ATV Source - Press Releases - ATV areas develped at Bonnet Carre Spillway

NEW ORLEANS Col. Thomas Julich, New Orleans district engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bruce Roeder, president of the South Louisiana Trailblazers Inc., recently signed a cost-sharing agreement to develop and maintain all terrain vehicle (ATV) areas in the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

There will be two designated areas:

Area 1, south of the Hwy 61 bridge, is a marked "rough-grade trail open to use." Area 1 consists of 450 acres and offers a marked entrance road, parking lot, portable restrooms and an information board. The information board provides a map of the designated riding area, a list of rules and current information useful to the public. The Corps has scheduled placement of gravel on the entrance road and parking areas in the fall.

Area 2, to be located north of Hwy 61, is currently closed while trails are relocated away from cypress stands, considered a sensitive environmental area. This area will consist of 379 acres.

The South Louisiana Trailblazers, a family-oriented, off-highway vehicle (OHV) club, has applied for a state grant through the Governors Office of Rural Development to build trails and various types of tracks and bridges, and install track markers. According to Roeder, the club will design tracks and develop trails specifically aimed at certain size engines and age of riders. For example, small children on go-carts will have their own track while older riders looking for speed will use a designated acceleration track. In accordance with the agreement, the South Louisiana Trailblazers will maintain those improvements.

Roeder said that members of his club are enthusiastic about the upgrades. "We are happy to have the opportunity to be associated with the Corps pro-active recognition that off-highway vehicle use can be effectively managed," he said. "The many unique environments located in the boundaries of the spillway provide the opportunity for many different riding experiences. The entire state of Louisiana will benefit from the increase in recreational activities being implemented by this program."

Older members of the trailblazers club teach safety and environmental education to the younger members. "We feel OHV recreation is a social experience that strengthens family relationships as children and adults share their enthusiasm for the sport and the outdoors," explained Roeder. "We hope that through this activity club members become aware of the impact our actions have on the environment."

In addition to the ATV users, the 7,623-acre spillway is shared annually by hundreds of thousands of visitors engaging in boating, fishing, birding, camping, biking, hunting and dog training.

Out of necessity, in 1998 the Corps implemented the Bonnet Carre Master Plan, paving the way for desperately needed rules, and some boundaries, to insure public safety. Since implementing the plan, newly-hired federal park rangers, with the assistance of the St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Department, have been educating the public in the changes now taking place in the previously unrestricted spillway.

While some users view the new plan as restrictive, most are enthusiastic. "A majority of users understand that these changes are a good thing," said Greg Malon, park ranger in the Bonnet Carre. "Some recreational activities are not compatible with others and must be kept separate. Some control is necessary so that all visitors can enjoy the spillway."

The Bonnet Carre Spillway is a 5.7-mile-long artificial channel used to divert floodwater from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. The Corps has opened the spillway eight times to protect New Orleans since it was built in 1931.