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Sounding (the silent sports) Alarm [5.07] STATE RAIDS BIKE/PED PROGRAM TO SATISFY FEDS Needing to cut $66.8 million from Wisconsin's allotment of federal transportation money this year, state officials in mid April decided to take a third of that amount away from potential bicycling and pedestrian programs. That's a huge percentage to come out of Transportation Enhancements (TE) when you consider that the program, if fully utilized, would account for less than 1 percent of the $5.8 billion 2005-2007 state transportation budget, according to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. (Federal law says no less than 10 percent of Surface Transport-ation Program funds shall be spent on TE projects. State lawmakers have found ways to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of that law, however.) So, continuing a decade long trend, the Wisconsin Department of Transport-ation has identified $19.3 million in unobligated TE money to help meet the Federal Highway Administration's rescission order issued March 19. At least the disproportionate targeting of the TE program over highway funding was less than what it was in 2006. The League of American Bicyclists recently labeled Wisconsin an "egregious offender" for taking more than two-thirds of its rescission from the TE program last year, one of only three states to do so. State DOT officials argue that the annual rescissions only affect unobligated federal funding balances – money that is neither in hand nor committed to be spent. So it is true no biking projects will have their TE money taken away. But it is also true that TE money could pay for many biking projects if state lawmakers would use their full obligation authority. Instead they spend less than half of what's available to them. Gov. Jim Doyle's recently proposed budget identified 28 projects to receive TE funds, 17 of which are bicycle/pedestrian projects. That leaves 92 other bike/ped projects in communities statewide unfunded for the next two years. The state has spent between $8.7 million and $14.6 million in TE money each of the the past six years, according to WisDOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi in a letter published last January in Silent Sports. But biking advocates believe only $4 million to $5 million is actually spent on biking facilities annually. For perspective, that's only enough to build about 10 miles of trail. The DOT is essentially "stealing" TE money to pay for widening highways, claims Mike Barrett, a steering committee member for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Dane County. In a letter to state Rep. Joe Parisi, Barrett laid out a five-point plan to fix bike funding in Wisconsin: • Commit a minimum of 10 percent of Surface Transportation Program dollars to the TE program and spend the full amount – about $18 million – every year on bike/ped projects. • Make sure TE projects are defined as dedicated bike/ped rights-of-way with a transportation purpose. • Require WisDOT to repay all the TE money the agency has spent over the past 15 years on paving shoulders and beautifying highways rather than on bike/ped projects. (Barrett estimates that would come to $182 million, plus interest.) • Stop WisDOT from taking money away from the TE program when communities find other ways to fund bicycle facilities, such as through state and federal budget earmarks. • No more than 10 percent of TE money should go to projects that are not ped/bike specific, such as museums and tourism offices. NEEDED: NONMOTORIZED TRAILS STUDY COMMITTEE The Governor's State Trails Council of Wisconsin on April 11 unanimously passed a resolution calling for the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council to create a study committee to propose ways to provide a reliable funding stream for "silent sport" trails in Wisconsin. This would be the first step in creating legislation that will provide the means for the creation, protection and maintenance of trails which Wisconsin hikers, bicyclists, paddlers, equestrians, skiers and nature lovers enjoy. By early May, the Joint Legislative Council will decide what issues will be worthy of study and whether to convene a study committee on silent sport trails. Silent sports enthusiasts are strongly encouraged to ask legislators to support the efforts of the State Trails Council. Letter, e-mails and telephone call to the following members of the Joint Legislative Council will help ensure that silent sport trails receive the statewide attention they need. Sen. Fred Risser and Rep. Steve Wieckert serve as co-chairmen of the Joint Legislative Council. Other members include Sen. Roger Breske, Sen. Tim Carpenter, Sen. G. Spencer Coggs, Sen. Alberta Darling, Sen. Russell