Hidden Bear Trail ATV Club Newsletter #2, 2014

Membership Meeting: On Saturday, August 16th at 10:00 am we had our 2nd membership meeting of 2014 at Animal’s Bear Trail Inn in Mountain WI. A total of 32 members were in attendance. The meeting was called to order by President Shawn Fidler. The following information was shared with our members at the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 am.Membership: Our club now has a total membership of 143 members, 84 one year members & 59 five year members. We signed up 6 new members at our Fund Raiser that day. Thanks to all of our members, without you our club would not be possible.Website: Dave Pitterle is our webmaster and is doing a great job in updating our website as things change. If you want more club info please visit our website at: www.hiddenbeartrailatvclub.com. Dave has a great picture gallery of events that our club is involved with thru out the year.Lakewood Mardi Gras Parade: Our club participated again in the Lakewood Mardi Gras Parade on July 13th in Lakewood. We had a great turnout with over 25 ATV’s & UTV’s and a total of 38 people that participated. Our club give out Parade Beads again this year. A special thanks to the Red Arrow Snowmobile & ATV Club that joined us in the fun. Pictures of that day’s event is on our website.Riverview Report: We are working with the Forest Service to widen the ATV trail from Hwy 32 at Thelen Road for the first 1/2 mile to the west, it is narrow and caution is needed when riding thru that area.

Doty Report: Our Club & Red Arrow put up new white strapping material along the 1/2 mile fence on County T, the old strapping material wore out, we purchased a stronger material hoping that this will last longer. Both clubs shared in the cost of the material and the work was done thru volunteers from both clubs. Pictures of the fence is on our website, along with the volunteer’s. Our club sponsored a lunch for the volunteer’s after the work was completed. Our club constructed and paid for a new ATV/UTV Trail thru Forest Service Propety that connects Shadow Lake Road and Blue Spruce Road in Doty. This allows rider’s a short ride over to the Boulder Lake area from the Northern area of Doty & Riverview.
Dave you were correct about Ron Boeldt winning $200.00. I forgot to put that in the newsletter. I corrected it, can you put this copy on the web? I send him his check this morning. Thanks for catching that.

Jim
Lakewood Report: In July our club and the Red Arrow club put wood chips in the ditch lines along County F in Lakewood. Any place we use the County ditch lines, they want us to lay wood chips to decrease erosion and keep the dust down. Pictures from this work day is on our website. Our club has been working with Oconto County and have received approval to use the blacktop shoulder from Club House Lane (by the golf course) to the Sandtrap Bar on County F. We are in the process of ordering & paying for the signs, once the signs are received we will put them up and the route will be open. ATV/UTV travel along this area will be limited to both blacktop shoulder’s with travel with the flow of traffic. The new ATV/UTV Route will dead end at the Sand Trap Bar, it only includes the 1/2 mile from Club House Lane to the Sandtrap Bar on the blacktop shoulder. It does not include the entire shoulder from Lakewood to the Sandtrap. ATV/UTV Rider’s will have to use the Nicolet State Trail to North Road, to E Foresster Road to Lake John Road, to ditch line along County F to Club House Lane to get to the Sandtrap Bar. This is the first blacktop surface that Oconto County has allowed ATV/UTV travel, it is a pilot program to see how it works, please follow all signs including the 20 mph speed limit.

Forest Service Report: We have received a Forest Service Grant to widen the trail by Highway 32 & Thelen Road in Riverview. We are currently working on a project with the Forest Service to connect the Nicolet State Trail south of Anderson Lake over to Mountain Lakes Road in Doty using Bonita Road and Forest Service Property. This will allow ATV/UTV Riders a shorter route from Gillett, Suring & Chute Pond area to get to the Trail System that connects into Doty area, Boulder Lake Area and over to Langlade County. We are also working with the Forest Service, DNR, DOT, Oconto & Langlade Counties, local townships and 4 other ATV Clubs to build a recreational bridge over the Wolf River in Langlade that will connect Oconto & Langlade Counties ATV/UTV trail system. This will allow our rider’s that can now get to Boulder Lake an opportunity to continue from Boulder Lake over to Langlade County and Forest County.

