Richard Bong State Recreation Area is a 4,515-acre (1,827 ha) unit of the state park system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located in the town of Brighton, in Kenosha County. This managed prairie contains 8.3 miles (13 km) of mountain bike trails. Other recreational activities include high power rocketry, dogsledding, falconry, ATV sports, land sailing, horseback riding, hunting, camping with amenities, including ultralight aviation. There is a wildlife preserve where great egrets, sandhill cranes, and great blue herons are known to nest.
The park is on land once intended for the Richard Bong Air Force Base, whose namesake is World War II veteran aviator Maj. Richard Ira Bong. Part of what was intended to be the 12,500-foot (3,800 m) main airstrip is still visible from aerial photos of the site.
Largely due to its name's coincidental allusions to marijuana use, Bong Recreation Area is a frequent target of sign theft. This has led to the manufacturing of T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the highway exit sign.
The Richard Bong SRA is one of the centerpieces of the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
Famous quotes containing the words richard, state, recreation and/or area:
“Misery loves company.”
—Donald Freed, U.S. screenwriter, and Arnold M. Stone. Robert Altman. Richard Nixon (Philip Baker Hall)
“Reporters for tabloid newspapers beat a path to the park entrance each summer when the national convention of nudists is held, but the cult’s requirement that visitors disrobe is an obstacle to complete coverage of nudist news. Local residents interested in the nudist movement but as yet unwilling to affiliate make observations from rowboats in Great Egg Harbor River.”
—For the State of New Jersey, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Playing snooker gives you firm hands and helps to build up character. It is the ideal recreation for dedicated nuns.”
—Archbishop Luigi Barito (b. 1922)
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—C. Wright Mills (1916–1962)