Current through August 26, 2024
(1) FOOTPATHS. The
Ice Age Trail and North Country Trail shall be managed primarily as footpaths
for pedestrian use: walking, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, and ungroomed
cross-country skiing.
(2) PURPOSE.
(a) The purpose of the Ice Age Trail is to
provide premier hiking and backpacking experiences and to preserve and
interpret Wisconsin's glacial landscape and other natural and cultural
resources in areas through which the trail passes.
(b) The purpose of the North Country Trail is
to provide premier hiking and backpacking experiences as it meanders through a
variety of northern landscapes, linking scenic, natural, historic, and cultural
areas in seven states from New York to North Dakota.
(3) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Dispersed camping area" has the meaning
given in s.
NR 45.03(9c).
(b) "Ice Age Trail" has the meaning given in
s.
23.17(2),
Stats. When the Ice Age Trail is within a property other than a State Ice Age
Trail Area, the Ice Age Trail for management purposes shall be the treadway,
which is the trail tread and the land 25 feet adjacent to both sides of the
trail tread.
(c) "Master plan" has
the meaning given in s.
NR 44.03(8).
(d) "State Ice Age Trail Areas" mean lands
purchased by the department for the Ice Age Trail under the authority of s. 23.09(2)
(d) 10., Stats., except when purchased as
part of another department project.
(4) DISPERSED CAMPING AND TRAIL CONSTRUCTION.
On State Ice Age Trail Areas and on lands purchased for the North Country
Trail, construction of the Ice Age and North Country trails and dispersed
camping areas are authorized prior to the approval of a master plan for the
property as allowed by department criteria and approval processes.
(5) VEHICLES.
(a) Vehicles shall be prohibited on the Ice
Age trail except as provided for in s.
NR 45.14(1), which shall also apply to
this section, and except for snowmobiles where deemed appropriate by the
secretary of the department of the interior and the managing authority
responsible for the segment as permitted by
16
U.S.C. 1241.
(b) Vehicles shall be prohibited on the North
Country Trail except as provided for in s.
NR 45.14(1), which shall also apply to
this section.
(6) STATE
ICE AGE TRAIL AREAS - PURPOSE. Ice Age Trail Areas permanently protect lands to
provide for segments of the Ice Age Trail; preserve Wisconsin's glacial
landscape features and other natural and cultural resources associated with the
trail route; and, where possible, offer a primitive atmosphere of relative
solitude and perceived remoteness where visitors may experience a quiet
connection with nature. In suburban areas or other developed areas, and on
smaller parcels of land, not all of the Ice Age Trail Area purposes may be
realized; however, they shall be maximized to the degree practicable at the
site.
(7) STATE ICE AGE TRAIL AREAS
- RECREATIONAL USE AND MANAGEMENT.
(a)
Objectives. The purpose of the Ice Age Trail as provided in
sub. (2) (a), and further defined by the Ice Age Trail Vision Statement and
Attributes, shall receive primary consideration in the master planning for
State Ice Age Trail Areas. All uses included in sub. (1) and sub. (2) (a), and
facilities that directly support these uses shall be allowed. Compatible,
non-Ice Age Trail related objectives may be accommodated; however, they may be
limited in scope of time and location to avoid interference with primary Ice
Age Trail purpose.
Note: Note: The Vision Statement and Attributes
is part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Park Service,
Ice Age Trail Alliance (ne Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation), and the
department concerning the Ice Age Trail.
(b)
Allowable non-Ice Age Trail
related recreational uses and facility development.
1. To determine the suitability of secondary
uses as listed in subds. 2. to 4. on a State Ice Age Trail Area, the specific
characteristics of each Ice Age Trail Area, including the size, topography,
vegetation, and sustainability, shall be considered. Conditions specific to
funding sources used for the property shall also be upheld.
2. Depending on conditions including
topography and sight lines, bicycling and horse riding may take place on a
State Ice Age Trail Area. Location of these trails shall not detract from the
purpose of the property as provided in sub. (6). In general, such use shall
take place not less than 200 - 500 feet away from the Ice Age Trail
tread.
3. Snowmobile, and ATV and
similar motorized recreational use may be established if conditions including
topography and sight lines allow the use to exist without detracting from the
purpose of the property as provided in sub. (6), provided that use is more than
1/4 mile from Ice Age Trail tread, and if the solitude and quiet
experience of the Ice Age Trail user is not compromised by that use.
4. Intersections of motorized trails and the
Ice Age Trail may not be allowed, except as provided in sub. (5). Intersections
of non-motorized, non-hiking trails and the Ice Age Trail are avoided;
exceptions may be allowed on a case-by-case basis when necessary to accommodate
or maintain a larger, regional trail system.
5. Hunting as authorized pursuant to s.
29.089,
Stats., and natural resources board determinations under s.
29.089(1m),
Stats.
6. No coincident use of the
Ice Age Trail tread may be allowed for any uses other than those primary uses
listed in sub. (1) and sub. (2) (a).
(c)
Vegetation Management.
The desired future vegetation condition is natural communities composed of
native plants and animals. Prescriptive management plans shall be designed to
meet the goals of the desired future condition. When developing the vegetation
management component of the property master plan, the specific characteristics
of each State Ice Age Trail Area shall be considered, including the
pre-settlement vegetation, soil types, and feasibility of the department and
its partners to maintain the ecosystem.
(d)
Pre-master plan. Prior
to the approval of the property master plan, management activities and uses on
State Ice Age Trail Areas shall be limited to the following:
1. `Recreational Use and Facility
Development.'
a. All uses and activities
allowed in subs. (1) and (4).
b.
Pre-existing crossings of the Ice Age Trail by designated state or county
trails.
c. Hunting in accordance
with s.
NR 10.275(4) and s.
NR 45.09(11).
Note: Section
NR 10.275(4) was repealed by CR 13-108
Register August 2014 No 704, eff. 9-1-14. Section
NR 45.09(11) was repealed by CR 16-001
Register No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.
d. Motorized vehicles use as described in
sub. (5).
e. Small, lightly
developed parking areas, such as a gravel parking lot, may be
constructed.
f. Signage may be
installed for marking the Ice Age Trail; regulatory uses; property management,
including boundaries; and general property or Ice Age Trail information, such
as a kiosk.
2.
`Vegetation Management.' Native community types existing at the time of
acquisition shall be retained or enhanced.
a.
Vegetative management shall focus on enhancing the scenic and natural values
along the Ice Age Trail. Cropped lands may be planted with a permanent grass
cover. Tree plantations may be thinned to create a more natural appearing
condition.
b. Invasive species may
be removed or controlled.
c. Any
proposed forest management requires consultation with the managing bureau of
the property to ensure that scenic values along the Ice Age Trail are being
preserved or enhanced.
