Wagon Wheel Trail receives grant

RBC I The Wagon Wheel Trail, a collaborative effort by several Rio Blanco County entities, were notified recently the project has been awarded a $100,862 grant from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Division (CPW) Trails program for the off-highway vehicle trail system.
“This is a terrific opportunity for Rio Blanco County and it demonstrates the level of collaboration needed for a project such as this,” RBC administrator Kimberly Bullen said. “This partnership should be an example of what can be achieved in our communities as we go forward in promoting our towns and county as a great place to live, work and play.”
The Colorado OHV Trail Program uses funds generated from OHV registrations ($25.25) to support the statewide OHV program. It is estimated that more than 160,000 OHVs were registered or permitted for use in Colorado during the 2010-2011 season. It is the goal of the OHV program to improve and enhance motorized recreational opportunities in the state, while promoting safe and responsible use of OHVs.
According to the grant application, which Bullen credited Meeker Chamber of Commerce director Katelin Cook for writing, the Wagon Wheel Trail system involves inter-jurisdictional cooperation between Rio Blanco County, the towns of Meeker and Rangely, the Meeker and Rangely chambers of commerce, the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Parks District the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and local OHV enthusiasts.
The long term goal for the project is to complete a trail system which will comply with USFS and BLM management travel plans, while providing connectivity to multiple counties, similar to the Paiute ATV Trail system in central Utah.
The grant application asked for funds to complete the initial phase in the eastern end of the county, which will require an inventory of trails, mapping, creation and implementation of educational resources, creation of a marketing campaign and development of rules, regulations and enforcement by volunteers or paid law enforcement.
The trails have been mapped out and a logo created for signage to mark the trails adopted by the Wagon Wheel OHV Trails Club. Both the towns of Meeker and Rangely have ordinances allowing OHVs to drive on certain streets and county commissioners will soon designate OHV use on certain county roads.
Meeker’s newly formed OHV club has joined the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) to invite people to northwest Colorado to the 2012 White River COHVCO Rendezvous in Meeker July 5-8. The first annual White River COHVCO Rendezvous invites family and friends to Meeker over the Fourth of July weekend to experience more than 250 miles of OHV trails on the White River National Forest and also enjoy the 127th annual Range Call Celebration.
The Wilderness Rendezvous RV Park on RBC Road 8, will host the base camp, attendees can also contact the Meeker Chamber of Commerce for additional lodging information.