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PRINCE HAAKON 12K RACE NEW TO BIRKIE 2005
Hayward, Wisconsin Organizers of the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race are deep into planning
the 32nd annual event scheduled for February 24-26, 2005. In addition to the 51-kilometer Subaru American Birkebeiner and 23-kilometer Johnson Bank Kortelopet ski races, a new event, the Prince
Haakon 12-kilometer race sponsored by Johnson Bank, has been added to the three-day event.
The Prince Haakon 12K will start at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, February 26, at Mosquito Brook and finish on
Main Street in Hayward. The 12K is an open-track, noncompetitive event.
"We are excited about the addition of the Prince Haakon 12K race to Birkie festivities," said Shirley
Riedmann, executive director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF). "The board of directors decided to cap the race at 200 participants so that we have a baseline from which we can order bibs,
finisher pins, arrange for adequate busing, gate keeping, etc. The cap will help us blend in the 12K skiers
with minimal disruption to the flow of the traditional Birkie skiers who are traversing the last leg of their competitive ski."
There will be no awards or publication of official results in the Birch Scroll. But shortly after the race each of the 12K participants will receive a ranked list of finishers.
"Each participant crossing the Birkie finish line will receive a generic finisher pin to recognize their achievement in completing the race," Riedmann said.
Skiers can find the Prince Haakon 12K registration information online at birkie.com or contact the Birkie office at 715/634-5025 for more information.
"We expect the event to be a big draw and a huge success," Riedmann said. "Based on 2005 participation
results, we will plan accordingly for 2006." She encouraged those planning to ski the Prince Haakon 12K to get their entries in soon.
The 32nd American Birkebeiner is expected to attract 6,500 adult skiers, including Olympians, 1,000 children, and more than 15,000 spectators.
The ski events kick off with the Sons of Norway/Swiss Miss Barnebirkie at 1 p.m. Thursday, the largest children's cross-country skiing event in the nation, followed by the Salomon Elite Sprints at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, CenturyTel Junior Birkie at 10 a.m. Friday, Hayward Chamber of Commerce Citizen Sprints at 2 p.m. Friday, Cheqtel Communications 10K at 2 p.m. Friday, the Johnson Bank Prince Haakon 12K, and
the 51K Subaru American Birkebeiner and 23K Johnson Bank Kortelopet on Saturday.
The American Birkebeiner is North America's largest and most prestigious cross-country ski marathon.
Spanning the 51 kilometers between Cable and Hayward, the Birkie is part of the esteemed Worldloppet series of 14 international races, part of the International Ski Federation Marathon Cup series of eight races,
and part of the American Ski Marathon series of 11 races.
For more information or to register for the 2005 Subaru American Birkebeiner, Johnson Bank Kortelopet,
Johnson Bank Prince Haakon 12K, Salomon Elite Sprints, Hayward Chamber of Commerce Citizen Sprints, CenturyTel Junior Birkie, Cheqtel Communications 10K, or the Sons of Norway/Swiss Miss
Barnebirkie, call 715/634-5025, e-mail birkie@birkie.com, or logon to www.birkie.com.
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QUIET PLACES CELEBRATION PROMPTS ANOTHER
Minnesota The first-ever "Celebration of Quiet Places" on September 11, a fund-raiser for Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation, attracted more than 60 businesses, organizations, artists and volunteers to Spirit
Mountain near Duluth, Minnesota.
MRR is already looking forward to next year's event, tentatively set for June 25.
The upcoming event will include a bicycle ride followed by a bonfire and camp out overlooking Duluth and northwest Wisconsin. The next day there will be opportunities for families to paddle the St. Louis River and
hike in Spirit Mountain Forest. The organization will again offer silent and live auctions of outdoor gear, adventures and overnight trips.
MRR will continue to hold the event as one of its efforts to awaken and deepen public appreciation of quiet places and the need to protect them.
For more information, call MRR Executive Director Jeff Brown at 218/740-3175, e-mail info@MnResponsibleRec.org or logon at www.MnResponsibleRec.org.
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TWO MORE MEN SENTENCED FOR DAMAGING STATE WETLAND
Minnesota Two more men received jail time and additional fines for driving off-road vehicles in a state forest last year and heavily damaging wetlands.
Mitchell Dean Buss, 22, of Aitkin, and Joseph Paul Bednarczyk, 24, pleaded guilty recently in Crow Wing County District Court to misdemeanors after being charged with operating an off-road vehicle without a
registration and riding off trails at Flanders Lake near Crosby.
Each was fined $995, placed on one-year's probation and sentenced to 20 days in jail. Their sentences
were stayed for 60 additional days on the condition that they served their jail time, paid their fines, and not
have the same or similar violations for one year. The fines were in addition to the $1,222 civil penalty and restitution that was already issued in the incident on September 27, 2003.
The charges stemmed from some duck hunters videotaping mud truckers repeatedly driving through the lake bed and around the lakeshore area of Flanders Lake in the Crow Wing State Forest during last year's duck
opener. Estimated damage to the wetlands was $4,000.
An investigation by a DNR conservation officer indicated that Buss and Bednarczyk, along with Anthony
Portz, 25, of Riverton, and Joseph Bosaaen, 20, of Deerwood, were involved in the incident. Portz and Bosaaen were sentenced earlier this year to 30 days in jail and ordered to each pay $645 in fines in addition
to approximately $1,200 in civil fines and restitution.
In 2003, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law restricting off-road vehicle use in wetlands such as shallow
and deep marshes, shallow open water and bogs. The law requires violators to pay restitution for damage to wetlands on both private and public lands.
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WILD RIVER STATE PARK ADVISORY MEETINGS SET
Minnesota The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Recreation is developing a new management plan for Wild River State Park. The public is invited to participate and set the park's direction for the next 20 years.