Decker, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, Sen. Alan Lasee, Sen. Mark Miller, Sen. Judy Robson, Rep. Joan Ballweg, Rep. Terese Berceau, Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, Rep. Mark Gottlieb, Rep. Michael Huebsch, Rep. Dean Kaufert, Rep. Jim Kreuser, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Kitty Rhoades and Rep. Marlin Schneider. DNR SUED AGAIN OVER AMERY-DRESSER TRAIL For the second time in the past two years, the Wisconsin DNR is being sued over who should be permitted to use the Amery-Dresser State Trail still under development in northeast Polk County. In late March, Friends of the Lincoln-Osceola-Garfield Greenway (LOG) expressed their dissatisfaction with the state agency's final environmental analysis of the future trail, released in late February, which reinforced the agency's earlier decision to see both motorized and nonmotorized users accomodated on the 13.48-mile extension of the existing Cattail State Trail. The new trail will utilize an abandoned railroad bed between Amery and Osceola ending about 1.5 miles southeast of Dresser. The DNR only agreed to do the environment analysis to settle a lawsuit filed by LOG in April 2005. In the new lawsuit, LOG seeks a more thorough environmental impact statement and challenges the DNR's authority to open the trail to motorized vehicles. LOG argues that state statute limits users of the trail – and all state trails, for that matter – to equestrians, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, hikers and people using electric wheelchairs. DNR officials argue that the law does not include a complete list of permitted uses of state trails. The DNR's 30-page final environmental analysis is supplemented by a 48-page summary of the more than 140 public comments the agency received by late March 2006 and the agency's responses. Many area residents raised concerns that local law enforcement wouldn't be able to adequately police the new multi-use trail. Extensive damage and vandalism to the Cattail Trail by ATV riders was cited, as was off-trail trespass and wetland wreakage. "Once open, we would expect there to be a greater enforcement presence," the DNR responded to the comments. "The number of enforcement hours available for motorized recreation has been increased and problem areas are being targeted." CLOSURE OF ATV TRAILS REINSTATED IN SAWYER CO. ATV riders will be subject to a spring trail closure in northeast Wisconsin's Sawyer County after all. In March, the county board's forestry committee created an exception to its newly finalized 15-year forest management plan by voting 3-2 to allow ATV'ers to ride trails when they are most susceptible to rutting. Although ATVing was green lighted, mountain biking on the trails was still prohibited for the 45-day period. After hearing opposition and seeing photographic evidence of the damage ATVs have already done to county forests, the committee reversed itself again on April 4. The committee voted 4-0 to affirm a March 15 to May 1 closure of forest trails to all wheeled vehicles, according to the Sawyer County Record. At the April 4 meeting, Bill Pierce, a local resident and president of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation Board of Directors, showed the committee photos of trail and wetland damage. He criticized the committee for ceding authority over the trails to an ATV group, the newspaper reported. Steve Morales, former owner of the New Moon Ski and Bike Shop in Hayward, was also quoted urging committee members "to be as far sighted as you can to try to preserve our resources." The earlier decision by the committee allowed the annual Good Friday ATV ride to take place. The Record reported that between 200 and 300 ATV'ers turned out, but cold weather kept many people home. Snow covered the still frozen ground, which minimized damage, the committee was informed. CHEQ.-NIC. PROJECTS NOTED AS STAFF COZY UP TO OHVS Several miles of new and relocated ATV and snowmobile trail will be developed this year in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin, according to a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) schedule. Several miles of U.S. Forest Service roads will be designated as ATV and snowmobile trails and other existing ATV/snowmobile trails through the forest will need to be relocated to improve water quality and safety, control erosion and reduce maintenenance costs. Included on the list of projects but "on hold" is restoration and repair of a degraded 4x4 truck "challenge trail" 10 miles southeast of Lakewood. Meanwhile, USFS staff are expected to attend a Motorized Route Designation Workshop July 12-15 in Wausau put on by the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council which wants more motorized access to national forests.
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