DUNN AND PEPIN COUNTIES — While the Chippewa River State Trail has served the community recreationally for years, a change in ownership could soon occur.
Both Dunn and Pepin County, in partnership with the conservation group Landmark Conservancy, are seeking to purchase a 6.5-mile portion of the trail owned by Xcel Energy.
Pepin County has had a lease agreement with Xcel Energy for the trail since 1999. Maria Nelson, Pepin County’s zoning administrator, said securing the bike path was a good idea since Xcel was looking to sell the land.
“Pepin County wants to make sure that the bike path remains available for the public to use,” Nelson said. “Since Xcel was divesting their land, we felt that securing the bike path for public use instead of maintaining a recreational agreement with them was a good idea to secure it for public recreation.”
Sarah Schwartz, site and land rights manager for Xcel Energy, explained that the property was originally purchased in the late 1980s by Northern States Power Company, of which Xcel Energy is a parent company. In 2015, they wanted to foreclose, but the piece of land that Pepin County had always been interested in became available for sale because Schwartz said the land would not serve any utilities.
“Xcel Energy really believes this is the right use for that land, and we want to keep it open to the public and we want to work with these communities,” Schwartz said.
The trail stretch covers approximately 100 acres of land and runs from Trevino, through the town of Durand and past the former Tyrone estate in Dunn County. It is a former railroad corridor, with 62 acres of land available for sale in Pepin County and 38 in Dunn County, just below the Chippewa River in the northeast corner.
From Dunn County’s perspective, the trail continues to provide recreational opportunities for the communities.
“I think it’s maybe not widely known how many people actually use it,” said Chase Cummings, Dunn County conservationist.
“Whether it’s walking, hiking, biking, birding, access to public hunting areas, snowmobile trails, I think there’s a multi-use potential… I certainly think that given the value it adds to all of our communities, it’s important to keep it open for that access long term.”
“This is kind of new to Pepin County, except when the agreement to build the bike path was made in the ’90s,” Nelson said. “It’s not been a path for a long time, but it was never really ours and we want to make sure it stays available to the public.”
Cummings said if they are purchased, they would certainly negotiate with the two counties on a way to maintain the quality of the trails.
But in terms of budget, both counties still have to consider the price of land, which is currently estimated at $4,000 per acre.
As both counties seek to purchase their portions of the trail for full ownership, Landmark Conservancy has acted as a “middleman” in securing potential grant funding in the form of Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“It gives (Pepin County) and Dunn County the confidence to invest in the trail if needed and justify their stewardship,” said Rick Remington, executive director of the Landmark Conservancy. “It’s obviously used a lot. Not just by cyclists, but by walkers and runners.”
With access to the Knowles-Nelson grant, nearly 50 percent of the cost could be covered by the grant. Additionally, Schwartz said Xcel Energy would be willing to sell the property for half its appraised value, which is currently estimated at $2,000 per acre.
Remington said it typically takes more than a year to complete these types of projects, but he is optimistic they can close a deal on the trail by spring or late summer.
“The Lower Chippewa River is one of the most amazing resources in western Wisconsin, and possibly in all of Wisconsin,” he said. “People can canoe, hike, bike, hunt, fish, paddle and recreate along the river and it’s one of the most biodiverse areas in the state. … It’s not a huge project in terms of acreage and it’s probably not a huge project in terms of price tag. But in terms of the recreational impact, ensuring that there’s a permanent opportunity to recreate on that segment is something that’s going to pay off for decades and decades.”
