WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017
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VOL. 119 NO. 23 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola girls basketball wins at Glenwood City. PAGE 8
Farmington points finger at Standing Cedars, but levy limits may be to blame
Winter hiking, ‘magical,’ says Trails Coalition Falls Bluff Loop project increases hiking options BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Winter offers its own rewards for hikers willing to brave the cold and snow, say members of the Rivertown Trails Coalition, a team of Osceola residents working to expand the village’s trail system. Those who make a point of getting out are likely to encounter the season’s stunning beauty, say Deb Kravik and Germaine Ross, Trails Coalition members. “If you haven’t taken the trails in the winter after a snowfall, it’s purely magical,” says Ross, who also serves as director of the Osceola Area Chamber of Commerce. “Deer crossing, mist rising, the snowflakes.” And a new landmark, the recently completed Falls Bluff Loop Trailhead, now connects three of the village’s existing trails — Cascade Falls, Eagle Bluff and Simonstad — into a challenging trek that brings hikers from the waterfall to the river, up the bluff and back again. “We want our trails to be so you can get really up close and personal,” says Ross, “touch the waterfall, touch the river, hear the water.” One tip for hiking the intentionally rugged path in winter: “Get those lovely little cleat boots at Bill’s Ace Hardware,” Ross advises. “The Falls Bluff Loop is a challenging trail,” adds
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
As East Farmington struggled last month to set a budget that allowed for proper road maintenance, Town Chair Dennis Cottor set his focus on a large parcel of tax-exempt land: Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy. The would-be tax revenue on the 1,500-acre property amounts to “a tremendous amount of money we’re losing that we could use to improve our community,” he said at the town board’s Dec. 5 meeting. Cottor did not immediately reply to a request for further comment, but in December he asserted that the conservancy benefits from taxpayer-funded services such as fire and police protection while draining the time of town maintenance employees who must repair roadside ruts from visitors parking in ditches to access the wilderness area. After learning of Cottor’s criticisms, several came to Standing Cedars’ defense, arguing that the undeveloped tract of land is invaluable. Steven Rassler, president of Standing Cedars’ board, called Cottor’s statements misleading and unfair, arguing that the conservancy’s nonprofit status was awarded based on the benefits it confers to the public. “I view us as a tre-
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Bob Whaley and Scott Lindahl install the sign at the recently completed Falls Bluff Loop Trailhead.
Kravik, who chairs the Trails Coalition. “But the reward is the in-
‘We want our trails to be so you can get really up close and personal – touch the waterfall, touch the river, hear the water.’ Germaine Ross Director, Osceola Area Chamber credible view of the St. Croix. The birding up there is amazing, and now with the Boy Scout benches, people have a place to sit and watch
them.” The idea for the Falls Bluff Loop seems to have grown with the Trails Coalition itself. “The whole thing started as talk and a vision that evolved with the Rivertown Trails Coalition,” Kravik explains. “When we initially started we talked about all the people that come to Osceola and the beauty that we have. People come to ride the train and don’t know what else is here. They could come to hike.” Instead of creating fragmented trails around town, the Trails Coalition worked to create loops so people could understand where they were going and get back easily. They also worked for a wow factor.
Hope Your New Year Sparkles
“It was always to bring more people here to enjoy what we have,” says Kravik, “the river, the waterfall, the views, and the businesses we have here.” As the trails came together and the Trails Coalition began working on the trailhead in earnest, the design took on a life of its own. A footbridge over the stream in Geiger Park, a little-used green space behind the BP station, grew from a side note into a primary component. “It was an historical feature of Osceola that was overgrown with buckthorn and reed canary grass,” explains Ross, a landscape designer by trade. “We made (the footbridge) a SEE TRAIL, PAGE 16
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mendous community resource, open to the public for pedestrian recreation,” he told the Sun. “It’s difficult to find anything like it nearby. There are a number of state parks if you want to travel, but those are tax-supported and staffed. We don’t have any of those benefits. On the other hand, we’re probably more responsive to the community’s needs.” The land is managed by volunteers and used for activities as diverse as hiking, hunting and cross-country skiing, with no admission or fees. In addition, Rassler noted that the conservancy serves as habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals, and that Standing Cedars volunteers are “actively stewarding the property to enable them to survive.” The largest tract — 1,100-acre Engelwood — was purchased for conservation in 1995. So why are the conservancy and its would-be property tax coming up now? State-imposed limits on property taxes could be one root cause of Farmington’s current funding shortfall. According to Rick Manthe, an attorney for the Wisconsin Towns Association, many towns in the state have report-
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