More Info & Request for Input - Seeley Forest Trail Proposal
If this user friendly trail is something you would like to see happen please express your support to the Sawyer County Board Members ASAP prior to the Thursday May 15 County Board Meeting
CLICK HERE for online info on the Seeley Forest Trail Proposal
Greetings.
Good news! The Seeley Forest Trail project made it through Committee with a 3-2 vote. It will now move to the full Sawyer County Board. Committee Members Dale Magnuson, Kay Wilson and Steve Karienen voted yes; Randy Neumann and Jim Evans opposed. YOUR SUPPORT WAS CRITICAL! Whether you attended in person, submitted a letter, signed the petition, or attended the Info Session -- it all counted as documented support. THANK YOU! Also, SPECIAL THANKS to the supporters who attended in-person and made public comments.
At the May 7th Committee meeting, Greg Peterson — Forestry Administrator, was asked for his thoughts on the project. He specifically called out user conflict between non-motorized trail groups as a concern. Sadly, one of our local silent sports trail organizations has engaged in actions that are adding additional challenges to the approval process and aiding the ATV / Snowmobile Alliance in their quest to stop the project. More details below.
This project is good for the broader community not currently being served by existing trails. A trail designed for all abilities and many different activities will enhance the lives of residents, second home owners and visitors. It will also complement our existing trails at the OO Trail Head by providing activities for multi-generational families that have a mix of hardcore athletes and casual participants, or families with small children.
Please help us get this approved.
Critical Next Step Thursday, May 15, 6:30PM: Meeting of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors (15), which includes the 5 Committee members above. With a close vote at the Committee level, it will be imperative to gain as much support as possible (via email to the Supervisors and/or in-person).
Suggested Talking Points (in addition to any personal stories) include:
Seeley Forest Trail Project Description and Need:
A Trail Designed for All to Enjoy — While our area has many non-motorized trails, none offer easy terrain with a maintained dirt surface that can be used by many who do not have the physical abilities of a competitive athlete. The location provides an immersion in nature in one of Sawyer County’s most picturesque forested landscapes, and it offers easy access at a popular trail head with family-friendly amenities.
Be confident the project meets the County’s objectives:
Sawyer County’s Comprehensive Plan 2021 - 2041
Drive economics through Outdoor Recreation.
The County’s Population by Age (Table 1-6) aligns with our target audience 53% of residents are >50 years old, and the 60 - 64 age cohort is the fastest growing at 53%. These ages are the fastest growing segment seeking human powered outdoor recreation.
Chapter 5: Natural Resources — This chapter discusses the protection of natural resources and avoiding step slopes. Fortunately, this aligns with our target audience's need for gentle terrain and has been addressed with meticulous planning for the current location of the trail.
Outdoor Recreation Plan 2021 - 2025
The project meets 7/9 objectives, notable ones include:
“Provide recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.” We accomplish this with an Adaptive Friendly trail.
"Meet existing and future recreation needs of residents and visitors" - in this case the aging population and the Casual recreationalist.
"Maintain recreation areas while protecting natural resources" - project uses mainly existing logging corridors to minimize impact on the forest.
“Identify and preserve sites with historical significance.” Ex. Smith Lake CCC camp.
“Concerns" - Three trail groups have raised “concerns” in an apparent effort to derail the project. The groups attended a meeting on March 20th hosted by the County Forestry Administrator. Attendees included Sawyer County ATV / Snowmobile Alliance, Birkie and CAMBA.
Sawyer County ATV / Snowmobile Alliance - Unfortunately, opposition from the ATV / Snowmobile group remains strong. They are opposed to two trail crossings that would require their users to slow down IF someone is stopped on the motorized trail at the crossing. They state this is "hard on equipment and definitely takes away from the enjoyment of the ride." They suggest moving the location of the SFT so it does not cross the motorized trail, which is not feasible — we must avoid two large parcels of private property and extreme terrain in order to meet the objective of a trail designed for all to enjoy. It is also impossible to connect the existing 5 miles to the OO Trail Head without crossing the motorized trail. With 600+ miles of motorized trails (and 229 miles of paved County roads) there are hundreds of crossings — we don’t believe two new crossings would be a sufficient hardship to prevent expanding recreational access to the forest to a large and underserved group.
Birkie - Birkie submitted a letter at the January Committee meeting asking for funds to support the SC Johnson Building. However, their agreement with the County requires them to maintain the “trail and trailhead buildings” in exchange for trail pass fees (they collect up to $187,000 annually.). At the trail user meeting, they did not express any additional concerns and we remain optimistic they do not oppose the project. We appreciate Birkie’s willingness to express concern publicly and allow us to address it.
CAMBA - CAMBA is designated by their County agreement to build singletrack MTB trails. They have been familiar with the existing trail since 2020 with no issues. The much needed expansion to add a Trail Head and additional easy terrain does not intersect with any singletrack. At the trail user meeting they arrived with a list of “concerns’ — no concerns were related to their singletrack trails. Also, a Committee member told us they were contacted by a CAMBA Board member asking them to oppose the project.
ACTION NEEDED: Please send a note of support and/or attend the meeting Thursday, May 15 at 6:30PM.
Meeting Location: Board Room, Sawyer County Courthouse, 10610 Main Street, Hayward, WI 54843
- Sign up to speak during the public comments section which takes place early in the meeting.
- When called upon, simply state that you support the project and why. You are limited to 3 minutes.
If you cannot attend the meeting but are able to send an email of support, please do so. If we have copies of support letters you sent to the Committee members we will compile them and forward them to all Board Supervisors. If you are willing to resend your message it may have greater impact with the Board Supervisors.
Board Member email addresses (all addresses are Firstname.Lastname):
steve.kariainen@sawyercountygov.org
kay.wilson@sawyercountygov.org
tweed.shuman@sawyercountygov.org
stacey.hessel@sawyercountygov.org
randy.neumann@sawyercountygov.org
marc.helwig@sawyercountygov.org
tom.duffy@sawyercountygov.org
marshal.savitski@sawyercountygov.org
jim.evans@sawyercountygov.org
chuck.vanetten@sawyercountygov.org
jeff.hoehne@sawyercountygov.org
john.righeimer@sawyercountygov.org
ron.kinsley@sawyercountygov.org
ronald.buckholtz@sawyercountygov.org
dale.magnuson@sawyercountygov.org
Thank you again for your support. We look forward to getting this across the finish line.
Kindest regards,
Montgomery Mouw
Board President — Seeley Trails Foundation
612-805-1202 (mobile