A recent donation by Marshfield Clinic is the latest step, or pedal, toward a new stretch of bike path in the Northwoods.
Barb Freudigmann is Arbor Vitae town treasurer and a member of the Arbor Vitae Bicycle Trail Foundation. She says they've formed the foundation to add on a segment of trail already in Vilas county. She says they're trying to connect Arbor Vitae with the "Heart of Vilas County" bike trail, a distance of 9 miles, most of it going through state forest land..
She says they would like to connect to other bike trails at county roads "M" and "N"...
"....to bring it down through the state forest beginning or ending at the Kwik Trip. By doing that, we're hoping to get the whole Northwoods connected because once through Arbor Vitae we can connect to the Bearskin(trail) south of town that way. If connected, we can get to St. Germain, Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters. It's kind of a missing link to connect our communities...."
She says volunteers have been working until now to get the effort going and they are just beginning to fundraise. Freudigmann says their budget is between $1.5 and 2 million dollars to get the trail built. Marshfield Clinic recently contributed $2,500 and she says they've also received grants from Pukall Lumber and Wisconsin Public Service Foundation,.but Freudigmann says they need more assistance...
"...we can always get assistance finding volunteers and applying for grants. Where we're at right now is doing fundraising. We can't put any pavement down until be get a substantial amount into our account. We know it will be a couple year project...."
More information is at the website arborvitaebiketrail.com and we have a linkhere.
