BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – The number of people who are getting outside this year is a mind-boggling change, even for those who expected higher numbers amid the COVID-19 shutdowns.
“During this initial COVID stage, our community and communities across the United States truly rediscovered and recognized the importance of outdoor recreation,” said Brown County Parks Director Matt Kriese. “Most things were shut down and the only thing that people could really do and feel comfortably safe at was to be outside and enjoy the resources that are in their backyard…We did not only see a spike of attendance at the Fox River Trail, we saw it across all of our parks.”
A release from the Friends of the Fox River Trail reports a huge increase of people and pets on that particular trail. They say counters had to be double-checked to make sure they weren’t on the fritz.
- March 2019: 2,975 – March 2020: 12,056
- April 2019: 2,083 – April 2020: 68,604
- May 2019: 7,150 – May 2020: 30,560
“It was more than we expected. We were happy to see it, and we were happy to see people outdoors recreating whether it was their social connections, whether it was a health and wellness goal, or whether it was because that was the only thing they had to do at that point in time,” Kriese told WTAQ News. “We did not expect to see that drastic of an increase of use, and it was truly difficult for the department to manage at very minimal staff levels at that point in time.”
With that difficulty, the department implemented local guidance of their own. That included everything from closing restrooms to removing pay stations and envelopes from those pay stations. Kriese says those efforts allowed them to manage the influx without having to keep track of the other operational aspects.
Much of that traffic could be credited to the desire to get outside, as well as a 30-day fee waiver introduced by the state. However, that waiver caused issues as well. Annual statewide trail pass sales plummeted revenue down $16,500 in 2020, as compared to 2019 year-to-date sales through July.
“People had that thought or that expectation that the fee was waived throughout the summer, so we saw last people purchasing daily or annual passes on the trails,” Kriese said. “What we have to do is then balance that loss of revenue. So we did not hire all of our normal trail ranger staff that we would for the season. We were not able to maintain at the level that was maybe expected by some…To have a high quality, highly maintained trail in our community, it’s not free. And that trail does operate on trail pass dollars.”
Trail passes are now required for those who are over 16, biking or using wheels on the trail. Daily passes have been returned to the kiosks along the trail for on the spot purchases.
To purchase a Wisconsin State Trail pass, click here.
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