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Isle Royale management plan up for public review
Open house Dec. 12; comment period ends Dec. 21
Isle Royale National Park Superintendent Phyllis Green recently announced that the park's draft Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (WBMP/EIS) is now available
for public review and comment.
Copies of the draft on CD are available by contacting the park by mail or e-mail. The document is also
available for review on the park's Web site, www.nps.gov/isro, under "management documents."
The public comment period will be open until December 21. Park employees will respond to substantive
public comments, and those responses will be printed in the final plan.
The park will also host an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on December 12 at the Houghton
Headquarters Visitor Center, 800 East Lakeshore, Houghton, Michigan. Staff will be available to answer the public's questions regarding the draft plan.
The development of the WBMP/EIS incorporates eight years of planning, a multitude of scientific studies and several opportunities for public participation to ensure protection of the park's most enduring resource:
wilderness.
The purpose of the final plan is twofold: 1) To outline steps for preserving Isle Royale's wilderness
character, natural resources and cultural resources while also providing for the use and enjoyment of the park's wilderness and back country by current and future generations; and 2) To provide accountability,
consistency and continuity in managing Isle Royale.
The plan addresses such issues as crowded campgrounds and the process of issuing required permits for
back country travel by foot and boat. The park would like to establish a back-country permitting office in Houghton to help alleviate overcrowding and overtutilization of the back-country. Alernative plans for
addressing these and other issues are presented in detail.
To request a copy of the draft or final plan or submit comments, please use any of the following methods:
Send letters to Superintendent, WBMP, Isle Royale National Park, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI 49931; e-mail isro_wbmp@nps.gov; or fax 906/487-7170.
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Plans proceed for Badger State Trail
Trail would run from Madison to Illinois border
MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is proposing to establish a 40-mile state trail that would run between Madison and the Illinois state line. The trail, to be known as the Badger
State Trail on the former Illinois Central Railroad corridor, is expected to attract 100,000 to 175,000 users annually.
Under a draft plan, the DNR would develop, manage and operate the trail. Proposed trail uses would include biking, hiking, inline skating, horseback riding, winter ATVing and snowmobiling. The trail will also
provide for activities such as berry picking, bird watching and general nature study.
"This trail will provide a regional connection to such trails as the Capital City State Trail, Military Ridge
State Trail and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail," said Dana White Quam, park and recreation specialist
for the DNR South Central Region. "In addition, the Badger State Trail and the Sugar River Trail intersect in Monticello thus making the Badger State Trail a spoke in a much larger hub of regional trails."
South of Monroe, the trail will reach the Illinois border and then continue south to the Jane Addams Trail in Freeport, Illinois. From Freeport the trail will connect to the 500-mile Grand Illinois Trail System.
Development of the proposed year-round multipurpose state trail is estimated to cost $4.4 million including
tunnel reconstruction and repairs, bridge decking and railing, trail surfacing, trail heads, parking areas, fencing and signing. To date, more than $600,000 has been spent on bridges, regulatory signing and
brushing the corridor.
Following last month's public comment period, the Natural Resources Board will approve a final
management plan. If approved, the trail would likely be developed in phases with the first sections of trail possibly open to the public in the fall of 2006.
The corridor for the Badger State Trail encompasses about 40 miles in Dane and Green counties. The trail would begin in Madison and proceed south through Fitchburg, Basco, Belleville, Exeter, Monticello,
Monroe and Clarno.
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CXC launches new series for master skiers
Central Cross Country (CXC) Skiing is pleased to announce the CXC Masters Cup, a fun new age handicapped point system race series for all area master-level cross-country skiers.
The idea behind the system is to get more citizens involved in CXC FIS SuperTour races. These shorter high-speed events are the best way to develop faster times for the big ones in February and March. It will
give master racers an opportunity to compete for an overall age adjusted title for the first half of the ski season.
The following series races are included on the consecutive weekends of SuperTour events in the central region:
Jan. 14-15: Madison, WI, 5K Criterium F, 1K Sprint Classic;
Jan. 21-22: Mount Itasca, MN, 5/10K C, 10/15K Freestyle;
Jan. 28-29: Telemark, WI, 5/10K Classic, 10/15K Freestyle-mass start;
Feb. 4-5: Minneapolis, MN, 30/30K Freestyle mass start.
