his journey to get out of his wheelchair.

The father of two said he's making progress in physical therapy, getting back some feeling in his back, hips and feet.

“Ultimately, I’m going to walk again. I told myself and my wife told me ‘You're not going to be in that chair forever’,” Knospe said.

His wife Lauri said they were riding through lots of dust when the accident happened.

She said ATV riders should slow down when visibility is poor.

“Things change in a blink of an eye. One minute you're on an ATV riding and the next minute you're in my husband’s condition where he's paralyzed,” Lauri Knospe said.

The next step of Knospe’s recovery is returning to his job at the Walmart Distribution Center this week.

“The support has been just unbelievable. I appreciate everything,” Knospe said.

If you’d like to help, a link to the family’s website posted below.

http://knospebenefit2012.com/


Source: http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/Kevins-recovery-Community-comes-together-to-help-family-of-man-paralyzed-in-ATV-accident--181778061.html

Blackwell ATV Connector Trail Dedication

On Friday, November 30, 2012, the Blackwell ATV Connector trail was dedicated.  The dedication took place at the trail head.  The trail is now complete and was made possible from a grant from the Nicolet National Forest Eastside Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), in the amount of $20,000.00 and a matching grant from Yamaha in the amount of $8,000.00 that was awarded to the Forest County ATV Association (FCATVA.) In addition, the Town of Blackwell provided $500.00 for the project.  The funding that was provided by RAC, Yamaha, and the Town of Blackwell was used to improve existing Forest Service classified and unclassified roads for ATV travel from the Nicolet State Trail to Blackwell.  The completion of this section of trail links the Forest County ATV routes and trails with Marinette County ATV trails. Following the dedication of the trail, a ceremony and luncheon was held in the County Board Room at the Forest County Courthouse with various state and local legislators attending as well as representatives from the various partner agencies.

Forest County ATV President Jack Matuszewski welcomed the 32 people present at the
dedication  ceremony that took place at the Forest County Courtroom Board Room.  President
Matuszewski expressed his thanks to the partner agencies as well as the officers of the ATV Club, Vice-President John McCullough, Secretary Jeannie Weyers, and Treasurer Jim Hausinger.  He gave special recognition to those members of the ATV Club who played a role in brushing and signing the new trail.

Speaker Joe Yakey of Antigo Yamaha stated that he was proud to represent the Yamaha Corporation in the awarding of the grant for the purpose of completing the trail as well as acknowledging that the completion of this trail will help businesses in the area by purchasing gas, food, and lodging in the area.  Representative Jeff Mursau congratulated the FCATVA as well as the partner agencies by working together to complete the trail and to assist the North Woods by enhancing their trail system and promoting tourism in the North Woods.
Evan Miller of the U.S. Forest Service recalled the history of discussions that took place approximately four years ago regarding the development of this segment of trail and recognized the effort it took among his agency as well as the FCATVA to bring this project to completion.

Forest County Board Chairman, Paul Millan, thanked the agencies responsible for their coordination in making this trail system a reality in Forest County that will also help the growth of economic development in the area.

Terry Coplein, Northeast Regional  Coordinator for the Wisconsin ATV Association shared comments about  the positive relationship that exists between the  FCATVA, the state, the county, and other agencies and stated that he and President Randy Harden will continue to play a supportive role in helping to establish ATV routes and trails in the North Woods of Wisconsin.

Dave Ziolkowski, Forest Administrator-ATV-Snowmobile Coordinator for Forest County ,who  has played a vital role in working with the FCATVA,  expressed his gratitude in working with the FCATVA and the U.S. Forest Service to complete this segment of trail, and stated that  he will continue to work with the FCATVA in the building and maintaining of routes and trails in Forest County.

President Matuszewski  provided closing remarks as well as also acknowledging  that the completion of this project increases ATV riding opportunities and promotes tourism in the Forest County area. He also stated that the Blackwell Connector Trail is an excellent example of cooperation and collaboration among the U.S. Forest Service, the RAC Committee, the Yamaha Corporation, the Town of Blackwell and the FCATVA.  Lunch was served following the ceremony.

Burnett County Trails Update

All Winter ATV/Snowmobile Trails are CLOSED

The winter riding season begins December 1st.  However - all Burnett County Winter Trails will remain closed until December 10 due to an Antlerless Deer Hunt.  At that time, they will open for use once we have a 4” groomed snow base, (as shown on the winter use map).

If we do not have snow and the ground is frozen, the Frozen Ground ATV Trails will be open.  

NO OFF TRAIL USE IS ALLOWED AND OPERATION ON PRIVATE LANDS IS ILLEGAL UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION FROM THE PRIVATE LANDOWNER.

Some township ordinances allow for ATV/UTV use of the town roads during the winter months, and others do NOT allow it.  It is the rider’s responsibility to contact the township in which you plan to ride in and get the current rules pertaining to ATVs/UTVs and the town roads.  Please contact the individual townships for their rules and regulations.

Remember that it is illegal to ride your ATV/UTV on the Gandy Dancer Trail in Burnett County south of highway 77 at any time.

It is your responsibility to know where you are and whose property you are on.  Please be careful, be respectful to other trail users, and ride safely.

 ***THE BRIDGE OVER THE ST. CROIX RIVER ON THE GANDY DANCER TRAIL WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO VEHICLES OVER 5,000 LBS. GVW UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE***


PLEASE NOTE: On July 1st, 2011, over 76,000 acres in Burnett County were severely damaged in a wind storm resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of trees.  There continues to be numerous loggers clearing trees from not only our county forest, but also from state land and private lands, sometimes crossing or using our trails with their equipment.

Please continue to watch for new dead falls and branches throughout the 2012-2013 riding seasons.  

Contact
If you need any maps please contact Burnett County Tourism at 1-800-788-3164 or feel free to email them at Bctour@sirentel.net.

Oneida and Langlade County Trails Set To Close for Winter

The Oneida County state funded ATV-UTV trail system will close today at midnight. The ATV trails in Langlade County will close tomorrow. 

They'll reopen May 1st of next year.