“Tour de Conservation” bike ride and hike scheduled
The Northwoods Land Trust (NWLT) is sponsoring a “Tour de Conservation” fun bike ride and field tour Friday, August 21. The free public event will start at 1p.m. at the Town Hall parking lot off of County Hwy. B in downtown Land O’ Lakes.
According to NWLT conservation specialist Trisha Moore, the bicycle trail and roads are paved, so participants can use a road bike if they have one. From the Town Hall, the ride will go west then south on Little Portage Lake Road.
“Along the route, we’ll make a stop by the Sally and Bud Schlack conservation easement property,” said NWLT executive director Bryan Pierce. “We will celebrate this 190-acre land protection project with a one-mile hike through the conserved land to Perch Lake, a DNR-listed ‘wild lake’.” Pierce noted that the Schlacks granted a perpetual conservation easement on their property in 2005 as one of NWLT’s first conservation projects. The conserved property includes about 3,200 feet of natural shoreline frontage on Perch Lake.
Moore stated that the roughly 12-mile bike ride will loop around Little Portage Lake then back north to the paved bike trail, with a snack break at Black Oak Lake. There riders will have an option for a further 5-mile out-and-back ride on the paved bike trail, or a return trip along the Land O’ Lakes bike trail to the parking lot.
Although the ride is informal, and bikers can ride at their own pace, Moore said that the “Tour de Conservation” will also include a discussion of the ways private lands are protected by NWLT, recent conservation successes, as well as the flora and fauna observed along the trip. “This is a very scenic ride with an excellent opportunity to watch for wildlife,” she said.
The Northwoods Land Trust recommends participants bring a helmet, riding clothes plus walking footwear, water, sun screen and bug protection. Snacks and beverages will be provided.
There is no charge for the event, but interested participants are asked to RSVP to the NWLT office at (715) 479-2490 or email [email protected] so the group can plan for snacks and beverages.
The Northwoods Land Trust is a member and volunteer-supported non-profit conservation organization. Based in Eagle River, the land trust works with private landowners on a voluntary basis to protect natural shorelands, woodlands and wetlands in a six-county area of northern Wisconsin.
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