The top female and male master skiers of the race series will receive an equipment package from Rossignol that will include top-of-the-line fitted skis, bindings, poles and boots a $1,500 value.
More importantly, master-level racers will now have something, in addition to the Birkie, to give them regional bragging rights for the year.
No special registration. No additional costs. None of those confusing age group results. Just one four-week series. One overall champion.
Specific points and scoring details are available on www.cxcskiing.org.
CXC Skiing, based in Hayward, Wisconsin, is the designated body for the development of cross-country skiers in the 10-state central region of the United States. CXC Skiing is also the Midwest pipeline to the
U.S. Ski Team.
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Birkie course offered by Lake Superior College
DULUTH, Minn. This February, the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon will serve as the final exam for students enrolled in a new physical education course offered by the Lake Superior College
(LSC) Virtual Campus.
LSC is offering "X-Country Ski Marathon," a new online course intended to prepare participants to
compete in the world famous Birkie. The class will provide race training and nutritional information in addition to history, etiquette and basic Nordic skiing skills.
Students will prepare for the event over 12 weeks, beginning December 5, then ski the 51K Birkie or the associated 23K Kortelopet on Saturday, February 25, 2006, to complete the course requirements.
Students may substitute another race of similar length if they wish. LSC will also sponsor an activity tent during the race weekend.
LSC faculty member Joshua Tesch, a former Kortelopet champion, will teach the class. "Skiers will engage
in a training program that will either get them ready for their first Birkie or help them improve upon their
previous race times," Tesch said. "I encourage both first timers and seasoned Birkie veterans to sign up."
The two-credit course, which is widely accepted for transfer, is available to any student wishing to earn college credit for skiing the race. In addition to standard tuition and fees, an additional $50 fee will be
charged for this course.
Enrolling in the LSC course provides each student with a guaranteed entry into either the Birkie or the Kortelopet.
LSC has previously offered similar courses in cooperation with Grandma's Marathon and the North Shore Inline Marathon.
For more information, contact Christine Torma, at 218/733-2030, or virtual@lsc.mnscu.edu, or visit www.lsc.edu/online/.
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Birkie Trail ski demo, Dec. 17
The "OO" warming hut on the Birkie Trail here will host a ski equipment demo on Saturday, December 17,
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Factory reps from all the major brands will be there with the new equipment for this year.
The event is sponsored by New Moon Ski Shop (715/634-8685) and Outdoor Ventures (715/634-4447)
of Hayward, Wisconsin. Call shops for details and snow conditions.
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UW-Oshkosh to host 2007, 2008 NCAA track & field national championships
OSHKOSH, Wis. Oshkosh area track and field fans may see future Olympians in action now that the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has been selected to host the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division III men's
and women's outdoor track and field championships. The site will be the "new" Oshkosh Sports Complex, 450 Josslyn St.
"This is great news for UW-Oshkosh and its track and field facilities and program," UW-Oshkosh athletic
director, Allen Ackerman, said. "It is certainly rewarding that the NCAA knows we can host a three-day event that will draw 1,000 coaches and athletes to campus from across the nation."
Ackerman said he expects between 1,000 and 2,000 fans to come to campus for the events on May 24-26, 2007, and May 22-24, 2008. The UW-Oshkosh athletic director said about 200 people will be
needed to manage and run various parts of the event.
Several top athletes have come out of Division III track and field. Joan Benoit won the first women's
marathon in 1984 while 400-meter hurdler Edwin Moses won the gold medal in several Olympics. UW-Oshkosh's Melissa Mueller competed at the 2000 Olympics in the pole vault.
Both men's and women's track and field teams at UW-Oshkosh have been national Division III powerhouses. The women won the national title in 2004, 1995 and 1990.
Renovation of the Oshkosh Sports Complex is about half complete and fund-raising efforts continue.
"This NCAA national track championship is just one of a number of the state, regional and national events
that we will bring to Oshkosh, but only if we are able to complete the complex as designed," UW-Oshkosh
Foundation President Thomas Keefe said. "It is projected that these and other events will bring $30 million in annual economic impact to the area."
