EMILY HSUEH
LADYSMITH Sept. 16, 2020
A group of snowmobilers is hoping to restore a network of trails around Ladysmith to be used in time for the coming winter.
The restoration operation is headed by Wayne Born, Gerry Bimm and Roslyn Carter, who hosted an outdoor meeting at the Thorne Community Recreation Association building in Ladysmith on Sept. 12.
There, they said the group’s main concern is to . . .
restore the trail leading out of Ladysmith from Rte. 366 to chemin Schock. Further down on Schock the trail splits in two directions: west toward chemin Milliken and Campbell’s Bay and north toward rue Erfle and Otter Lake.
“The trail hasn’t been used in about three years now and there’s no doubt gonna be a lot of trees down and stuff like that,” Bimm told the group during the meeting. “So we’re going to need some help if we want to get this done.”
Their first order of business is to secure landowner permissions from the people whose property the trail crosses. According to Born, it is hard to find flat land to create new trails on, so going through established land is the easiest and safest way to go. Should the landowner refuse permission, the trail would have to be detoured, which would be a significant setback. It is late in the year to start clearing new paths, Bimm said, so gaining permissions is crucial.
“One thing that’s been neglected in the area for the past number of years was getting annual permissions signed from the landowners. So the first thing we’re doing is going around to every landowner that we’ve got and getting those permission forms done,” said Bimm.
“The key to everything is landowner permission and from there you see what you need,” Carter added. Within the next ten days, they hope to have answers from the remaining critical landowners and be able to determine whether or not they can take this trail.
After obtaining permissions, they have another challenge. Landowners can give permission to hunt on their land during hunting season, which could postpone the group further as they run the risk of getting injured by the hunters. The hunting season ends at the end of November.
The group will be meeting at the foot of chemin Schock Sept. 26 with ATVs to survey the trails and begin cleanup, and invites anyone who is willing to help to join them. Anyone looking for more information can contact Wayne Born at 819-647-5482.
