Wisconsin Off Road

7/30/2019 Wisconsin Off Road

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North Central Wisconsin 1 Wisconsin Off-Road Regional Planning Commission Vehicle Park Incorporated

Introduction

The Wisconsin Off-Road Vehicle Park, Inc. (WORVPI) is a non-stock, not-for-profit corporation established in 2011. Chartered in the State of Wisconsin,WORVPI has the mission to provide economic development in Forest County

through a recreational venue which educates and encourages the principles of safe and responsible motorized recreation.

The top priority for WORVPI is the development of a 10,000 acre MotorizedRecreation Area (MRA). This feasibility study will identify potential sites andidentify the best location to establish an MRA in Forest County. The feasibilitystudy has 6 components: 1) Background, 2) Site Assessment, 3) MRAConnectivity, 4) Site Design, 5) Implementation and 6) Conclusions. The studywill help WORVPI to identify a path to establish a Wisconsin MRA. The MRAwill address a need of motorized recreationists not currently addressed in theState of Wisconsin and aims to become a national destination.

I. Background

WORPVI is branding this project a Motorized Recreational Area because theyseek to be inclusive of all types of motorized off-road vehicles. The termMotorized Recreational Area is defined as a designated area that is developedfor the enjoyment of all types of motorized recreational vehicles. Other entitieshave developed similar areas but most have used the term Off-Highway Vehicle(OHV) Park.

The United State Forest Service defines OHVs as:

Any motor vehicle designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, or other natural terrain.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources defines All-Terrain Vehicles(ATVs) as:

An engine-driven device which has a net weight of 900 pounds or less, which is originally manufactured with a width of 50 inches or less, which is equipped with a seat designed to be straddled by the operator and which is designed by the manufacturer to travel on 3 or more low-pressure tires. (NOTE: the machine must meet all qualification restrictions.)


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Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

On June 28, 2006 the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board met and discusseditem 3.B.3 Approve Plan Development for a Motorized State Recreation Area.As a result of that meeting the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board

unanimously passed a motion to direct the Wisconsin Department of NaturalResources (DNR) to develop a public involvement plan and a concept plan forone or more motorized recreation areas that was to ensure the participation of not only off-road vehicle enthusiasts, but also interested stakeholders,members of the general public, and representatives from other outdoorrecreation industry and resource protection communities. The DNR will reportback to the Natural Resources Board presenting options for funding, location,management, and partnerships.

To date this directive from the Natural Resources Board has yet to be fullyexplored. The DNR has considered a few sites throughout the state but has

never conducted the research needed to complete this project. This studyintends to identify a Motorized Recreational Area in accordance with theWisconsin Natural Resources Boards mandates.

Land Use

Forest County in northeastern Wisconsin has a total of 669,231 acres. Thepredominant land use in Forest County is forested land which covers 92.0% of the county. The remaining land uses in the county show 1.8% is used foragriculture, 3.4% is water, 0.6% for open space, 0.8% is for transportation(which includes airports and roads), 1.0% for residential, and 0.1% is forcommercial and industrial uses.

The existing land use in Forest County will play a role in the development of anMRA. The abundance of forested land use in the county will provide theopportunity to identify several suitable sites large enough for an MRA. Inaddition, the prevalence of forested land uses will help identify sites thatshould have minimal impacts on residential, commercial, and industrial landuses.

Forest County is bound on the north by the Brule River which forms the borderbetween Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Forest County isbound on the east by Florence and Marinette Counties; on the south by Ocontoand Langlade Counties; and on the west by Oneida and Vilas Counties.


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Demographics

The proximity to population should be considered when locating an MRA. Toexamine the population near the proposed MRA the study analyzed

demographic information within a 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mile radiusfrom the center of Forest County. Map1, to the right, showsthe location of ForestCounty and the radiusrings. The map showsthat Milwaukee,Chicago and the TwinCities are majormetropolitan areas

within 300 miles of Forest County.

