Wisconsin Page 2

The Trail That Started It All: Elroy-Sparta Celebrates 50 Years

Posted 06/15/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Success Stories, Wisconsin

Elroy-Sparta 50th Anniversary Celebration - left to right: Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin secretary of tourism; Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Keith Laughlin, RTC president; Brigit Brown, Wisconsin trails coordinator; and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson | Photo courtesy RTC

Earlier this month, one of the oldest rail-trails in the nation turned 50! RTC President Keith Laughlin joined local leaders and residents from several towns along the trail’s path at a 50th anniversary ceremony sponsored by Friends of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

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On the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin | Photo courtesy Rick McCutcheon | CC by 2.0

Will a Limestone Quarry Disrupt a Celebrated Wisconsin Rail-Trail?

Posted 03/18/15 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Taking Action | Tagged with RTC in Action, Wisconsin

On Monday, March 16, 2015, officials in Monroe County, Wis., voted to approve a limestone quarry near the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wilton, despite local opposition. Learn how this decision could potentially impact the Elroy Sparta-—an iconic American rail-trail, and one of the first to be completed in the nation.

Peter Mulvey | Photo by Jonathan Ryder

Musician-Bicyclist Peter Mulvey to Play for Trails on Jan. 25

Posted 01/20/15 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Community Events, Wisconsin

Vetern singer-songwriter and passionate cyclist Peter Mulvey will be performing a 12-hour online concert on Jan. 25, 2015—and dedicating the 11th hour to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy! The concert will be streamed online live from the Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wis., and we encourage you to tune in!

View of the Kinnickinnic River from the trail | Photo by John December

Wisconsin's Kinnickinnic River Trail

Posted 01/13/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

The story of Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River Trail is the story of its eponymous river; paralleling each other through the city’s south side, the fate of the two is intimately intertwined. The KK River Trail, as it’s known locally, is also referred to as the “lost river.”

The Bella Donnas | Photo CC Jillian Imilkowski

Ride, Women, Ride

Posted 01/09/15 by Katie Harris in Success Stories | Tagged with Biking, Success Stories, Wisconsin

When Carmen Berte met The Bella Donnas, Milwaukee’s self-described “premier all-girl, noncompetitive, mentoring and motivational cycling group,” in 2008, she wasn’t sure it was the right place for her. Her hesitation didn’t last long.

Photo © Sheboygan County Planning and Conservation Department

Wisconsin's Shoreland 400 Rail Trail

Posted 05/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Sheboygan County is rural, small-town America—no doubt about it. This is Wisconsin dairyland, situated halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, where the county seat is the Bratwurst Capital of the World. It's not the type of place that one would expect a thriving walking and biking culture, which made it the perfect candidate for a grand, national experiment that began in 2005. And in Sheboygan, the county's largest city, the Shoreland 400 Rail Trail was a little trail designed to have a big impact on changing modes and minds on transportation.

Glacial Drumlin State Trail, Wisconsin

Posted 09/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Wisconsin's 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail follows the corridor of a former passenger railroad that some speculate was built by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway purely for political convenience. Completed in 1882, the Milwaukee and Madison Air Line provided a straight shot through rural countryside and several small communities to connect two of the state's most important cities—but very little in-between.

Image © APA

Several Rail-Trails Featured in New Book About Preservation Successes

Posted 03/14/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with California, Case Studies, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, Heritage and Restoration, Minnesota, Wisconsin

We like to call rail-trails the ultimate recycling project. They preserve thousands of miles of historical rail lines and uphold the railroad legacy of transporting millions of people and goods across the country. Countless hours were invested in the construction and maintenance of those original railbeds, and rail-trails keep the corridors intact and in the public domain for future generations to use and enjoy.

Wisconsin's Elroy-Sparta State Trail

Posted 09/01/08 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Much is memorable about Wisconsin's 32-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail, but visitors often leave especially chirpy about the pathway's three tunnels—and particularly the spontaneous chorus of singing and whistling that echoes through them on busy days. David Snyder of Milwaukee, Wis., first rode the trail in October 2007, and he still beams about the fun of passing through the musical darkness.