Congratulations to the Jackson County Trail Riders, the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce 2020 Service Organization Award winner!
The Jackson County Trail Riders (JCTR) mission is to support and expand the Jackson County trail system for ATV and Off Road Motorcycle Riders. Members of the JCTR come from all over Wisconsin, as well as Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. The majority of their members are driving one to four hours to volunteer for trail workdays because they enjoy coming to the Black River area. They maintain the 28 miles of single-track motorcycle trails on property owned by Jackson County in the Crawford Hills ATV Motorcycle Park east of Black River Falls.
Membership and participation had been dwindling, but the club launched a Facebook page, along with working with the Jackson County Parks & Forestry Department and the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce to promote the club and its activities. In 2020, they grew from 32 to 90 paid members. The club’s Facebook page has 450+ fans.
After several years of neglect, the club held nine trail workdays in 2020 with 32 volunteers putting in an incredible 514 hours clearing brush and making other improvements to the three single-track trails. Including drive time to Black River Falls, members donated a whopping 785 hours. For 2021, the club will be installing emergency location markers at half-mile intervals on each of the three trails, along with laying out a youth loop near the campground at Crawford Hills County Park.
With many people looking for outdoor activities close-to-home due to COVID-19 and the club’s work on the single-track trails, usage in 2020 set records. The Jackson County Parks & Forestry Department had one of their best years for motorcycle sticker sales. While the Jackson County Trail Riders have very few members who actually live in Jackson County, the club members provide another recreational experience to bring visitors to the Black River area.
Former Black River Area Chamber Director Amanda Gunn is pictured with Jackson County Trail Riders Club President Bob Ybema
