Due to a washout on Benson Lake Road, the trail from Goodman Park to the west to the Forest County line is closed. The detour will be; from the power line trail turn west on Homestead Lake Road to County I turn right on I to Camp 5 Road west on Camp 5 rd to Harper lk rd West on Harper Lake Road to Valley Lake Road than north on Valley Lake Road to Benson Lake Road. This detour should only be approximately 2 weeks. These are town roads you will be using this route with vehicles use extreme caution on your ride.
DATE: 13 May 2020
TO: News Media and Other Parties of Interest
FROM: Dale Mayo, Vilas County Parks & Recreation Administrator RE: Vilas ATV trails scheduled to open.
THE VILAS COUNTY ATV TRAIL SYSTEM IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN AT 8:00 A.M. ON FRIDAY 15 MAY FOR THE 2020 SEASON. THERE WILL BE A SEGMENT OF LANDOVER TRAILS IN CONOVER THAT WILL BE TEMPORARLY DETOURED DUE TO HIGH WATER.
As always, please enjoy Vilas County recreational trails responsibly and maintain social distancing.
Dale Mayo
Administrator
Vilas County Parks & Recreation Department
The Summer ATV/UTV Trails under the Management of the Douglas County Forestry are open at this time.
Clubs are out on trails performing maintenance. Please use caution when passing our Volunteers.
Please check with neighboring Counties before you ride to make sure that the trails are open.
The new county road routes will not open until May 22nd and they are signed.
For Further information, Pease contact the Douglas County Forestry Department at 715-378-2219
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM excluding Holidays.
This report was prepared on Friday, May 8, 2020
Please Enjoy and Ride Safe
Clint Meyer
Park and Recreation Supervisor
Douglas County Forestry Department
9182 East Hughes Ave.
Solon Springs, WI. 54873
Phone: (715) 378-2219
Fax: (715) 378-2807
Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
High to Very High Fire Danger Continues During the Weekend
MADISON, Wis. – Gusty winds, very low humidity, and little-to-no precipitation lead to a weekend of critical fire weather conditions. The threat is predicted to continue into early next week with elevated fire danger across the state.
To help us keep Wisconsinites safe, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to request that the public avoid outdoor burning, including limiting the use of campfires and off-road vehicles and to avoid disposing hot ashes from wood stoves in grass or wooded areas.
Fire control officials are concerned that the cooler temperatures and slightly lesser winds will cause the public to become complacent as Wisconsin enters the peak of wildfire season. The main factor going into the weekend is the very low humidity levels (about 15-20%), coupled with tinder dry vegetation. Fires under these circumstances can start easily and spread quickly.
The greatest chance of precipitation will occur on Saturday evening, but will be confined to southern Wisconsin. Winds will be out of the north and northwest for the duration of this timeframe. Fuel conditions such as trees, shrubs and grasses are very dry. Please continue to take extra precautions as a dry stretch of weather remains.
The northern half of the state is entering a critical time for catastrophic fire, especially in sandy soil and pine areas. Fires in these locations are starting to see increased fire behavior, resulting in fire moving from the surface to the crowns of the trees, making fire suppression more challenging. The greening of vegetation is progressing in the southern part of the state which is lessening the fire risk.
Burning remains suspended with DNR-issued burning permits for debris piles, barrels and grass or wooded areas. We are also asking the public again to be especially careful with any activities that could potentially lead to a wildland fire such as smoking, chainsaws, dragging trailer chains, off-road vehicles or other small engines have the potential to throw sparks. Use extreme caution until the fire weather improves.
The DNR will be on high alert across the entire state this weekend, pre-positioning equipment for rapid response. The DNR has four contract tanker planes and access to the Wisconsin Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters with bucket capability.
Continue to monitor the current situation here or by searching the DNR website using keyword "fire."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2020 |
The Oconto County Tourism department released a Facebook post stating the county will open their ATV & UTV trails on Friday, May 8th 2020.