DAR in WI?

[kilogulf59]

The wife and I are seriously considering a DAR on the property. We need info on it before we finally decide, so can anyone assist on this?

[Fred]

    kg, glad to hear this!

   Our DAR coordinator is "Greg in MO".

   Here's a recent post about initial evaluation of a DAR:

Let's come up with a prelim checklist...

    The three main questions:

          1. Neighbors who can/may be disturbed by a lot of shooting on a weekend. Are there any?

          2. Any county/state ordinances relating to noise or a requirement to license/zone private shooting ranges? (Note that even tho we are non-profit, most public officials will take the position that "charging for" something makes you "a commercial operation" - and subject to all the requirements applicable to commercial/business entities.)

           3. Any natural backstops - if so, how high, how wide

      Other important questions:

          Range Capacity: How many people could you get on the firing line at 4'/person?

          Access - all weather, 4-whl drive only, or?

          Owner dedication: Is the owner an Appleseeder? If not, is he/she willing to come to an Appleseed? Can we formalize the relationship with a lease arrangement?

     These are the ones that come to mind. Some basic filters to ascertain how suitable this would be for an AS.

   Posted on one of our boards here which is now closed, this gives the general idea of the DAR:

We are working on a new concept that promises to greatly surge the program forward: the "Dedicated Appleseed Range"

    Get a range dedicated to Appleseed in a state, and immediately, for each one we get, we can sched 10-12 monthly Appleseeds, and really get things moving.

    A dedicated range means a place dedicated Appleseeders can gather and can recruit. A place we can hold Instructor Boot Camps to train new local instructors, to reduce the strain of traveling long distances on our nationwide instructors.

    A dedicated range means the program is putting down roots in each state. Appleseed is no longer flying in for a weekend, and then flying back out to some other state. No sir, Appleseed is landing on the beach, and intends to plant the flag of liberty, and stay 'for the duration'.

    This is "win-win" for the program. Local Appleseeds with local instructors means the national crew can concentrate on areas that are weak to plant the seeds and get the roots growing where presently there are none.

    Since it's hard to get a club to agree to a monthly Appleseed sched (but by no means impossible, so don't overlook the possibility), it suggests we need to find a 2A-minded individual with some property we can put a 25 m firing line on. Somewhere with few neighbors, and hopefully, a natural backstop - but we can possibly build a backstop, if one is needed. (Surely, there's a local 2A-guy with some earth-moving machinery, right?)

    Of course, the land owner is protected by our insurance policy.

    As you can imagine, like every thing else connected with this no-brainer common-sense program, in modern 21st-century America, nothing to do with revitalizing liberty is easy.

    So in Texas, still only one Texan has stepped up with an offer of land for Appleseed - despite what seems to some Texans as endless bashing and shaming in issues of SGN by Fred.

    One Texan, out of 23 million.

    One acre, out of 261,797.12 square miles. Or 167,550,156.8 acres.

    If you measure liberty (as we say at Appleseeds) by the number of people willing to turn out to defend a threat to it, then (it seems to me) you can measure support for the 2A by the number of people dedicated to passing the tradition on, and even by the number of acres dedicated to doing that.

    By that standard, how does Texas - and Texans - measure up?

    One landowner, out of millions; one acre, out of 167 hundred million...

    For that matter, how does South Carolina, in the running for winning the "Last to Hold an Appleseed in the South" - how does that state measure up? NO Appleseeds, NO dedicated Appleseed range.

    Yet look at the difference one person can make.

    Because of one person, we are holding monthly Appleseeds in Texas. Without that person, does anyone think we would be? In fact, that's the ONLY place in Texas we are holding Appleseeds. Without that location, it's possible there would be NO Appleseeds in Texas.

    Because of that one person, we have a cadre of trained instructors in Texas.

    Because of that one person, we have a strong program and presence in Texas.

    Because of that one person...

    Now, if you are reading this, and a human, that means YOU ARE ONE PERSON. Which means you can do what that ONE PERSON in Texas did.