The demographic dataindicates there is asubstantial populationwithin 300 miles of Forest County. Thedata shows thatnearly 25.5 millionpeople live within 300miles of ForestCounty. This will belarge enoug hpopulation base tosupport and sustainoperation of an MRA.

The Economic and Demographic Profile of Wisconsin ATV Users was completedby the Wisconsin ATV Association in 2004. The study indicates that mostmotorized recreationists will travel long distances, with 14% of ATV riders inWisconsin come from out of state. In addition, the demographic profileindicates that 75% of motorized recreationists will be male and that the averageage of will be near 40. Because of those demographic trends, the primarytarget of the MRA should be males in the 30 to 59 age group. Table 1, on page4, indicates that there are over 12.5 million males and nearly 10.5 people inthe 30 to 59 age group within 300 miles of the proposed MRA.

Map 1: Map showing 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 Mile Radius fromForest County


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Female Male17 andUnder 18 to29 30 to 59 60 and Over

50 Miles 161,609 131,246 80,391 81,218 31,514 17,939 65,775 46,543100 Miles 1,261,325 665,158 630,283 631,042 285,059 185,415 518,405 272,446150 Miles 2,413,351 1,226,953 1,198,479 1,214,972 543,004 362,003 991,887 514,044200 Miles 6,141,449 2,935,738 3,084,642 3,056,807 1,412,533 988,773 2,517,994 1,222,148250 Miles 13,824,569 6,215,010 6,969,858 6,854,711 3,359,370 2,225,756 5,695,722 2,543,721300 Miles 25,496,167 11,145,977 12,926,807 12,569,361 6,195,569 4,232,364 10,478,925 4,640,302

Population by Sex Population by Age Group

Table 1: Demographics by Distance from Forest County

Source: US Census SF1 Dataset, www.demographics now.com and Alteryx Inc.

Population HouseholdsRadius

According to the 2010 Census Forest County had a population of 9,304, whichranks 68 th of Wisconsins 72 Counties. Forest County also has an estimatedseasonal population of 10,346 according to estimates from the Forest CountyOutdoor Recreation Plan. Forest County is similar to other counties inNorthern Wisconsin in having a large percentage of seasonal housing. Thestrong seasonal housing population in Northern Wisconsin indicates the regionis a tourist destination. The development of this project would strengthen theregions position as a tourist destination.

According to the 2010 Census Forest County is ranked 70 th out of the 72Wisconsin Counties in population density with a density of 9.2 persons persquare mile. The population density in Forest County is considerably lowerthan the state density of 105.0 persons per square mile. Population density isimportant to consider when locating an MRA. The optimal locations for anMRA will be areas with a lower population density because those areas willprovide more undeveloped lands for the development of an MRA. In additionareas with low population density will likely provide less opposition becausethe MRA would not impact as many residential properties.


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Previous Planning

In the recent past there have been numerous statewide, regional and localplanning studies that have researched the demand of ATVs and other OHVs inWisconsin. This section will analyze previous planning documents to obtain

any information that would be relevant to this study.Previous planning efforts that have been completed primarily consider theneeds of ATV users. It should be noted that OHM, UTV and 4WD vehicle usershave not been fully represented in these studies. It is recommended that allfuture planning efforts include all types of motorized recreational users. Theinclusion of all users will aid in providing a better representation of the needsfor all user groups.

Economic and Demographic Profile of Wisconsin ATV Users (2004):

In 2004, the Department of Tourism partnered with the Wisconsin All-TerrainVehicle Association (WATVA) and the University of Wisconsins Department of Urban and Regional Planning to gather marketing and economic impactinformation about Wisconsins ATV riders. The objectives of the research were:1) to define an ATV rider (age, educational level, and residence); 2) to describecharacteristics of the ATV trip (length of overnight stays, overnightaccommodations, and party size), 3) to identify the users reasons for being inthe area and other attractions/activities they will participate in while on thistrip; 4) to assess the importance of various aspects of ATV trail riding; 5) tomeasure user expenditures in the area; and 6) to determine the economicimpact of nonresident visitors in the area.

