ONWARD. An eight-county stretch in western Wisconsin – including Chippewa, Dunn and Eau Claire counties – has created the Regional Outdoor Recreation Plan as a united, analysis-driven plan for the future of its outdoor rec. The plan is a first in the state of Wisconsin and received USDA approval this year. The supplemental Urban Recreation Plan (URP) loops in cities, towns and villages outside the RORP, too.

Years of coordinated efforts between key stakeholders across eight western Wisconsin counties resulted in the recent creation of a first-ever endeavor: the Regional Outdoor Recreation Plan (RORP).

The 164-page RORP is the product of Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin and Trempealeau counties’ shared vision to connect and bolster their rural rec scenes. That collective is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Partners Network and is known as the Northwestern Wisconsin Community Network (NWCN).

The RORP lays out a legitimate blueprint to move that eight-county collective forward, together, as opposed to each county continuing to operate as a singular unit. Its game plan integrates the region’s economic, social and environmental goals to do so.

Significant data collection and analysis completed to create the RORP – with support from the likes of Visit Eau Claire and the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission – was just the preliminary work. Once that 164-page draft was completed, its most critical step was next: Submitting it for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval.

That stamp of approval was awarded months later and announced this May.

Through data collection, the RORP has identified over 1,100 recreational assets (trails, waterways, recreation outfitters, state parks, etc.). For example, the RORP notes that there are roughly 9,600 inland lakes and over 12,000 miles of rivers, including over 1,800 miles of Class I-III trout streams in the region. In 2024, the region hosted 92 fishing tournaments, highlighting the popularity of fishing – and its economic potential.

During the roughly year-and-a-half-long creation process of the RORP, it became clear the “urban areas” within the eight-county stretch couldn’t be left out. Funding limitations within the Rural Partners program meant an Urban Recreation Plan (URP) had to be tackled separately – so a subcommittee of the NWCN took that on.

The URP’s scope – a draft totaling 127 pages – included the cities, villages and towns of Altoona, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Lake Hallie, Seymour, Washington, Union, Brunswick and portions of others. The Chippewa Falls-Eau Claire area was dubbed a “central hub.”

The broader RORP project will continue to necessitate in-depth collaboration from the region’s individual county and community teams, perhaps unlike that of any other western Wisconsin initiative. A very similar type of buy-in is reflected in the urban plan.

“Visit Eau Claire has helped lead the planning, but the goal has always been a regional effort that’s driven by all of us. This is where that next chapter starts.”

kennedy domerchie

outdoors development manager, visit eau claire

On Oct. 20, Visit Eau Claire Outdoors Development Manager Kennedy Domerchie, who has been involved in both the RORP and URP, sent a newsletter with updates and “next steps” for both plans.

“The good news” so far, Domerchie wrote, includes the RORP’s approval by the USDA and the URP’s local endorsement as of September. “Together, these plans give us a framework for working together, investing strategically and growing outdoor recreation across western Wisconsin.”

An invitation for all interested parties – regional trail groups, businesses, local governments, tourism partners and community members – to attend a dual celebratory and “next steps” event on Monday, Nov. 9, was shared.

That event will be held from 2-4pm at the Roger Marten Center (120 S. Franklin St., Mondovi) with plans to share projects updates, a walk-through of the URP by Holly Larson of the National Park Service, among other things.

“Visit Eau Claire has helped lead the planning, but the goal has always been a regional effort that’s driven by all of us,” Domerchie wrote. “This is where that next chapter starts.”

RSVPs for the Monday, Nov. 9 meeting should be submitted by Friday, Nov. 6.

In identifying outdoor recreation-related assets, the RORP found several business "hotspots" in the region. Dunn County's Menomonie area displays the highest density of those assets as well as outdoors features assets, like its trails (pictured).

Learn more about the Regional Outdoors Recreation Plan and Urban Recreation Plan online. Inquiries about the plans or Nov. 9 meeting can be emailed to kennedy@visiteauclaire.com