CLARK COUNTY TRAILS OPEN
Monday, May 1st, 2006 -- 10:11 AM
Audio - 2:10Clark County All-Terrain Vehicle trails open today with one major rules change.
?In 1986 there were 25,000 machines registered in Wisconsin; as of 2005, there are over 200,000,? says Trails and Project Manager Brian Duell. ?It?s skyrocketed and it hasn?t leveled out yet at all.?
It appears many people are trading their snowmobiles for ATVs, Duell says.
With 183 miles of trails and routes, Clark County has become a hotbed for the sport. Over 50-percent of the people using the system come from another county ? many come from out of state, Duell estimates
?We get calls from people from Michigan, Minnesota ? a lot from the Madison/Milwaukee area,? Duell explains.
But there can be a downside to increased usership.
Over the years, the trail system has shown some wear, forcing an upgrade to road-like construction.
?Back when the trails were built it was pretty much you brush-out an area and you run on the native soil. That?s fine under low user conditions, but when you get (a lot) of traffic on there, the native soil doesn?t hold up,? Duell says.
?That?s where you find your off-road abuse: people don?t like that situation and would rather be playing in the mud.?
Clark County has one full-time and one part-time law enforcement officer looking for violations of the trail rules.
For the first time, there are noise regulations on ATVs. A machine?s exhaust must not exceed 96 decibels.
?We do have a decibel machine. They?re going to be watching this year. (Noise) is a problem. It?s the after-market pipes that give us a problem,? Duell states.
For more information on the Clark County trail system, you can call the Forestry and Parks Department at 743-5140 or visit the county?s website.
On the Web:
[url=http://www.co.clark.wi.us/ClarkCounty/Departments/forestryparks/TrailUpdates.asp]Clark County Trails Udates[/url]
[url=http://www.atvsafety.org/]ATV Safety Institute[/url]
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.