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Last updated 5:52 pm CT November 20, 2009.
Shawnee Trail Hotline
The forest has to close trails if there's been too much rain, typically measured using a rain gauge located in Eddyville. The hotline was created to tell riders whether they can venture onto the trails. But some say, Shawnee workers have not been updating the line and that's costing them cash.
"The riding here is just phenomenal. All the rock out-croppings, the little waterfalls and stuff, its just gorgeous. We love it."
Jan Tassler, her husband and their horses make a stop at the Circle B Ranch twice a year. They travel with their rig more than 13-hours from Ontario, Wisconsin to visit the Shawnee.
"I'd be real disappointed if I drove that far and couldn't ride at all."
This year, more than 3,500 equestrian enthusiasts have stopped by Circle B-- to hit the trails. But, owner Connie Mexon says, that's a lot fewer than last year...
"Yes, we're losing a lot of business."
And, she blames much of that loss on the Shawnee National Forest Trail Hotline...
"One time you'll call they will have not changed it at 8 in the morning, 8:30 in the morning. I send my people out to ride and then at 9:30 they change it and close it."
A judge ordered that in order to maintain the integrity of the forest, if more than one inch of rain falls, the trails must close for 24-hours. But trail rider, Michael Scott says, sometimes the recording doesn't get changed for days.
"We put them to the test: The first 5 days of May we had 5 different people call, 5 different people call, one each day. The trails were still closed on sunny days."
And for Connie, that means her campers can't ride, even on sunny days.
"They loaded up and went home. And they'll probably never come back to the Shawnee again because of it."
Which could mean a permanent loss in business, not only for Connie, but the county...
"This is our only livelihood."
On Thursday, officials with Shawnee told News 3 they recognized there was a problem and met to find a solution. They say the messaging system will now be updated everyday by remote. That means, once an official checks the gauge, it can instantly be updated at that moment, instead of returning to the Vienna office to change the message.
By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com
Now: 1258764682
