On the front page of the December 29th, 2004 issue of The Forest Republican is an article which announces a limited window of opportunity for the public to comment on the Nicolet State Trail which traverses sections of Forest County. It is extremely important that the LCJ's express our concerns on this topic. This trail is paid for with our gas tax dollars yet we do not have access to it. While we agree that traversing a snowmobile/ATV trail is not the challenge we as Jeepers are looking for, it is important to remind Forest County of the impact that our frequent visits have on their economy. We need to also remind them that they currently provide us no official trail system on public lands. If our ability to Jeep on private property were to end, there would be no other opportunity for us.
Please take a minute of your time to personalize and print the attached comment letter and then mail it to Dave Ziolkowski in time for it to arrive by the January 10th deadline! We cannot stress enough how important it is for all LCJ's to comment on this issue immediately. As an added incentive to get involved.
January 1, 2005
David Ziolkowski
County Forest Administrator
Forest County Courthouse
200 East Madison StreetCrandon, WI 54520
Dear Mr. Ziolkowski,
As a member of the Legendary Civilian Jeepers and a frequent visitor to Forest County, I would like to point out how disappointed I am with the fact the Nicolet State Trail (which traverses parts of Forest County and was partially funded by monies form the Recreational Trail Program) is not open for recreational use by licensed and street legal 4WD Jeeps. I'm sure you're aware that the Transportation Equity Act of 1991 has supplied Wisconsin with more then $6 million for the development of trails and currently none of these trails are accessible for use by 4WD Jeeps. This is a travesty, which I hope Forest County will take a leadership role in correcting.
I'd like to remind you that the United States Congress estimates the amount of tax revenues from off-highway activities exceeds $286 million annually. This does not reflect the impact that these user groups have on the local economies in the communities in which we are allowed to recreate. You may not realize that the financial impact to the Crandon economy alone is over $100,000 on the weekend of the Annual Northwood's Jeep Jamboree (as reported in The Forest Republican, September 2004). This amount increases when you consider the amount of money and time spent by Jeepers in Crandon leading up to and following this event. In addition, the LCJ's have been proud supporters of NEWCAP, the Crandon Fire Department, the Crandon Area Chamber of Commerce, The Wolf River Preservation Fund, and numerous other local charities.
I would like to urge you include street legal vehicles (Jeeps) in any and all recreational plans, which effect access to county lands. Please consider our economic impact on businesses, which rely on tourism and vacation dollars when developing your master plan for the Nicolet State Trail. Please do not limit our consideration to just this plan, but include us in your plans for all roads or trails in Forest County.
Thanks you for your anticipated support and I look forward to my continued visits to Forest County frequently in the future.
Sincerely,