|
 | |
Sounding (the silent sports) Alarm [1.07] CHEQ-NICOLET FOREST MOTOR ROUTES MEETINGS Where to site miles of new motorized routes through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest will be the subject of U.S. Forest Service presentations and discussion at five open houses. New ATV routes will likely result from implementation of the Travel Manage-ment Rule, a regulation adopted by the Forest Service in November 2005 to designate which roads, trails and areas in the forest will be open to motorized vehicle use. Each ranger district will hold an open house to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more. While the Forest Service may close many some illegal ATV trails through the forest, the 2004 management plan for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest called for construction of up to 100 miles of new ATV trails on the Chequamegon side and up to 85 total miles of ATV trails on the Nicolet side. Currently, there are more than 140 miles of ATV trails in the Chequamegon and no designated ATV trails in the Nicolet forest. The open houses will start with brief presentations. Then Forest Service staff will answer questions and accept comments. The open houses – with presentations starting a 6 p.m. and the Q&A sessions from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. – are scheduled as follows: • Tuesday, Jan. 23: Wabeno High School, 4325 N. Branch Street, Wabeno, Wis. • Wednesday, Jan. 24: Phillips High School, 990 Flambeau Avenue, Phillips, Wis. • Thursday, Jan. 25: Northland Pines High School, 1800 Pleasure Island Road, Eagle River, Wis. • Tuesday, Jan. 30: Lakewoods Resort, 21540 County Road M, Cable, Wis. • Wednesday, Jan. 31: Northern Great Lakes Center, 29270 County Highway G, Ashland, Wis. To submit written comments, print a comment form from www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/ and fill it out or send letters to USDA Forest Service, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Public Affairs Officer, 68 S. Stevens St., Rhinelander, WI 54501. Comments will be accepted until March 31, 2007. For additional information on the open houses, call Cathy Fox at 715/362-1362. Materials presented at the meetings will be made available on the website. POSSIBLE ATV ROUTES SITED FOR NH-AL FOREST The Sustainable ATV Trail Stakeholders Group for the Northern Highland-American Legion State (NH-AL) Forest has located two potential sites for ATV trails through the forest in the northeast Vilas and Iron counties of Wisconsin. The trails proposed would use town roads in Mercer, Manitowish Waters and Winchester but pass through environmentally sensitive areas popular among silent sports enthusiasts. Vilas County residents have voted overwhelmingly against ATV access to county lands. Many state residents have joined them in opposition to the same in the NH-AL. Minutes of the stakeholders group meetings are at http://dnr.wi.gov/master_planning/nhal/NHAL-atvstake holder.htm. Comments can be e-mailed to Robert.Dall@dnr.state.wi.us MINNESOTA DNR FACES FOREST AUDITS, CRITICS The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently issued its response to a number of concerns raised by two teams of independent third-party auditors of DNR forestlands and forest management practices. The auditors, representing the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sus- tainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), conducted their assessment in 2005 to ensure DNR forest management meets the rigorous standards and criteria maintained by each group. Earlier this year, the DNR was awarded a dual FSC/SFI certification for the 4.8 million acres of state forest lands it manages. Then last February, two environmental and conservation groups appealed the certifications based on the state's ATV policies. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Izaak Walton League of America argued that DNR policies allow off-road vehicles to create unplanned ATV trails throughout most of the state's forests, causing erosion, damaging trees and wildlife, and displacing other forest users. Since the DNR could not demonstrate it had the staff or resources to stop or repair ATV damage, the groups argued that the state's sustainable certification should be denied. But Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) disagreed in a letter it sent to the DNR in August, according to the Duluth News Tribune. SCS's complaint committee acknowledged the problems ATV create but concluded that their use does not endanger the overall ecological health of the state forests. More recently, FSC auditors asked the DNR to respond publicly to stakeholder concerns regarding motorized use on state forest lands. In its response, the DNR said it has