ON YOUR LEFT! The Regional Outdoor Recreation Plan – spanning eight counties, including the Chippewa Valley – has created the framework for what could be a transformational, economy-boosting strategy. The supplemental urban plan is now in the process of gaining its own approval.

Eau Claire County's Park & Forest Committee recently voiced its support of the Western Wisconsin Regional Outdoor Recreation Plan (RORP)’s urban-specific strategy. While not a requirement for the project to move forward, it’s another mile-marker along the way toward the urban plan’s realization.

The eight counties part of the RORP, a first-ever initiative, include Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin and Trempealeau counties. 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 NWCN created the expansive, evidence-based RORP – a year-and-a-half long project that was green-lit by the USDA this January – with support from the USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant.

Those funds could only be applied toward work in those defined “rural” areas, which meant leaving out in-depth exploration of the eight-county stretch’s urban areas.

That funding limitation motivated the NWCN to get creative in how it would tackle a similar analysis of its urban areas. A supplemental urban plan was ideated and created as a natural next step.

“One of the most important purposes of these plans is to demonstrate that outdoor recreation is connected to many of the priorities communities are already trying to address,"

kennedy domerchie

outdoors development manager, visit eau claire

The "urban" areas within the larger eight-county stretch are the focus of the supplemental urban plan. (Map via urban plan document)

“Although the plans were produced through different programs, they belong to the same regional identity,” Visit Eau Claire Outdoors Development Manager, Kennedy Domerchie, told Volume One. “We intentionally kept their themes, terminology, recreation categories, mapping and overall structure similar so they can be easily referenced together.”

“The urban area received a much more detailed level of attention than it may have received as one section of a much larger eight-county plan,” she added.

The urban plan’s scope includes 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 the “central hub.”

Analysis of the urbanized areas, completed by the NWCN’s Urban Area Subcommittee, resulted in a six-section, 127-page draft document. The final version of the urban plan is slated for completion and public release later this August.

What Data & Analysis From The Urban Plan Tells Us

As Domerchie explained, the goals of both the rural-focused RORP and its supplemental urban plan are largely the same: strengthen the outdoor rec economy; improve and create more outdoors opportunities; support those recreation-tied businesses across the eight counties.

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.

The Urban Area Subcommittee formed in late 2024 to begin efforts on the plan, driven by its purpose to guide the Chippewa Falls-Eau Claire hub – its local governments, outdoors and reg-related businesses, nonprofits and community members – through this first-time initiative.

A number of workshops and public open house events were held during the planning process.

The urban area plan's "Guiding Principles," as listed on p. 68

• Think Regionally: The eight-county region and urban area needs to work as a region to increase the outdoor recreation economy. Ensure it’s complementary to the rural plan.
• Become the Regional Hub: The urban area is, and can increase, it’s role as the region’s hub for tourist amenities for the eight-county outdoor recreation economic region
• New Organization: It is necessary to create a new, sustainable organization to implement this plan.
• Outdoor Recreation is a "Must Have": Increasing the commitment to and priority of outdoor recreation in local government decision making, budgeting and staffing will be necessary.
• Branding: A regional brand and logo for the region’s outdoor recreation amenities is necessary. Take into account the unique cultural features and natural elements of the region
• Recreation–Commerce Connection: Partnerships are a key to building capacity and economic growth, including businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities and government.
• Income Generation: Creative income generation from and for outdoor recreation facilities and services will be needed to upgrade and sustain high quality facilities
• Facility Quality Matters: High quality user experiences depend on consistent, quality outdoor recreation facilities and services.

The bulk of this plan’s data and analysis is noted in sections three through five. 

Section three talks recreational assets and business inventories across the urban area, including just over 600 businesses and physical features like the Eau Claire River and Duncan Creek; Lake Wissota and Lake Altoona; trail networks and more. (Notably, the Menomonie area was identified as the most business- and recreation-asset dense of the region's rural communities, per the RORP).

One stand-out takeaway includes the identification of the “urban core,” made up of neighboring Eau Claire, Altoona, Lake Hallie and Chippewa Falls communities; the urban plan references commercial infrastructure centralized in that cluster.

