LOCAL OFFICIALS WATCHING STATE ATV PLANS CLOSELY
Thursday, June 8th, 2006 -- 8:29 AM
If the state elects to develop a recreation area for all-terrain vehicles, the ramifications ? both positive and negative ? could be huge for Clark County. The Natural Resources Board will decide later this month if they're going to move forward with the plan that would develop up to 3,500 acres for motorized recreation. They?re reportedly considering developing the area either in the southeastern corner of the state ? where most of 'Wisconsin's' population is ? or a more geographically central location.
?It?s just absolutely crucial for our well-being,? says Sheila Nyberg with the Clark County Economic Development Corporation. ?We just received our report from (the State Department of) Tourism ? ATVing is at the top of our list.?
While it's very hard to estimate just how many ATVers are on Clark County?s 90 miles of trail at any given time, an estimate in this week?s Clark County Press said up to 80-percent of those using the trail system come from out of the county. An estimate Nyberg?s numbers seem to confirm.
?Our huge market is out of the Chicago-Milwaukee area ? we have a massive market coming from that area,? Nyberg explains. ?We market down there constantly. It?s really paying off.?
?We?ve also started to work with the state to tap the market in the Minneapolis area. That?s just starting to take off,? Nyberg says.
A recent survey found a massive need for more campgrounds in the County ? in large part due to ATV traffic. It also found over 30-percent of hotel and motel usership is the result of ATV riders, Nyberg says.
So, as the state explores building an ATV facility, where that site is located could have a huge impact on Clark County?s economy.
?I would be very, very concerned,? Nyberg says of the prospect of the state building an ATV area in southeastern Wisconsin. ?Keeping them in their backyard isn?t health for the rest of us up here. For our livelihood, we need something like this in our central location.?
A new Department of Natural Resources survey on recreation found that 23% of the state's population, or 959,400 people, ride ATVs.
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