FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 27, 2023
Contact: DNR Office of Communications
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Buckhorn State Park Receives Adaptive Wheelchair To Expand Access To The Outdoors

The outdoor wheelchair will be added to a growing inventory of adaptive equipment available for public use at Wisconsin State Park properties, including a new Outdoor Wheelchair Program. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, Wis.?? The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that Buckhorn State Park has been selected to receive an outdoor wheelchair through a grant from the Ford Bronco Wild Fund and administered by the National Association of State Park Directors.

The outdoor wheelchair joins the fleet of adaptive equipment at Buckhorn State Park, which includes cross-country sit skis, an adaptive kayak and a beach wheelchair. Buckhorn State Park also has an accessible cabin, universal hiking trails, a universal hunting blind and a universally accessible fishing pier. The chair is available for loan on-property through reservations by calling the park at 608-565-2789.

?It?s our valued partnerships with organizations like the National Association of State Park Directors and Friends Groups throughout the state that allow us to expand our services to the public and open the outdoors for all in this important way,? said Steve Schmelzer, DNR Parks and Recreation Management Bureau Director. ?We?re grateful to have been selected and we are excited about this new addition to the equipment we have available at Buckhorn State Park.?

The outdoor wheelchair will be added to a growing inventory of adaptive equipment available for public use at Wisconsin state parks, forests, recreation areas and trails, including a new Outdoor Wheelchair Program at several Wisconsin State Park properties. To learn more about accessible recreation and equipment offerings within Wisconsin?s state parks,?visit the DNR?s Find A Park webpage.

The Friends of Buckhorn State Park will manage the outdoor wheelchair reservations, perform maintenance and recruit volunteers for the program.

Friends groups are nonprofit organizations whose members have an interest in Wisconsin?s natural resources and volunteer their time, services and support to enhance Wisconsin's state parks, forests, trails and recreation areas. They provide direct support to individual properties.

The National Association of State Park Directors is composed of state park directors from all 50 states, plus territories of the United States of America, including Puerto Rico. Its mission is to promote and advance the state park systems of America for their own significance, as well as for their important contributions to the nation?s environment, heritage, health and economy.