No More Muddy Paws on the Big Ravine's East Rim!

Daisy tried the improved trail areas and remarked how happy she was that her paws stayed dry!

On October 15th, BATS volunteers gathered on the East Rim Trail for a last hurrah for the 2021 trail-building season. They celebrated with big equipment, shovels and rakes, and 20 cubic yards of gravel—paid for with a grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. The project had lots of moving parts as tractors, UTVs and ATVs shuttled gravel from the Meyers-Olson Road parking lot, and crews raked it onto sections of the trail that get very muddy in late winter and early spring. They also moved boardwalk materials to two locations along the trail, anticipating that some areas might need further improvement; that will be determined during next year’s snowmelt.

Map showing areas where work was completed.

Phil Peterson operating one of the tractors.

​Those who assisted with equipment included Drew Froeliger and Phil Peterson on tractors loading gravel, Phil Bratsch driving an UTV with a dump box, Chuck Finn on his tractor with a custom-designed gravel hauler, Jim Moeller with an ATV and dump trailer, and Steve Vizanko driving an UTV with a dump box on loan from Ashwabay. Those who worked with shovels and rakes included Bill Bland, John Ipsen, Kate Kitchell, Gene Lemmenes, Beth Lowthian, Ted May, Sheree Peterson, and Janel Ryan.

Big Ravine East Rim Trail

​Trails volunteer Gene Lemmenes said, “It was quite an impressive effort, especially in terms of the donated equipment and the timeliness of completing the project. We had planned for a full workday, but the crew was so efficient that we were done by 1:00 p.m.” Corgi owner Bill Bland added, “I think our dog friends, and their owners, will be very happy with these improvements next spring: no muddy paws and no muddy bellies!”