What your club has done since 2009: At our Fundraiser on Saturday, August 16th we had on each table a list of all things that our club has done since 2009. The following is a short list: Opened all roads in 3 townships and paid for all signs, opened a 50 mile ATV Loop off of the Nicolet State Trail that goes west into Langlade County, put up & paid for all signs on this project, paid for new trail between Blue Spruce & Shadow Lake Road, opened ditch lines along Highway F to have a closer route to Crooked Lake and to connect with the Northern Marinette County Trail System, club paid for and spread wood chips along County F & County T, obtained 3 different grants from the Forest Service to improve the riding surfaces on the 50 mile loop off of the Nicolet State Trail, obtained a grant from the Town of Riverview to improve the riding surface on Mountain Lakes Road, work with 4 other ATV Club to print a yearly Oconto County ATV Map, meet quarterly with the Forest Service to obtain additional riding opportunities thru the Forest Service, & club maintains all ATV/UTV trail/routes in Western Riverview, Doty & Lakewood.

Fund Raiser: Our only Fund Raiser was held on Saturday August 16th at Animal’s Bear Trail Inn. Accept for the weather not cooperating all day, it was a great success. We went thru all 100 of our planned meat raffles. Conducted 4 – 50-50 raffles, conducted a gun raffle & served food & refreshments to all of our guests. Pictures from this year event will be on our website soon. Our Board of Directors would like to thank everyone who attended, purchased $100.00 cash raffle tickets prior to our event and people that purchased the gun raffle tickets. Also would like to thank all of our volunteers that helped that day. Proceeds from this event goes back into creating more ATV/UTV riding opportunities, maintaining our current riding opportunities and to insure safe riding opportunities for all riders in the townships of Riverview, Doty & Lakewood.

Cash Raffle Winners: We sold 150 – $100.00 tickets prior to the drawing at 6:00 pm on August 16th. All the tickets were sold by the end of June, again we want to thank everyone that purchased tickets. The raffle paid out 70% and 22 cash prize winner were drawn, which is a 1 in 7 chance to win. The following is the winner’s of the cash raffle: $4000.00 – Mike Wisneski, $2000.00 – Halfway Bar Group, $900.00 – Jill Schmitzer, $450.00 – Tom Hintz, $300.00 – Bill, Rick & Jim, $200.00 Winners – Mariya Tuckwab, David Taylor, Bill Albers, Ron Boeldt, Sam Rydzik & JAR, $150.00 Winners – John Reformado, John Hutera, Marilyn Ver Bockel, Dave Hedman, Mindy & Mike, Nancy Sellnow, Steve Wilmet, Jim Diomar, Ron Jackson, Carmen Jensen & JAR.

Gun Raffle Winner – The winner of the Savage Bolt Action 270 Rifle with Scope was Maynard Gunnlaughson. A special thanks to the following businesses that donated a portion of the gun: Animal’s Bear Trail Inn, Schoolhouse Bar, Beach Club Bar & Echo Valley Resort. We would like to thank everyone that purchased tickets for the rifle.

Next Membership Meeting, Club Ride & Club Cookout: Our last membership meeting for 2014 will be on Saturday September 27th at 10:00 am at the Firelite Lounge in Lakewood across from the ATV Trailhead in Lakewood. This will be our Annual Meeting & Elections. At approx. 11:00 am will be leaving the Trailhead and going on our 50 mile club ride, we will have lunch at Animal’s Bear Trail Inn and then back to the Trailhead around 3:00 or 4:00 pm. After we return we will have our Club Cookout right at the Trailhead in Lakewood. All members are welcome even if you do not go on the ride, please feel free to come to the cookout that will start around 5:00 pm. Food & Refreshments will be served. We will also have another ATV Club on our ride and cookout, the Kettle Moraine ATV Club will join us that day. We are looking foward to a great and colorful ride.

Business Members: The following is a list of Business Members, please help support their business: Lakewood Hardware, Timberline Restaurant, Lakewood Super Valu, Lakewood Power Sports, Mulligans, Beach Club, Lakewood Shell, Sand Trap Bar & Grill, Lizer Lawn Care, J&J Contracting, Animal’s Bear Trail Inn, Maple Heights Camground, Echo Valley Campground, Boulder Lake Campground, Tebo Lakewood Realty &Cellular, O’Neils Halfway Bar, 9 Mile Resort, Firelite Bar & Grill & Pine Grove Bar & Grill.