ICORE Trails Committee update

June 13, 2018

The ICORE trails committee has been busy working on silent sports projects this spring. Here’s a brief rundown of what’s been happening from trails committee co-chairs Mike Fauerbach and Martha Pierpont:

  • On May 8, members of the Trail Committee appeared before the Hurley City council to seek support for the non-motorized trail. The Council agreed to be the grantee for further trailhead development and extension of the trail as well as plantings at the trailhead and signage on the temporary trail.
  • On May 13, Ian Shackleford led the planting of dozens of trees and bushes at the new Hurley non-motorized trailhead between highway 51 and the Montreal River, with help from many ICORE and community members. More planting of trees at the trailhead by Diane O’Krongly and Hurley School students planted even more trees on the afternoon of May25th.
  • We recently learned that the Deptartment of Transportation finally issued a sign permit for the trailhead and a sign has been ordered and delivered from the Iron County Miner.
  • Amy Nosal of the Iron County UW-Extension worked on the plantings and will be the lead person on further grant requests with the next deadline in early November.
  • The committee will hold a fundraiser event at Cary Park on Highway 77 in Hurley on Saturday July 14th. The event will include a picnic, fundraiser and bike ride to the Iron Belle trail and beyond if you wish. Mike Fauerbach and Bob Traczyk are working getting signs for the temporary trail and figuring out plans for the fundraiser. We’ll hold a meeting to plan for the July 14 bike ride and fundraiser on June 18th at 4:00 PM there at the Hurley courthouse. Please come for both the planning and the event. This will be part of a large community lift, but we can do this.
  • Sign locations marking the temporary trail in Hurley have been staked and the signs have been ordered.
  • Other things have been happening on ICORE related trails in the Mercer area.The town of Mercer awarded the grass mowing contract on the bike trail to the MECCA ski club. Perhaps much more important for bikers is that the linkage of the Mercer and Manitowish Waters trails is going full speed ahead. It should be completed about July 1st and will connect Iron County to the Heart of Vilas County bike trail system.

Want more information on the trails committee or how you can get involved? Contact Mike or Martha.

Happy Biking and Hiking!