The results reported in the report were based from surveys that were gatheredthrough a stratified random trail sample of ATV users across the state of Wisconsin. The results of the study were used to develop a profile of WisconsinATV users which showed:

The majority of riders come from the Midwestern states; Wisconsin(86%), Minnesota (6%), Illinois (5%), Iowa (2%), Indiana (0.6%) andMichigan (0.5%).

Over the course of a year, these riders take an average of 6 ATV trips inWisconsin.

The average age of survey respondents was 40 years. 30 percent have annual household incomes between $41,000 and

$60,000; 24% had incomes between $61,000 and $80,000. 62 percent have some form of education beyond high school. In addition to ATV riding, favored leisure activities include ATV riding,

hunting, fishing, camping, snowmobiling and boating. Most (97%) owned their ATVs and on average, own two machines.


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More than 90% use their ATVs for trail riding, 50% use them for hunting,46% use them around their home or farm; 42% use them for fishing orice fishing; and 10% use the machines for racing.

Seven out of ten survey respondents indicated they ride their ATVs in thewinter.

To find information for their leisure trips, 52% ATV riders primarily relyon word of mouth recommendations, 26% were planned through theirATV club and 13% the relied on a variety of marketing resources likeInternet, Wisconsins Tourism Guides, local tourism information, theDNR, and magazines.

Three-fourths of the respondents were males; females accounted for25%.

Over half of the riders were in the area to specifically ride the trails; 21%were attending an ATV event and riding the trails; 17% were attending anATV event; and 5% were on a leisure trip.

The majority (62%) were on an overnight trip from home and the type of overnight lodging these visitors were using included RVs, hotel/motel,2

nd/vacation homes, with family and friends, campgrounds or rented

cabins. ATV visitors who stayed overnight spent 3 nights in the area. RV

campers stayed the longest (3.7 nights) and hotel/motel visitors stayedthe shortest (2.5 nights).

The average ATV party consisted of almost five people and was primarilycomprised of family and friends or family only groups.

Over one-half of all travel groups did not have children under the age of 15. The parties that did, on average, had 2.5 children.

22% of ATV visitors planned their trip within a week; 25% planned itwithin a month; and 24% planned it between 1-3 months in advance.

Other trip-related activities ATVers participated in while in the areaincluded shopping, dining, visiting family/friends, attending ATV races,festival/event, water-related sports, going to a casino, museum/historicsite, or other area activities.

WATVA and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism were contacted to determineif this research has been updated. Unfortunately this research has not beenupdated statewide; however, WATVA has confirmed that the largest change inthe profile of the Wisconsin ATV users is the median age has gotten older sincethe study was completed. This is due to the growth of side by side vehicleswhich are considered easier to operate and has allowed older riders to continueto ride.


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Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (2011-2016):

The Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)examines and assesses current and future recreational needs within the state.

The plan was updated in 2011 and it looks at a variety of recreation activities,

including OHV driving. The SCORP shows that 19.8% of Wisconsinitesparticipate in OHV recreation.

It should be noted that the SCORP did not include users Off HighwayMotorcycles (OHMs), Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs) and street legal FourWheel Drive Vehicles (4WDs) in the planning process. If these users wereincluded with the OHV users this group would be considerably larger than19.8% of the population as reported by the SCORP. In the future these groupsshould be included within the SCORP because they represent a very large andunrepresented portion of motorized recreational users in the state.

The SCORP identified OHV driving activities have experienced an increase indemand over a 5 year period before 2010. The increase in demand has beenidentified by the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE),which has been completed on an ongoing basis since 1994. The results of thesurvey show that OHV driving activities continues to experience post-recessiongrowth.

The SCORP identifies several goals. One goal that directly relates to the needfor an MRA is: Assess, Understand, and Adapt to Growing Recreation TourismDemands and Preferences. The development of an MRA would bring the SCORP

closer to achieving this goal. The SCORP identified OHV activities had anincrease in demand over a 5 year period ending in 2010. Development of anMRA is the ideal way to meet the demands for OHV activities in Wisconsin.

