Proposed Arrowhead-Weston Electrical Transmission Line

Click here for more information.

Illegal ATV Use

These pictures show damage already caused to the Bird Sanctuary by uncontrolled, illegal ATV and dirt bike use.

Click the thumbnail images to display an enlarged view.  Note: Select "Back" button to return to thumbnail.

 

Douglas County Rejects Bird Sanctuary Scramble Area Proposal

By Al Cambronne

On September 18, 2003 the Douglas County Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected a proposal to build an OHV scramble area in the Douglas County Wildlife Management Area. The state managed wildlife management area, known to locals as simply “the Bird Sanctuary,” includes about 3,000 acres that the state leases from Douglas County; that lease expired in August.

Rather than renewing the lease for the entire parcel, motorized recreation proponents had asked that 320 acres of it be converted to a scramble area for ATVs, dirt bikes, four-wheel drive trucks, and snowmobiles. The proposed scramble area would have been totally within the sanctuary’s current boundaries. It would have also been adjacent to the Douglas County Ski Trail, a short distance from the North Country Hiking Trail, and just over a quarter mile from a marshy backwater of the Saint Croix River. The site would have included a drag strip, two loop trails, and a mud bog.

Once area residents learned of the scheme, however, they began making their voices heard. Most felt this sort of facility didn’t belong anywhere in or near a bird sanctuary; they were also concerned that illegal ATV use had already been causing serious damage in the sanctuary.

During the past few months, the County has received petitions with over eight hundred signatures from local voters who strongly opposed the proposal. The county and state have also received thousands of letters, e-mails, and phone calls from concerned citizens.

On September 18 it became official; Douglas County and the Wisconsin DNR renewed the lease for the entire acreage, without setting aside a single acre of the sanctuary for other purposes. What’s more, the County Board unanimously approved an additional resolution intended to clear the air and send a strong message about its intentions. The resolution read as follows:

Subject: Wildlife Management Area Lands Not Appropriate Site for ATV Park

WHEREAS, during negotiation of theDouglas County Wildlife Management Area Lease with the State Department of Natural Resources, it was requested that a portion of the land included in the lease be withheld for purposes of an ATV park, and

WHEREAS, the committee established to negotiate terms of the lease listened to proponents of locating an ATV park in the wildlife management area, as well as opponents of locating an ATV park in this location, and

WHEREAS, the Negotiating Committee determined that use of land within the Wildlife Management Area for an ATV park was not appropriate and presented this recommendation to the Land and Development Committee.