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 Clearing in progress. Chequamegon Bay area residents will long remember April 17, 2026, when supercell storms came on fast and furious. Severe thunderstorms, high winds, and tornado warnings stretched across the cities of Bayfield, Washburn and Ashland. Washburn sustained heavy tree damage, downed trees and power outages. A tornado (one of at least 13 reported in Wisconsin that day) touched down in Ashland County southeast of Clam Lake causing property damage, downed trees and power outages.
Hopefully, there are new niches where pioneering plants can take root and wildlife can create new homes so that the Big Ravine ecosystem continues to evolve while providing a special place for us to enjoy. Thanks again to our 15 trail volunteers who dedicated 65+ hours. You are AMAZING!
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April 1, 2026: The Pine Bluff and Hemlock Heights trails in the Big Ravine are temporarily closed due to trail conditions. If you encounter wet or muddy sections, please follow Mud Season Principles. 
 Signage guides foot travel and snowmobiles onto separate trails.
The two trail segments crossing private property are currently closed to foot travel while the City works with the private landowners, who have granted permission for snowmobile access, to establish updated agreements for pedestrian use, including the potential for separate routes to address safety concerns.
 The steep boardwalk ramp as it stood prior to this latest project. Author: Neil Howk
 The narrow walkway to the lake that will be replaced with a 5-foot wide elevated boardwalk.
Additional segments of the existing trail that will be replaced with an adjustable, elevated boardwalk.
“Although our volunteers can do amazing work, we recognize that this project is a heavy lift for us,” reflects Kate. “So we plan to bring in the Wisconsin Conservation Corps to help. During year-end giving, we hope folks will donate toward the last bit of funding needed to hire this crew. It’s a great investment in the trail and in creating the next generation of conservation leaders.”
 The lake awaits!  Overlooking the beaver lodge at the end of the point. Author: Neil Howk
I was excited to learn that the Landmark Conservancy was able to facilitate purchasing the property for the Town of Bayfield in 2022 with funds from the Wisconsin DNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and private donations. In the years following the purchase, I saw very little evidence of recent beaver activity around the pond. The pond was still attracting birds and other mammals like river otters. In the winter of 2022-23, a black bear even excavated a den near the pond. Late last summer, however, we started seeing evidence that beavers may have returned. This year there is no doubt that the BEAVERS ARE BACK!
The beavers have been very busy. They stabilized and raised the level of the primary dam with mud from the bottom of the pond. This work and some auxiliary dam structures around the pond have raised the level of the pond, expanded the wetland, and flooded part of the loop trail between the observation deck and the trail to the winery/orchards. Since early September, the beaver activity kicked into another gear. They targeted their favorite food source, the aspen trees along the edge of the woodlot and between the pond and Olson-Meyers Road. Several aspen trees fell into the roadway and were removed by town road crews. Although a bit of a nuisance due to extra chainsaw work, Carl Butterfield, the Town of Bayfield Road Foreman, doesn’t see an immediate concern about or risk to Meyers-Olson Road. He recognizes that the beavers are readying themselves for winter and that the falling trees will likely end soon. Last weekend, Kate and I met Jeff Wilson, a retired wildlife manager with Wisconsin DNR, at the headwaters to look at the beaver activity and assess the habitat. Jeff pointed out all the recent activity around the dam and demonstrated how the beavers carry mud with their front paws.
Though they have started to build a few small dams in the drainage channel along the road, the dams were not an immediate threat to the road and could be easily removed by the town crews. If we wanted to protect any of the larger aspens that the beavers were starting to work on, we could wrap them with hardware cloth to protect them.
 The crew was all smiles working on the Pileated Woodpecker Trail in less-than-beautiful weather! Left to right - Janel Ryan, John Ipsen, Kris Wegerson, Chris Vaudreuil, Dee Johnson, Jim Bryan Author: Liz Fentress A group of ten Bayfield Area Trails volunteers were all smiles Saturday morning, November 1, as they worked on the recently re-opened Pileated Woodpecker Trail along Pike’s Creek. John Ipsen summed it up best: “It’s been amazing to see all these volunteers come out in less-than-beautiful weather. Just as we started working there was a ray of sunshine and I thought it seemed very appropriate for the event! An unexpected ray of sunshine because the weather was so wet and chilly!”