The remodeling and expansion of locker rooms and completion of a courtyard are the final steps for the $5.7 million upgrade of the sports facility. The improvements are being funded entirely by private donations
made to a unique partnership involving UW-Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Area School District and Unified Catholic Schools of Oshkosh.
A new, state-of-the-art football field and a track and field complex have been completed for the 10,000-seat sports facility, the largest of its kind between Lambeau Field and Camp Randall in Madison.
The UW-Oshkosh Foundation, which has led the project, expects the renovated facility will be used nearly 200 times each year.
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Registration open for Badger State Winter Games
MADISON, WI The Badger State Winter Games, the nation's largest winter sports festival, is pleased to announce online registration is now open for the 2006 Winter Games.
The 2006 Games will take place the last weekend in January and the first weekend in February. Several events including alpine, freestyle and classic skiing, quadrathlon, ski jumping, snowshoe racing and
speedskating will occur February 3-5 in and around north-central Wisconsin.
For more scheduling information and to register for the 2006 Winter Games, log on to www.badgerstategames.org or call 608/226-4780.
Major sponsors of the Badger State Winter Games are American Family Insurance, Charter Communications, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and St. Joseph's Hospital of Marshfield, with
special thanks to TravelWisconsin.com and the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Wisconsin Sports Development Corp. owns the Badger State Games, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame,
the Wisconsin Sports Foundation, Paddle & Portage, Shape Up Wisconsin Kids, Lighten Up Wisconsin and the Fit Kids Challenge. WSDC is also the local host of Ironman Wisconsin.
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New Gov. Thompson State Park opens for limited use
Governor Thompson State Park, Wisconsin's newest state park, is now open for limited use. Near Crivitz in northeast Marinette County, the park opened November 12 for limited day-use only.
"Folks will enjoy walking or cross-country skiing on 4.5 miles of trails in the new park as well as fishing
from the shore or from their own nonmotorized boat on Woods or Huber Lakes," said Ron Kazmierczak,
director of the DNR's northeast region. "This limited use opening will provide access to this great property and give people a small taste of what they can expect when the park's master plan is complete."
Park manager Maggie Kailhofer elaborated. "We're a long way from being a finished park," she said, noting that buildings, roads, trails, shelters, showers and other amenities have yet to be constructed.
"With this limited use opening, we don't want people to get the wrong idea about where we are with our
development," Kailhofer said. "We won't even be grooming cross-country ski trails this winter."
For more information, contact Kailhofer by e-mail at maggie.kailhofer@dnr.state.wi.us or by phone at 715/757-3979.
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Invest in your sport: Buy a Minnesota ski trail pass
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds cross-country skiers they need to purchase a ski
pass and carry it with them while skiing. The passes are required on all grant-in-aid and state-operated cross-country ski trails, including trails in state parks and state forests.
Minnesota DNR cross-country ski pass coordinator Paul Nordell said the sale of the ski passes is what funds the grant-in-aid program for more than 1,600 miles of ski trails. It also enables the DNR to work with
local units of government and clubs to expand the trail system.
Ski passes cost $5 for daily use, $15 for annual use and $40 for a three-year pass. Even though Minnesota
winters have been short on snow the past few years, Nordell encourages those who enjoy the sport to buy their passes early.
"The pass does more than give you the opportunity to ski," Nordell explained. "It is an investment in the
sport. It helps support the trail system statewide, and maintains trails at the level skiers have come to expect. So even during low snow years, skiers are preserving the future of their sport."
The law requires skiers 16 years of age and older to have a valid Minnesota ski trail pass with them at all
times while on a designated trail. "Anyone caught without a pass may be ticketed," DNR enforcement chief
Mike Hamm said. In addition to paying the fine, violators would be required to purchase a daily, annual or three-year ski pass.
Passes may be purchased at any one of 1,800 electronic licensing agents throughout Minnesota and at most state parks that have ski trails. Annual and three-year passes may also be bought online at www.dnr.state.mn.us, by calling 888/665-4236.
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