Citizen advisory committee meetings will be held to discuss various issues that will impact the future of the
park. All meetings, which are open to the public, will be held at the Wild River State Park Trail Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The citizens advisory committee meetings are scheduled for:
Thursday, November 18, on topics including natural and cultural resource management and the mapping of significant and wilderness areas;
Thursday, December 16, with a focus on the mapping of significant recreation areas, park trails and park recreation;
Thursday, January 20, 2005, on topics including a discussion of park boundaries, conservation issues and view protection.
Wild River State Park, located along 18 miles of the St. Croix River in Chisago County, was established in 1973 to protect the natural and cultural resources and to provide recreational opportunities along the river.
For more information, contact Nancy Albrecht at 651/284-0263; nancy.albrecht@dnr.state.mn.us; or Shawn Donais at 651/583-2125; shawn.donais@dnr.state.mn.us.
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STATE FORESTRY CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS RECREATIONAL USE CONFLICTS
Wisconsin The Governor's Conference on Forestry: Building Collaborative Action for Wisconsin's Forests will convene at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, November 9-10.
The conference, hosted by the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, is designed to build upon the current Statewide Forest Plan process, which represents the most comprehensive review of Wisconsin's forests in
its 100-year history.
The plan provides a framework and vision for addressing critical issues facing forests now and in the future.
This process represents extensive public input and collaboration and now serves as a call to action to all partners and publics interested in working together to ensure the ongoing vitality of the ecological,
economic, and social values of Wisconsin's forests.
The conference will provide the opportunity and framework necessary for forest partners to come together
in focused discussions to coordinate and commit to developing action plans to address critical issues identified in Wisconsin's Statewide Forest Plan. After the conference, the partnerships and commitments
formed will develop into coordinated action to address the conference themes.
The seven conference themes to grow out of the statewide plan and provide a focus for break-out sessions
at the conference include "minimizing recreational use conflicts in Wisconsin's forests."
Conference organizers hope those who attend this session will address the fact that more people than ever
before are using Wisconsin's forests for a wide array of recreational activities, leading to increased conflicts
among forest users. With the increase in popularity of motorized forms of recreation, such as off-highway vehicles (ATVs, snowmobiles, etc.), conflict with non-motorized forest users increases, as well as concern
over safety and environmental impacts. Careful planning is critical to meet these diverse and often competing needs and to minimize conflicts among forest users.
This session will be moderated by "theme champion" Dave Marcouiller, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Also expected to participate: UW Extension Basin
Educator Debbie Yarmack, DNR recreational specialist and ATV policy task force leader Tim Miller, Eric Olsen of the UW-Stevens Point Center for Land Use Education, Silent Sports magazine editor Joel
Patenaude, and ATV association representatives.
For more information about the conference, go to www.wisconsinforestry.org. A registration form can be
found there. The $75 fee includes meals and evening events. Register early; space is limited. Registration confirmation will be mailed.
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WORS ANNOUNCES 12 RACES FOR 2005
Buzzard Buster dropped, Eau Claire Firecracker added
Wisconsin After a month and a half of deliberation with venues, race directors and local organizing committees and examining and waiting for the release of dates for other major events, the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS) is pleased to release its 2005 schedule.
WORS 2005 will be a 12-race series kicking off on May 15 at the Iola Winter Sports Area in Iola with the Iola Bump and Jump and end October 9 in Sheboygan with The Wigwam/Ultimax MTB Challenge.
Of the 12 races on the schedule, 11 will be returning from 2004.
There will also be the addition of an exciting new event in Eau Claire the Chippewa Valley Firecracker on
July 3. WORS is very excited about the support for this event from local bike shops, recreational departments, and convention and visitors bureaus.
The WORS premier event, the WORS Cup Stage Race, will again go regional as an AMBC event and is looking at several exciting format changes with Citizen, Sport and Comp riders competing in an omnium of
modified Super D and cross-country.
A Super D event is a hybrid of cross-country and downhill. Starts may be individual or Le Mans mass start.
The course should be 12 to 20 minutes in length, have significantly more descending than climbing, be devoid of jumps and not extremely technical. according to the 2004 NORBA rulebook.
This Super D will be run on Saturday morning and utilize "00" lift at Devil's Heads to transport racers to the start approximately 300 vertical feet above the finish line.
Pro, Semi-Pro, and Expert competitors will compete in a stage race that will include a Saturday afternoon short track in addition to the Super D and cross country.
For the first time, WORS will have a separate prize list for each of the NORBA categories that make up WORS normal Elite Class. Other exciting details on WORS 2005 and its individual events will be posted as
they become available.
In 2004, WORS ran three events without the partnership of a local organizing committee. This required a
heavy reliance on family and friends and friends of friends to make these events happen, often straining these relationships. So, WORS has found it necessary to drop one of the three events.
We regret to announce there will be no Buzzard Buster in WORS 2005. We are, however, exploring ways of incorporating marathon events as peripherals to our schedule.
WORS 2005
May 15: IOLA BUMP & JUMP
May 22: ALPINE VALLEY
June 5: ROME AROUND
June 19: BIG RING CLASSIC
July 3: CHIPPEWA VALLEY FIRECRACKER
July 17: WORS CUP/ AMBC
July 24: PHILLIPS DIRTFIGHTER CLASSIC
August 14: CALUMET SUN RUN
August 28: ALTERRA COFFEE BEAN CLASSIC
September 11: KEWAUNEE XC ADVENTURE
September 25: SUNBURST SHOWDOWN
October 9: WIGWAM/ULTIMAX MTB CHALLENGE
October 29: AWARDS BANQUET
For more information, go to www.wors.org.
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