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Committee renews ATV/UTV trail approvals and opens two new routes after sheriff summarizes complaints and crashes
Summary
Sawyer County Public Works Committee renewed ATV/UTV route approvals and approved two new routes with LCO agreements after the sheriff reported 19 complaints and 15 crashes countywide in the prior 12 months; motions carried unanimously.
The Sawyer County Public Works Committee voted on May 13 to renew the county’s existing ATV/UTV trail approvals and to open two new routes after the sheriff and highway staff briefed members on enforcement and safety data.
The sheriff told the committee that in the 12‑month period ending in April the county received 19 ATV/UTV complaints and recorded 15 crashes involving ATVs/UTVs. "We have had a total of 19 ATV, UTV complaints in the county. We have had a total of 15 crashes involving ATV, UTVs throughout the county," the sheriff said, adding that most crashes occurred on the trail system and about four were on county trunk highways. He said deputies made roughly 83 stops for ATV/UTV violations.
Highway staff described the two proposed new routes and their traffic characteristics: one would extend County N from County B through to a connection at County C; the other would extend County CC from New Post to Six Mile and include about one mile on County H to Radisson. Staff said average daily traffic (ADT) figures for the candidate segments were similar to existing open routes and expressed no immediate operational concerns; for reservation segments the committee discussed an overnight closure window (10 p.m.–6 a.m.) tied to local hunting seasons.
Randy Newman moved and Jim Evans seconded both motions: to renew the existing ATV/UTV routes for another year and to open the two new routes in coordination with the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) agreements that were brought forward. The committee voted in favor of both motions and the chair stated the motions carried.
Committee discussion noted enforcement activity and the value of education as part of safe operations; the sheriff said law‑enforcement presence and targeted education had contributed to what he described as generally safe operations despite the incident numbers.
Next steps: staff said the new routes would proceed with the LCO agreements and be added to next month’s committee agenda for any related paperwork or follow‑up.
