ATV riders still hoping for trail at Badger Ammo site November 23, 2013 6:00 am • MIKE IVEY ATV enthusiasts from southern Wisconsin are not giving up their dream of seeing an off-road riding area built at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant near Baraboo, despite public comments running 3 to 1 against a more intensive use of the property. The Department of Natural Resources is nearing a decision on a long-term management plan for the 3,800-acre Sauk Prairie Recreation Area and has received more than 2,000 emails, letters, phone calls and surveys on the issue. Most respondents say they support lower impact uses there, including hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing or hunting, the DNR found. But Steve Hamilton, vice president of the Lake Wisconsin ATV Club, says his group is planning to let the DNR know just how many riders want to see a trail built at Badger. The closest public ATV trail to the Madison area is the Cheese Country Trail in southern Green County, a converted rail corridor shared with bicyclists. “I will be rallying everyone I can, as well as all of my club members, to pack the next meeting,” he says. Hamilton says ATV riders are growing frustrated about the lack of progress on getting more trail access near population centers but must keep pressing their point with policy makers. “For us, the only option we have is to continue arguing that we are underrepresented among all recreational user groups,” he says. DNR officials have proposed several different management plans for the property it controls at the sweeping 7,400-acre property located on the southern side of the Baraboo Hills in Sauk County. The plans vary in scope, from limited public access to a more intense recreational area including ATV trails and a shooting range. But Laura Olah, director of the group Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger, says the comments to the DNR show that the public still wants to see the property restored to a more natural condition. “It’s not that folks are against all ATVs and gun ranges but rather the overwhelming majority of commenters recognize that these activities aren’t a good fit at Badger,” she says. “These lands represent Wisconsin’s last great opportunity to restore a prairie landscape on this scale. Hunting, fishing, hiking and many other traditional outdoor recreational opportunities will continue to be part of Badger’s future.” DNR officials are saying no decision has been reached and that public input is just one factor that will figure in a management final plan. “The input the public provides to us is always evaluated and it’s a very important factor in how you develop a master plan alternative, but it is not the sole factor,” Mark Aquino, DNR south central region director told the Baraboo News Republic earlier this week. The Sauk County Board, among other stakeholders, is pushing for what is now being called “Alternative Four” that includes a variety of recreational uses but not ATV riding or a shooting range (see attached document). The DNR expects to draft an updated management plan in the coming months that would again go out to the public for comment and review sometime in 2014. The final draft would then be brought before the state Natural Resources Board which has ultimate control over DNR policy. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Mark Pocan have both come out against ATVs or a shooting range at the Badger site, which also includes a USDA dairy research facility. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Sign our online Petition for Prairie at cswab.org/get-involved/alerts/ LIKE us on Facebook at https://facebook/cswab.org FORWARD this message to a friend… -- Laura Olah, Executive Director Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) E12629 Weigand’s Bay South Merrimac, WI 53561 [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:05:33 +0000
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