The Chetek ATV Cruzers is a newly formed association of ATV enthusiasts based in Chetek Wisconsin.. When people organize and speak as one, good things could happen when it comes to the future of ATV recreation in our area. Our voice becomes stronger as our membership grows.
All-terrain vehicle enthusiasts in the Chetek area can now join an organization of like-minded riders, and the club's mission is simple:
"Our purpose is to try to get more trails in Chetek, because there's nothing coming out of the southeast corner of Barron County," says club president Mike Schmidt.
Although multiuse trails snake through much of the northeastern, central and midwestern portions of the county-there's an ATV playground near Poskin-there are no trails linking Chetek to any of them. That means lost tourism dollars for the town, says Schmidt, and fewer paths for locals to ride on. That's the first problem the Chetek ATV Cruzers want to address.
One of our goals is to promote acceptable behavior of ATV enthusiasts and be respectful of other trail users, and understand industry safety issues and be environmentally responsible.
Lets face it. The main driving force behind virtually every riding area that is either opened or saved from closing is a well organized group of riders.
The truth is, on our own each of us doesn’t have much of a voice when it comes to the complicated and drawn-out process of opening and saving off-highway riding areas. But as a group, whether through coalitions, state riding organizations or as local clubs, we have a strong unified voice that the movers and shakers in our communities tend to listen to.
So that’s one very important reason to join our club. However, there are many more fun aspects to signing up with the Chetek ATV Cruzers and meeting every third Sunday at 6:00 PM at the Chetek Snowflyers clubhouse just west of Chetek on highway “D”. By meeting and interacting with other local riders you could learn of new trails or other good ride spots in our neck of the woods.
Roughly 50 people showed up for the club's first meeting at the Snow Flyers clubhouse April 19, and after choosing an executive committee of Schmidt, John Pierce (vice president), Chris Muhonen (secretary), and Duane Horton (treasurer), the club formed fund-raising and activity committees to begin planning the year.
As a corporation, the ATV club can't get grants until it's been in business at least a year, so the club's goals for making trails on county and state roads will have to wait, says Horton. Instead, planning a trail from Chetek to Cameron-with help from private landowners-is first on the agenda.
The club is looking for support from rural landowners and the wider Chetek community, Horton adds, and, given the growing popularity of ATV touring in Wisconsin and other states, members shouldn't be hard to find.
ATV registrations have outnumbered snowmobiles registrations in Wisconsin for the past two years for a number of reasons, including lower equipment costs, four-season versatility and family-friendliness. ATVs can be dangerous, however, and safety is one of the club's main concerns, says Schmidt.
The Department of Natural Resources requires that all people born after 1985 take a safety course and a driving test. The Cruzers' first ATV safety class will take place Monday night, followed by an all-day class May 10. According to Schmidt, anyone can take the class, but the DNR won't send certificates until children reach their 12th birthday. The club also plans to offer more safety classes in the future.
The Cruzers invite all community members, riders and nonriders, to join. Meetings will be at 6 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month at the Snow Flyers clubhouse. Membership dues are $25 for families and $15 for individual adults.
For more information, contact Schmidt at (715) 829-8925.