Speak up for a quiet/no-snowmobile Blue Mound State Park

You have until Wednesday, 5/19, to weigh in about proposed changes to Blue Mound State Park that would bring motorized machine noise, exhaust and disruption for hikers and cross-country skiers who expect a quiet experience there. 

Below is comment procedure and other information about the proposed changes, and how to make your voice heard:

Urgent! Please oppose a new snowmobile trail at Blue Mound State Park.

• Subscribe to receive updates on the Blue Mound State Park Master Plan Revision

The Blue Mound State Park Proposed Master Plan is on the Natural Resources Board’s May meeting agenda as Item 4.K to be considered for approval.

Read the Blue Mound State Park Proposed Master Plan and Environmental Analysis [PDF]

To submit written comments or register to testify regarding the BMSP Proposed Master Plan, please see the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board’s Public Participation Guidelines.  

Please contact Phil Rynish at Phillip.Rynish@wisconsin.gov or 608-977-0286 with questions regarding the plan and its content. 

I'm also copying below a portion of a November, 2019 blog post about these same issues.

It's time to hit the trail if you want a say in the future of Blue Mound State Park. 

You may remember that the WI DNR decided to allow snowmobiles inside the traditionally-quiet Blue Mound State Park back when the agency was run degraded with Walker's preferred 'chamber of commerce mentality.'

Photo from Friends of Blue Mound State park website

That move was blocked by a Dane County Circuit Court because the agency's maneuvers violated its own rules. 

A judge has thrown out the state’s controversial decision to add a snowmobile trail to a state park known for silent sports such as cross-country skiing. 

The Department of Natural Resources violated its own rules when it approved snowmobiling at Blue Mound State Park, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ruled Tuesday.

I'd written about the ruling, and put it into a larger context.

Court ruling for state park's integrity could assist another 

You would assume this snippet about the park from a DNR communication, below, would elicit comments from preservationists, hikers and others statewide willing to leave their snowmobiles parked elsewhere: 

Perched atop the highest point in southern Wisconsin, the more than 1,100 acre Blue Mound State Park offers spectacular views, opportunities to see and learn about unique geological features and a variety of recreational facilities. 

Over 20 miles of scenic trails, access to the Military Ridge State Trail, bike-in campsites, a family campground, summer swimming pool, and a rustic cabin for people with disabilities make Blue Mound a popular year-round destination.