Oneida forestry committee schedules special meeting on snowmobile trail opening

Late Friday, the Oneida County board’s forestry land and recreation committee announced it had scheduled a special meeting for Monday afternoon to decide whether to override a decision made earlier that day not to open the trail system.

A vote to open the county’s snowmobile trails took place Jan. 23-24. The final tally was 6-4 in favor of opening, but a seven-vote majority is needed for the trails to ultimately open. 

The nine snowmobile clubs that are members of the council, as well as the county forestry department voted.

The clubs voting to not open the trails included: The Bo-Boen Snowmobile Club in St. Germain, the Northwoods Passage Snowmobile Club near Tomahawk, the Northern Trails Unlimited Snowmobile Club in Tomahawk and the Hodag Sno-Trails Snowmobile Club in Rhinelander. 

The clubs voting to open the trails included: The Minocqua Forest Riders Snowmobile Club, the Cross Country Cruisers Snowmobile Club in Arbor Vitae, the New Tom Sno Fleas Snowmobile Club in Lake Tomahawk, the Three Lakes Brule River Trails Snowmobile Club and the Sugar Camp Snowmobile Club. 

Clubs not based in Oneida County are able to vote because parts of the trails they groom fall within the boundaries of the county.

The forestry department voted in favor of opening the trails.

Forestry land and recreation chairman Bob Almekinder indicated to The Lakeland Times on Jan. 24 there will be an effort made this offseason to shift the decision of when to open the trails from the snowmobile council and the forestry department to the forestry committee, though the individual clubs will be able to opt-out to maintain their specific trails. 

The Monday afternoon special meeting was scheduled to take place after this edition went to press.

Prior to announcing the special meeting

Oneida County and the Oneida County Snowmobile Council issued a joint public service announcement (PSA) on Jan. 24 announcing the county’s trail system would remain closed for the time being. 

“After careful consideration and much deliberation, the Oneida County Snowmobile Council and the Oneida County Forestry Department, have made the difficult decision to keep the Oneida County Snowmobile Trail System closed until further notice,” the PSA reads. “The decision to legally open snowmobile trails each year is often a difficult one and not taken lightly. As members of the communities we serve, we are well aware of how critical snowmobile season is to the Northwoods and how trail closures can adversely affect businesses and tourism dollars.” 

“Additionally, we give equal consideration to rider safety and negative impacts to public and private lands that many of our trails utilize,” the announcement continued. “At this time, we feel that most areas throughout our county’s snowmobile trail system, do not have adequate snow to be able to ride safely, and damages to public and private lands may occur in many areas if trails were to open under current snow conditions.”

Oneida County Snowmobile Council president Jim Wendt told the Times on Jan. 23 the trails are “very thin on snow” and feared snowmobilers would travel off-course onto public lands to find snow, consequently hurting the relationships with clubs and landowners, and resulting in trail easements being lost.

“As the custodians of the trail system, both on public and private lands, we understand the privilege it is to use these trails and do not want to abuse that privilege and/or risk rider safety,” the PSA reads. “Please be assured we WILL open our trail system as soon as we get substantial snow to facilitate safe riding throughout Oneida County.”

Until a decision to open the trails is made, the county and snowmobile council are asking riders to be “patient” and stay off closed trails or ride behind locked gates because it could result in citations or penalties from local law enforcement. 

Mounting pressure

County supervisor Billy Fried told the Times on Jan. 23 he’s had constituents call him demanding the county’s trail system open. 

For his part, Almekinder said he understands the public’s “frustrations,” especially considering the trails never opening last year. But he also mentioned landowner easements and the balancing act that it takes to maintain those relationships to keep the trail system intact. 

Let’s Minocqua Visitors Bureau president and CEO Krystal Westfahl told the Times on Jan. 23 area businesses would “love for the trail system to open. Some business owners have expressed confusion as to why they aren’t already open, she added.

While opening the trails is important for the local economy, rider safety is of utmost importance, she added.

“But we are definitely hoping that the trails can open as soon as possible,” she said. “We’re getting into that critical time right now where we need to start seeing some movement … we’re definitely starting to see businesses get real … worried.”

Open trails ‘holding up pretty well’

Arbor Vitae-based Cross Country Cruisers Snowmobile Club vice president Jerry Wesner, who is also the club’s grooming manager, said on Jan. 23 the club is working with Oneida County to open up the rest of the club’s trail system. 

He said the trails in Vilas County are holding up “pretty well” right now.

“We had gotten out there and got a good ice-base on our trails and it’s held up really well, and with the last couple of snowfalls we’ve got, we’ve been out grooming every night and the trails are really starting to come to,” Wesner said. “It is early riding conditions, it is slippery out there and there are some spots that are bare, but (overall) the trails are actually starting to come together really well.”

Though everything he’s been hearing with regard to trail conditions has been positive, Wesner still said riders should use caution when they’re riding due to early season conditions. 

“I think they (the trails) should hold up,” he said. “We got a good base … what we need (though) is snow with moisture in it so we can get it down and it stays down and packs down.”

Wesner said of Oneida County opening its trails, noting that many Oneida trails intersect with parts of Vilas County’s trail system.

Vilas County parks and recreation supervisor Todd Bierman said on Jan. 23, from “everything” he’s heard, snowmobile trails in the county are “better than what they (snowmobilers) expected.”

“So the trails are holding up pretty good with the base that we have and there’s going to be some bare spots,” he said. “I would consider the trails in a fair condition, still kind of early season riding, but all-in-all it’s better than not riding at all.”

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].