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Sounding (the silent sports) Alarm [03.08] MINN. DNR HEAD OK'S OHVs in Mississippi Headwaters ATV riders will have "limited" access to Minnesota's Mississippi Headwaters State Forest per a mid-February decision by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Mark Holsten. The management plan is more restrictive than a previous DNR proposal, but falls far short of an ATV ban sought by many public land advocates and DNR resource managers. "This is just a complete farce,'' Jerry Maertens, a member of the Mississippi Headwaters Protection Alliance, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "They (the DNR) support canoeing (on the Upper Mississ-ippi River) and then they stick the ATVs right next to it, which is absurd." The decision came after the DNR received nearly 1,700 comments from the public during a 60-day period. "We worked with the counties and were able to make changes in response to public comments," DNR Northwest Region Director Mike Carrol said. "We believe the plan strikes a balance between quality motorized and nonmotorized opportunities while protecting the Mississippi River." The "limited" classification generally means forest roads are open to all highway-licensed and off-highway vehicles, which include all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), off-highway motorcycles (OHMs) and off-road vehicles (ORVs) such as Jeeps and four-wheel-drive trucks. Forest trails, however, are closed to all motorized uses, unless posted open for specified types of motorized travel. The classification will not affect the use of snowmobiles in the area. The Mississippi Headwaters State Forest consists of land owned by the state and Beltrami, Clearwater and Hubbard counties. The Mississippi Headwaters plan:
The plan will take effect December 31, 2008, after field teams erect the necessary signage. The commissioner's orders, planning documents and maps of designated forest roads were to be posted on the DNR website, www.dnr.gov, on February 25. Chicago may hike fines for endangering cyclists The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is delighted that Chicago's Mayor Daley has introduced an ordinance that would further protect bicyclists on Chicago's roads. The ordinance, which would require motorists to pay a fine of up to $500 for endangering a cyclist, is critical to Chicago's vision of a bicycle-friendly city. Violations include turning right or left in front of a bicyclist, passing a bicyclist with less than three feet of space, double parking in a marked shared lane and opening a door into the path of a bicyclist. It would also raise the fine for parking or driving in a bike lane from $100 to $150. "Getting all vehicles to share the road in a courteous way is just one part of creating safe and healthy streets in Chicago," said Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Executive Director Rob Sadowsky. Protecting cyclists' safety is one component of the city's Bike 2015 Plan, on which the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation worked as consultants. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation works to promote bicyclists' safety and protect their rights. 7-5 vote for ATVS on fox valley trail decried An advisory trails committee in east-central Wisconsin voted 7-5 on February 7 to allow ATVs on a yet to be developed 23-mile rail-trail which would also be open to hikers and bicyclists. The vote - whether or not to motorize the trail between New London and Seymour - was taken at the request of the Outagamie County Airport/Property Committee ti help it make a recommendation on trail use to the full county board. After the vote, advisory committee member Michael Ubl sent a letter to the chairman of the airport/property committee arguing against ATVs on the rural trail that could link hundreds of miles of other nonmotorized state trails. Ubl said he feared the airport /property committee "will now use (the 7-5 vote) as a mandate to make this trail a motorized trail, and therefore an ATV trail, since that is what it would become." Ubl, an owner of four ATVs and property adjacent to the trail, wrote that he will not allow his children to ride their bicycles on the trail if ATVs are given access out of concern for their safety. Ubl said use of the trail would best be determined by a countywide referendum. "If you truly wish to duck this rather polarizing decision, do not hide behind the vote taken at our committee meeting. Ask the people and let them decide," Ubl wrote. NRB pushes back hearing & vote on ATVs in NH-AL The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) took off its February 26 meeting agenda discussion and a vote on whether ATVs should be allowed in Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest (NH-AL). The NRB won't take up the issue until its March 26 or April 23 meeting, at which time public input will be heard. In the mean time, the public can review the trail plans, read a summary of the 2,500 public comments received about the plans, a feasibility study and a memo by DNR Secretary Matt Frank. These documents can be found at http://dnr.wi.gov/master_planning/NHAL/NHAL-atvtrail.htm In the 4 ½-page memo by Frank to the NRB, dated Feb. 13, the DNR secretary includes few unqualified reasons to support ATV traffic anywhere in the 225,000-acre state forest. Frank describes how "extremely challenging" it would be to locate ATV trails where they won't harm the state forest's 900 lakes, 300 miles of waterways, 14 threatened or endangered species, 79 rare species or displace the more than two million hikers, campers and bicyclists who visit every year. "Substantial improvements, with significant costs, would be necessary to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental and social impacts stemming from summer ATV use," Frank wrote. His memo also states that the ATV trails would cost $13 million to build. cross plains dispute affects ice age trail A controversial proposed residential development in southeast Wisconsin's town of Cross Plains could be built on land eyed for an extension of the Ice Age Trail and an interpretive center. Last month, it was discovered that the town did not legally establish its plan commission, which was poised to amend its "smart growth"
plan to allow the 67-unit proposed development. | |
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