Dunn and Pepin County aim to purchase part of Chippewa Valley State Trail

DUNN AND PEPIN COUNTIES — While the Chippewa River State Trail has continued to serve the community recreationally over the years, it could see a change in ownership soon.

Both Dunn and Pepin Counties, in working with the conservation organization Landmark Conservancy, are looking to purchase a 6.5-mile part of the trail owned by Xcel Energy.

While Pepin County has been connected to the trail through a lease agreement with Xcel Energy since 1999, Maria Nelson, Pepin County zoning administrator, said securing the bike trail was a good idea as Xcel looked to sell the land.

“Pepin County would like to ensure that the bike trail continues to be available to the public to utilize,” said Nelson. “As Xcel was divesting their land, we felt that securing the bike trail for public use instead of maintaining a recreational agreement with them was a good idea to continue to allow it to be secured for public recreation.”

Sarah Schwartz, siting and land rights manager for Xcel Energy, explained that the property was originally purchased in the late 80s by Northern States Power Company, of which Xcel Energy is a parent organization of. Looking to divest in 2015, the piece of land which had always interested Pepin County became available for sale as Schwartz said the land would not serve utility purposes.

“Xcel Energy really believes that 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,” said Schwartz.

The stretch of trail takes up about 100-acres of land running from Trevino, through the city of Durand and along the former Tyrone property 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 serve its communities with recreational possibilities.

“I think it is maybe not widely known the amount of people that actually use it,” said Chase Cummings, Dunn County Conservationist.

“Whether that’s for hiking, walking, cycling, bird watching, access to public hunting grounds or snowmobile trails, I think there is a multi-use there… I certainly think considering that it brings value to all of our communities, keeping it open is important for that long-term access.”

“This is kind of new for Pepin County, other than when the agreement to put the bike trail in place was put into place in the 1990s,” said Nelson. “It has been a long time that it has been a trail, but it has never really been ours and we want to make sure that it continues to be available for the public.”

If purchased, Cummings said they would certainly negotiate between the two counties a way to maintain the quality of the trails.

But in terms of budget, both counties still have to account for the price of land which is currently estimated at $4,000 an acre.

As both counties seek to purchase their portions of the trail for full ownership, Landmark Conservancy has served as a “middle man” in securing potential grant money in Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

“This will give (Pepin County) and Dunn County the confidence to be able to make investments in the trail if necessary and justify their management,” said Rick Remington, executive director of Landmark Conservancy. “Obviously it gets a ton of use. Not only by bicyclers, but by hikers, walkers and runners.”

With access to the Knowles-Nelson grant, nearly 50 percent of the cost could be covered by the grant. Furthermore, Schwartz said Xcel Energy would be willing to sell the property for half of its appraised value, currently estimated at $2,000 per acre.

Remington said projects like this can typically take upwards of a year to resolve, but is optimistic that in spring or by late summer they may be able to close on a deal for the trail.

“The lower Chippewa River is one of the most amazing resources in Western Wisconsin, and possibly all of Wisconsin for that matter,” he said. “You’ve got people canoeing, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, paddling, recreating along the river and it is one of the most biodiverse areas of the state… It is not a giant project in terms of its acreage, and it is probably not a giant project in terms of its price tag. But in terms of its recreational impact, guaranteeing the permanent opportunity to recreate on that segment is something that is going to give back for decades and decades to come.”