So much has happened in the last two weeks. I can't detail it all without turning it into a mess, but here's the summary.
Due to a massive outpouring of support from people writing in and speaking at their public hearings, the DNR has agreed to reconsider the closing of Over Lode Trail.
What does that mean exactly? It's not a done deal, but we're getting close. One part we have no control over is that the DNR has to find a way internally to agree that closing off a small piece of the trail will do the job to protect the rare birds they are worried about. The fact that they are willing to let it be known they are working on this means it is highly probable they will offer us a workable compromise.
The other part is that your crack team at CORP have to come up with an acceptable plan to address a number of trail design and maintenance problems identified by the DNR and submit a proposal by December 16th. This would have been an impossible job under different circumstances, but we have been dreaming of this opportunity for years. As a result, Gary and I put together a trail design in a matter of days, flagged the new lines, took gps tracks, and submitted them to the DNR for preliminary comments.
In the process of designing and laying out alternative trail segments for three key reroutes, I found that the amount of labor required was, to put it bluntly, impossible for CORP to muster. My estimate is that it will take about 1100 hours of work just to build these, and roughly 200 hours more for the remainder of the work.
However, there is another possible way.
I have continued for the last few months to work on my proposal to rebuild the mound short loop (Gneiss and Smooth, Chert Dip, Serpentine Climb and Basalty Bail) into a beginner trail loop. About a month ago, Travis Bellman a professional trail builder who helped put together the Win-Man trails near Manitowish Waters, traveled to Blue Mound at his own expense to evaluate my proposal. About two weeks ago, he sent me a cost estimate for his labor and machine time to rebuild the trail.
Yesterday at the December meeting of the Friends of Blue Mound State Park, I gave a short presentation to explain Travis's estimate, and also to ask if the Friends would help us out of our terrible jam with the Over Lode proposal. I asked them to help us find a way to pay Travis to use his mini-excavator to do the work on Over Lode trail that is beyond our capability.
Yesterday the board of the Friends of Blue Mound State Park voted unanimously to guarantee the costs to rebuild the three critical sections of Over Lode Trail, plus the costs for the Beginner Loop rebuild project.
CORP will be asked to contribute money to the projects. We will have to come up with volunteer labor to build a not-insignificant amount of new trail for Over Lode. I have to meet a very tight deadline for the proposal to fix everything that we know needs work at Blue Mound, and not just Over Lode.
Things can still go wrong, and there will be difficulties to over come. The proposal to fix Over Lode will mean significant changes to a beloved trail that not everyone will be happy with. But for the first time in months, we have the means to keep the trails we worked so hard for. We will be moving dirt in 2016.
Thanks to everyone who has helped turn the DNR around.
Walt
P.S. For people who enjoy skiing, don't forget your fellow winter sports enthusiasts could use your help in defeating the proposed snowmobile trail through the park.