Crew members divided into two groups and worked with loppers, tree pruners, rakes, brooms, rogue hoes, post-hole diggers, and chainsaws. One group worked on the Anglers’ Access Trail along Pike’s Creek installing trail signs, cutting back brush, and lopping off overhanging branches. “It’s wonderful to be doing this work,” Jim Bryan said. “And, after two years, to be open to the public.” Another group crossed the bridge over Pike’s Creek and cleaned off boardwalks, leveled sloping trails, cut back brush, and removed a couple of trees from the trail. The work took them up to Chickadee Point overlooking Pike’s Creek, and along the ridge to the Jerry Jolly Trail and Mt. Ashwabayl. “We’re mostly fine-tuning it,” crew leader Ted May said, “getting it ready for public use. And it should be easier for snowshoeing and hiking in the winter.” Special thanks to Darren Miller and the staff at Les Voigt State Fish Hatchery for mowing the Anglers’ Access Trail, and clearing large, fallen trees. As the crew finished work and packed up, the public was coming in! A birder with field glasses at Chickadee Point, a Washburn woman working her way up some switchbacks, and a gentleman walking along the Anglers’ Access Trail for the very first time. All three remarked that they were extremely grateful for this first-class asset to our community. Thank-you, Bayfield Area Trails!
 Doug Welty puts the leaf blower to work clearing ditches. Author: John Ipsen On the fine mornings of Friday and Saturday 10/24-25, BAT volunteers gathered to maintain the Brownstone Trail between Chequamegon Road and Lake Shore Drive. On day one, five volunteers (Neil Howk, Phil Peterson, Doug Welty, Kris Wegerson, and John Ipsen) directed our energies first at clearing leaves out of the drainage ditches in front of Wild Rice Retreat. We used leaf blowers to move the leaves into windrows, then raked them into piles, and with tarps we deposited the leaves towards the lake. There was minor buildup of debris in the box and conventional culverts that we were able to clear out with the leaf blowers.
On day two, four volunteers (Bob Feyen, Kate Kitchell, Kris Wegerson, and John Ipsen) addressed the badly plugged box culverts on the slope on the trail north of Blue Wing Bay Road . The mesh covers were removed, gravel and other debris were cleaned out, and the mesh was re-installed. On two culverts, additional mesh (supplied by Rex Dollinger) was added so that the boxes could be fully covered. New hardware was employed, with an eye towards making future removal of the covers somewhat easier. However, given that we found it quite easy to clean culverts of minor buildup using a leaf blower, hopefully these can be addressed in the future without the need to remove the mesh covers at all. We also dug sumps on the inlet side of these culverts and cleared out the outlet channels. The section from the telegraph pole on Lakeshore drive to Blue Wind Bay Road was cleared of encroaching brush.
Finally, we also worked on the ditches and culvert on the final section of trail near Waterford. These were weed-whipped, and then cleared out of accumulated leaves and pine needles.
Thanks to all who pitched in! And thanks to Erika Lang and Landmark, who provided a powerful leaf blower and hot chocolate too!
 Wetland Boardwalk Volunteers Author: Mary Anne Welch Eleven volunteers came out on September 27 to move forward with making the Salmo Lakewalk Trail accessible all the way to the small beach on the shore of Lake Superior. It was a sunny day, with wild mushrooms pinning and fruiting along the dirt path leading to the marsh. The Salmo Trail travels across wetlands via a series of bridges and boardwalks. The day’s work began at the first bridge, where someone joked that traffic control would have come in handy, as volunteers repaired decking while others dragged large branches out to the parking lot.
Janel, Gene, Doug, and Sue cleared alder and dogwood to make the dirt and plank-covered path wider. New boardwalk will be installed in these areas. Gene tackled thorny rose bushes along the narrower boardwalk, making room to add more planks and widen the path in that area. The Salmo Trail is a 1.5 mile out-and-back hiking path located across State Highway 13 from the Les Voigt Fish Hatchery. The trail consists of a series of pedestrian bridges and boardwalks along a meandering, sandy pathway that opens several times to views of wetland before reaching the Lake Superior shoreline.
 After 16 months of surveys, land sales, discussions among landowners, land ownership research, and WAITING PATIENTLY, it has been found that the access road (aka Angler Access Trail) along Pikes Creek is a public road and open for public access. Many thanks go to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) real estate and legal staff for conducting exhaustive records research which determined that the "St. Paul Road" along Pikes Creek was never abandoned; therefore, the Town of Bayfield still controls the 66-foot-wide right of way for this road and it remains a public road. A small portion of the St. Paul Road right of way has been eroded by the creek, but the road remains wide enough for access and maintenance. The Town, in consultation with the DNR, has decided to re-open this up for non-motorized public access and motorized use for the purposes of maintenance and emergency response. The Town will be communicating with the adjacent landowner about removing signs, survey stakes, and other items they have placed on the right-of-way. In the meantime, PLEASE DO NOT TAMPER WITH THE SIGNS ETC. We will keep you posted as things progress. The trail can be accessed either from the Les Voigt Fish Hatchery parking lot on Highway 13 south of Bayfield, or from the main Mt. Ashwabay parking lot.  Click map image to enlarge. Mark your calendars for volunteer work days on the Pileated Woodpecker Trail on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 from 9 am to Noon - more information will follow. |
