[Reprinted from the Wisconsin State Journal, where it was derived from an AP wire story. -Ed.]
Erosion control and separate trails for hikers are needed to minimize the impact thousands of mountain bikers have on the southem Kettle Moraine State Forest a study concludes.
As many as 35,000 bicyclists ride trails there each year, often driving hikers away, according to the study commissioned by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The study, being reviewed by the DNR, was conducted by Alan Bjorkman of Lake Geneva, an assistant professor of botany and environmental science at North Park College in Chicago.
Bjorkman spent three years studying mountain biking and its impact, primarily on the John Muir and Emma Carlin trails near the town of LaGrange in northern Walworth County.
The two trails and a connector trail cover more than 32 miles of mostly wooded terrain and are popular with mountain bikers from Milwaukee, Madison and northern Illinois.
Bjorkinan also examined use of the Nordic trail, a hiking-only trail across the road from the John Muir trail.
About 35,000 mountain bikers and 3,500 to 7,000 hikers use the Muir and Carlin trails. About 3,500 to 7,000 hikers use the Nordic trail each year.
"When you designate a trail for mountain bikes, tne hikers clear out real fast," Bjorkman said.
Mountain bikers usually are looking for a more aerobic workout than hikers and speed through the woods quietly, often startling hikers.
Designating certain trails for hikers seems a viable solution to the problem, said Bill Moorman, DNR trail coordinator.
Another problem with high use is the rock- and stone-laden trail sections of the southern Kettle Moraine, especially on steep slopes.
Those sections undergo considerable erosion from mountain bikes, Bjorkman said. Vegetation disappears and soil runs down the hills.
For the past several years, plastic erosion devices have been placed on many slopes and have dramatically diminished erosion.
The $70,000 or so in user fees collected at trail entrances should be adequate to maintain and install the erosion mats, he said.
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