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Jesse Kellogg (above left) gets instructions from Mike Riter on operating the Wisconsin DNR's Ditch Witch. In certain terrain,
building trail with mechanized equipment like this is more efficient than lots of volunteers using hand tools. "With the mechanized equipment, you can build one to two miles of trail a
week. Handbuilding, I'd say, you can go maybe half that speed," said Wisconsin State Trails Coordinator Brigit Brown. Photo by Brigit Brown On the docket: • Nine new miles of singletrack in Greenbush It is encouraging indeed to see the Wisconsin DNR equip and train a trail building crew, even if it has only four members. It's a pilot program so far, but one that will likely be in great demand by an increasing number of mountain biking clubs and communities that want more trails. The newly established state crew will first take their Ditch Witch to the Kettle Moraine State Forest to build nine miles of singletrack in Greenbush and five more miles of mountain bike trail in New Fane. According to Jerry Leiterman, property manager of the Northern Kettles, the Greenbush and New Fane trails were laid out and flagged several years ago. At that time, the public consensus was to develop separate trails for skiing and mountain biking. So a variance to the park's master plan was passed and IMBA consultants were called in to design the new trail system. The previously laid out trails served as the new crew's training ground. Trail building was actually started during a training seminar last month. The new nine miles of singletrack in Greenbush will consist of four loops with the shortest designed for beginning riders. The trail itself will be built to the following specs: a 24-inch-wide tread through a 4-foot-wide and 8-foot-high corridor. The maximum grade will be 15 percent with an average grade of 10 percent. When the trails are finished in Greenbush the crew will move on to New Fane to construct five more miles of singletrack. Then the pilot trail building program will be evaluated and a decision will be made as to whether or not it should continue. – Lee Borowski
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Back to the top Waupaca Publishing: 717 Tenth Street * P.O. Box 152 * Waupaca, WI 54981 © 1999-2007 Site last updated 8/28/07 Designed by PBW |
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