Forest County Comprehensive Plan (2011):

The Forest County Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2011 to meet therequirements of Wisconsins Smart Growth Law. The comprehensive planprovides Forest County a guide for physical, social, and economicdevelopment. Comprehensive plans develop goals, objectives and policieswhich are intended to provide a rational basis for local land use decisions witha twenty-year vision for future planning and community decisions. The ForestCounty Comprehensive Plan established goals, objectives and policies for thedevelopment of an MRA in the Utilities and Community Facilities andEconomic Development chapters of the comprehensive plan.


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ATV Registrations in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requires registration forATVs and UTVs. Chart 1 shows the growth in ATV registrations in Wisconsinfrom 2000 to 2010. The number of registrations for ATVs in Wisconsin has

more than doubled from 2000 to 2010. Although there was a slight declinefrom 2007 to 2008 Wisconsin has experienced a rapid growth in reg isteredATVs. The slight decline was attributed to the downturn of the economy.

OHMs and 4WDs were not included in the above chart as there is currently noregistration program in Wisconsin for these types of OHVs.

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

A T V R e g

i s t r a t i o n s

Chart 1: 2000-2010 Wisconsin ATV Registrations


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Review of Other MRA Parks

There are a variety of MRAs located throughout the country, see table 2 formore details. A review of the MRAs was completed to understand what otherareas have done to be successful. When comparing privately owned parks to

publically owned parks, it is clear that publicly owned parks tend to be muchlarger. The breakdown of types of vehicles in each park varied, thepredominant vehicle type was ATVs followed by OHMs then UTVs.

MRAs in other states have proven to attract visitors from far distances. St. Joes State Park indicated that roughly one third of their visitors came from outof state. In addition to that the Black Mountain Off-Road Area Annual Reportshows that more than 60% of their annual permits came from outside the stateof Kentucky. This number of out of state visitors could be significant for thisproject. These existing parks indicate that there will be a large market area forWORVPI.

Table 2: Summary of MRA

Facility Name Location Size(Acres) Ownership TypeAverage

Attendance

Iron Range OHV Area Gilbert, MN 1,200 acres Minnesota DNR owned andoperated

10,000

St Joes State Park Park Hills,MO

2,000 acresORV Area 8,238acre Park

Missouri DNR owned andoperated

46,824

Redbird StateRecreation Area Dugger, IN 1200 acres

Indiana DNR owned andoperated

15,000

Little Egypt OHVRecreational Area Marion, IL

720 acres with140 acres beingadded

Land owned by the DNRand the park is operated bylocal riding clubs

NA

Hatfield-McCoy TrailSystem (linear)

WestVirginia NA

Owned and operated by aregional recreational

authority

33,000(permits)

Rock Run RecreationArea Patton, PA 6,000 acres

Owned by Cambria CountyRecreation Authority andoperated by a non-profit

12,000

Badlands Off RoadPark Attica, IN 800 Acres Private NA

Twisted Trails Off Road Park

Copemish,MI 240 Acres Private 13,500

Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area Harlan, KY 7,000 Acres Public

6,000(AnnualPermits)

Average Size 1,988 Acres 19,465Publically OwnedAvg. Size 2,680 Acres 20,960Privately OwnedAvg. Size 373 Acres 13,500


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Economic Impact of MRA

Unique attractions like an MRA have the potential to bring new visitors toForest County. This section of the plan explores the facilitys impact on thelocal and regional economy, as well as the opportunities that will be generated.

In particular, it will quantify these potential economic impacts and increases inlocal tax revenues. The potential economic impact of an MRA is extensive a ndbusinesses can benefit greatly from adapting to the needs of their new visitors.

