NWK: Perry Lake and Partners Create ATV Trail

Volunteers from the Kansas ATV Association and NE Kansas Sport Motorcycles Club pose for a picture after a hard days work at the Perry Perry Lake ATV and Motorcycle Trail.

Lake: Perry Lake, KS

Partners: USACE; Hamm Companies; Kansas A.T.V. Association; NE Kansas Sport Motorcycles Club

Partnership Type: Challenge Partnership

Corps POC: Willem Helms

Story: ATV and motorcycle riders were eager to change the ATV and Motorcycle Trail at Perry Lake. With the phenomenal increase in ATV and motorcycle use, the ride area was becoming a headache to riders and project staff alike. With minimal O&M support available, maintenance funding had to be obtained elsewhere. Fortunately a very proactive trail support system exists in Kansas through Recreational Trail Grants, financed by the Federal Highway Administration (TEA-21) and administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. A successful grant application in 2002 permitted $64,000 in funding to become available for renovation of the area. Soon plans were made for a fenced parking area, restroom facilities, and trail improvements. A construction company, Hamm Companies, willingly became the project sponsor, eager to support the local community. The Kansas ATV Association and NE Kansas Sport Motorcycle Club enthusiastically provided many hours of volunteer labor. The volunteer labor and labor and supplies donated by the Corps of Engineers fulfilled a required 20 percent matching contribution. For 2003, the project received additional funding in the amount of $102,000. Plans are underway to build a picnic shelter, add an additional restroom, construct a sediment retention structure, build creek crossings, and construct an emergency/service access road.

URL: http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/perry/atv_motorcycle_trail.htm