    At the least, you should try. If not you, then who? Your neighbor? Your friends? Your co-workers? Your relatives and family? Do you see them doing anything?

    Looks like, mister, if it's gonna get done, it's gonna get done, by you.

    But that should be good news.

    It means you count. It means YOU can be the person who Makes It Happen.

    It means you can influence history. Effect destiny. Move and shake things far out of proportion to simply being "one person".

    Good Grief! Can it get any better?

    Make up your mind: This is where you can really make a difference.

    In Utah a couple of weeks ago, the Appleseeders were told the need for a designated Appleseed range in their state, and a guy spoke up and said "I know all the farmers around here, and have for decades, and I can get you a dozen sites." So now we have an as-yet-unannounced designated Appleseed range in UT - and we're planning monthly Appleseeds in a state that's had only a handful in the last couple of years - and setting up an Instructor Boot Camp to train instructors, and... (You get the picture)

    Keep your eyes open and see if you can scout out such a place for us in your state.

    Imagine how much impetus the program would recieve in your state if you hit on a location.

    Imagine the contribution you can make to this program by finding us a piece of land for a dedicated Appleseed range.

    Gonna be easy?

    No. At least, not for most of us.

    You're gonna have to start talking Appleseed to everyone who will listen.

    You may even have to use shame on some of your fellow citizens ("Isn't it a shame that the whole state of SC - our state! - can't come up with an acre to dedicate to this non-profit 2A program to pass on the tradition and the heritage?") - or you can use "opportunity" - as in, "we have an opportunity here to really stop complaining, and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

     So, you want to promote the program? Sure, help get the word out about Appleseeds by passing out flyers at gun shops, gun shows, to friends, etc.

     But also work on the notion of a Dedicated Appleseed Range, if you want to see the program rocket in your state.

    Because it will.

[Greg in MO]

PM sent.

Greg

[kilogulf59]

This may help some...

The three main questions:

          1. Neighbors who can/may be disturbed by a lot of shooting on a weekend. Are there any?
To an extent but we're rural and shoot all the time. However, with all those rifles going off at once Lin and I would prefer rimfire only if possible. If the red hats want to come and shoot CF that's not a problem, we do and we hunt here as well.

          2. Any county/state ordinances relating to noise or a requirement to license/zone private shooting ranges? (Note that even tho we are non-profit, most public officials will take the position that "charging for" something makes you "a commercial operation" - and subject to all the requirements applicable to commercial/business entities.)
Unknown at this time and I wouldn't know where to look. We are outside of Mauston, Juneau Co. WI.

           3. Any natural backstops - if so, how high, how wide
Yes but not good enough for an event. They'd have to be bermed up more.

      Other important questions:

          Range Capacity: How many people could you get on the firing line at 4'/person?
I'd say, off hand, at least a dozen, perhaps fifteen, but I'd be willing to expand the area more if need be.

          Access - all weather, 4-whl drive only, or?
All weather. Well unless we're burried in snow.
          Owner dedication: Is the owner an Appleseeder? If not, is he/she willing to come to an Appleseed? Can we formalize the relationship with a lease arrangement?
Yes, I am and so are my two adult kids. Not sure on the lease agreement we'd have to look into that further.

Here's a large view of the area...


Here's a closer one...the DAR would go where the teardrop thing is...


Parking on the left of the driveway from the garage down.

It's hard to see with the shadows but there's more room than it appears...

[Shooterer]

If you build it they will come...

Once you get it up and running, I can fill it. I live in SE WI., but I have family in:
Mauston
Elroy
New Lisbon
Kendall
Wilton
Sparta
La Crosse
Eau Claire

[dragonfly]

If you build it they will come...

Once you get it up and running, I can fill it. I live in SE WI., but I have family in:
Mauston
Elroy
New Lisbon
Kendall
Wilton
Sparta
La Crosse
Eau Claire

Now that sounds like a challenge.

Let me know what I can do to help kg

D-fly

[kilogulf59]

I'd guess the next step would be to have someone give us a looksee.