In 2004, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in conjunction with the WATVAdeveloped the Economic and Demographic Profile of Wisconsins ATV Users.Figure 2, below, shows the average individual per trip spending that wasidentified for the Northeast-North Region in the report. The spending is brokendown into categories. The estimate for spending in 2012 was done bycalculating the inflation between 2004 and 2012, then multiplying that by the2004 spending.

Figure 2: Average Individual Per TripSpending

Category 2004 2012*Lodging $109.26 $130.08Food/drink $77.94 $92.79Entertainment $32.43 $38.61Shopping $56.89 $67.73Gas/transportation $71.89 $85.59Convenience stores $26.94 $32.07

Gaming $35.68 $42.48Other $64.85 $77.21 Total $475.88 $566.57Source: Wisconsin Department of Tourism*estimate based on inflation

In addition to spending, there are numerous other economic impacts the MRAwill have on Forest County. Table 3, below, looks at estimated spending, jobscreated, income generated and new tax revenues based on the number of visitors. Based on the attendance of other MRAs it is realistic to expect aminimum 10,000 annual visitors in the first year. This would generate $5.6million of spending in the county, create 68 jobs, and $212,000 in new stateand local tax revenues. The methodology to estimate the economic impact canbe found in Attachment B.


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Table 3: Estimated Economic Impact

Visitors Spending Jobs Income

LocalSalesTax

LocalRoom

Tax

StateIncome

Tax

NewBusiness

TaxNew TaxRevenue

5,000 $2,832,859 34 $447,583 $14,164 $29,268 $27,526 $35,359 $106,31810,000 $5,665,718 68 $895,165 $28,329 $58,536 $55,053 $70,718 $212,63520,000 $11,331,436 136 $1,790,331 $56,657 $117,072 $110,105 $141,436 $425,27130,000 $16,997,154 204 $2,685,496 $84,986 $175,608 $165,158 $212,154 $637,90640,000 $22,662,872 272 $3,580,661 $113,314 $234,144 $220,211 $282,872 $850,54150,000 $28,328,590 340 $4,475,827 $141,643 $292,680 $275,263 $353,590 $1,063,17775,000 $42,492,885 510 $6,713,740 $212,464 $439,020 $412,895 $530,385 $1,594,765100,000 $56,657,179 680 $8,951,653 $283,286 $585,360 $550,527 $707,181 $2,126,353

The study conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism looked at the

categories of Lodging, Food and Drink, Entertainment, Shopping, Gas and Transportation, Convenience Stores, Gaming and other expenditures. Table 4,below, shows the impact number of visitors would have on each categorystarting at 10,000 visitors and working up to 100,000 visitors.

Once the MRA is established the goal should be to attract at least 50,000people to the MRA each year. With 50,000 annual visitors, see the highlightedarea in Tables 3 and 4, the MRA would induce $28,328,590 in direct spendingand create 340 jobs in Forest County. According to Economic ModelingSpecialists Incorporated (See Attachment B) those jobs directly created by theMRA would indirectly add another 37 jobs in Forest County.

Table 4 Estimated Impact by Category10,000 Visitors 50,000 Visitors 75,000 Visitors 100,000 Visitors

Category Spending Jobs Spending Jobs Spending Jobs Spending JobsLodging $1,300,824 16 $6,504,122 78 $9,756,183 117 $13,008,245 156Food/drink $927,936 11 $4,639,679 56 $6,959,518 84 $9,279,357 111Entertainment $386,104 5 $1,930,521 23 $2,895,781 35 $3,861,041 46Shopping $677,319 8 $3,386,596 41 $5,079,895 61 $6,773,193 81Gas/transportation $855,906 10 $4,279,529 51 $6,419,294 77 $8,559,058 103Convenience stores $320,741 4 $1,603,707 19 $2,405,561 29 $3,207,415 38Gaming $424,798 5 $2,123,989 25 $3,185,984 38 $4,247,979 51Other $772,089 9 $3,860,446 46 $5,790,669 69 $7,720,892 93

Total $5,665,718 68 $28,328,590 340 42,492,885 510 $56,657,179 680


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Wisconsin Off Road

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