“The urban core functions as the primary hospitality engine … ensuring that even when recreation occurs in the rural periphery, the economic impact is captured locally,” the plan states.

The rural-focused Regional Outdoors Recreation Plan (RORP) inventoried about 2,000 businesses including agricultural tourism (U-pick farms, public greenhouses, etc.), campgrounds, gas stations, restaurants and bars, among others. The urban plan inventoried just over 600 businesses – about half were restaurants, bars and clubs.

The RORP inventoried over 1,000 recreational assets including state parks, ATV and cross-country ski trails, historic markers, boat ramps and others. In the urban plan, places like outdoor public parks (Phoenix Park, Riverfront Park, etc.) and in-town golf courses were noted.

Another is the acknowledgement of each county’s respective Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans already in existence. Those don't necessarily look to leverage outdoor rec as an economic tool or work in tandem with neighboring counties, like the urban plan does.

“Municipalities are responsible for providing essential services and those responsibilities understandably come first,” Domerchie said. She pointed to the importance of basic infrastructure and public safety alongside housing and healthcare issues.

“Within that environment, outdoor recreation can be treated as an amenity or a ‘nice to have,’ ” she continued.

But as Wisconsin’s tourism industry continues to demonstrate, the Dairyland’s natural beauty and outdoors industries are increasingly vital to the state’s economy.

“Outdoor recreation is therefore not separate from economic development or community development. It is one of the systems that can help strengthen both.”

KENNEDY DOMERCHIE

OUTDOORS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, VISIT EAU CLAIRE

On its own, the outdoor rec scene contributed over $12 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2024 – marking its third consecutive record-breaking year – and accounts for nearly half of the economic impact from Wisconsin’s overall tourism industries.

For western Wisconsin, the combined RORP and urban plans prime the region to fully leverage what is already a statewide economic trend – but the most tasking and critical work is still on the horizon.

What Happens Next?

Without the continuous efforts of all eight counties, both the supplemental urban plan and overall RORP cannot be realized. While the RORP has been approved to move into action – and the urban supplement is on its way toward the same – putting it all into action will be the heaviest lift.

With great swaths of in-depth research having laid the groundwork, the urban plan’s next step is the establishment of an entity to carry that work forward.

Domerchie said she is working with the National Park Service (NPS) to do just that. It is likely a neutral third party would facilitate the entity creation process, “potentially through the UW-Madison Extension or other organization experienced ins regional collaboration,” she said.

"Defining landscape features" of the region's urban areas includes Lake Altoona, the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers, and Lake Wissota (access point pictured). Lake Wissota stretches some 6,000 acres on the northeastern edge of the identified urban area.

Around September or October this year, the next major in-person stakeholder meeting should result in a clear path forward in that process.

“At this point, the two most likely directions appear to be forming a regional nonprofit or establishing a less formal collaborative structure,” Domerchie said.

Whichever entity is selected, it will require additional funding to see its plans to life. As part of the planning process, at least 30 different grant and funding options have been identified for future pursuit.

Those include the NPS's Land & Water Conservation Fund, the federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) and the state Department of Travel's Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant.

“One of the most important purposes of these plans is to demonstrate that outdoor recreation is connected to many of the priorities communities are already trying to address," Domerchie said, naming things like community identity, physical and mental health, workforce attraction and retention, among others.

These "Next Step Tasks," located on page 100 of the urban plan, were laid out by the Urban Area Subcommittee. Visit Eau Claire will continue to assist with these tasks until a new organization takes the overall project's reins (which, according to this matrix, should be in 2027).

“Outdoor recreation is therefore not separate from economic development or community development. It is one of the systems that can help strengthen both.”

Looking ahead, plan timelines indicate several "next steps" are roughly laid out through 2027. Certainly, more community engagement is yet to come, but the RORP and its urban plan have all the potential to be a region-defining endeavor.

Learn more about and view the full Regional Outdoors Recreation Plan (RORP) and the supplemental urban plan, online at 8-county-rorp-wcwrpc.hub.arcgis.com.