reclassified forests, designated motor routes and increased trail monitoring, maintenance and law enforcement. To view the FSC/SFI auditors reports and the DNR's response, go to www.dnr.state.mn.us. For more information, e-mail Andrew Arends, Forest Certification Program leader, at andrew.arends@dnr.state.mn.us. FOND DU LAC ATV PETITION FAILS; TRAILS REMAIN NONMOTORIZED The Fond du Lac County Board on December 19 voted 26-9 against allowing winter ATV'ing on the 10-mile Eisenbahn Trail. The majority of the board expressed concerns that ATVs would damage the soft trail surface and cause conflict with bicyclists, walkers and cross-country skiers. The board disagreed with the county parks and development committee which on December 6 voted 5-0 to allow winter ATV use of the trail for a one-year trial period. At the earlier committee meeting, a Fond du Lac County ATV club also sought year-round ATV access to the state hiking and biking trails within the county. The club submitted a petition with 500 signatures from people supportive of motorizing the nonmotorized trails. The parks committee also received a petition signed by 170 people wanting the trails to remain open to silent sports practitioners. After hearing nearly 90 minutes of testimony from area residents for and against ATVs, the committee soundly rejected the ATV'ers proposal with a 5-0 vote. Before an audience of more than 200, the ATV'ers asked for access to the roughly 40 miles of nonmotorized public trails but none of the 293 miles of snowmobile trail in the county, much of which lies on private property. It was clear the ATV community's leadership was targeting public trails because they have been rebuffed by private landowners. In fact, the Fond du Lac County Snowmobile Association support the ATV'ers campaign to open nonmotorized public trails under one condition: That the ATV'ers not pursue access to existing snowmobile trails. Snowmobile clubs worry that landowners will renege on agreements to allow snowmobile trails if ATV'ers use them and rip up pastures and backyards. ATV'ers should still establish their trails on private property as snowmobile clubs have done, County Parks and Planning Director Sam Tobias said. Instead, the ATV'ers threatened to displace from their trails bicyclists and walkers who account for 86 percent of all outdoors enthusiasts in the Lake Winnebago Waters region alone, according to the Wisconsin DNR's 2005-2010 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. The ATV petition received support from the Wisconsin ATV Association – officials of which have long claimed not to want to take trails away from other user groups. Yet WATVA has tacitly supported motorizing "silent sports" trails all over Wisconsin. So it was not surprising that WATVA came out in favor of turning into de facto ATV trails several hiking and biking trails in Fond du Lac County, including in the Kettle Moraine State Forest and on the edge of the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. 125-MILE ICE AGE TRAIL EXPANSION OK'D The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved plans in December to add 125 miles to the National Ice Age Scenic Trail in Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties. Currently, about 600 miles of the 1,100-mile Ice Age Trail across Wisconsin is developed. Only 5.3 miles of the trail is in these counties. The cost of the land and trail development was estimated at $5.4 million but no timeline was set for when the acquisitions might take place. PRICE COUNTY REC. PLAN TO INCLUDE SILENT SPORTS More interest was expressed in nonmotorized outdoor recreational pursuits than motorized ones during a Price County, Wisconsin, comprehensive recreation planning session at the Park Falls Public Library on November 28, according to the Park Falls Herald. At a January 11 public meeting at the Price County Courthouse, county officials and the public will review the recreation preferences and ideas gathered at three planning sessions. The final plan may go to the full county board for approval in February. The Herald reported that silent sports advocates expressed concern for the relative lack of nonmotorized recreational opportunities on public lands in the county compared to motorized use options. They also complained about hazards ATV riders pose to hikers and bicyclists on shared trails. As a result, the Tuscobia Trail west of Park Falls – which is designated as a multi-use trail – is dominated by ATV riders and snowmobilers. Some participants suggested the creation of nonmotorized trail links from Price County to the Ice Age Trail and the North Country Trail, both of which are scenic federally designated footpaths.
| |
Back to the top Waupaca Publishing: 717 Tenth Street * P.O. Box 152 * Waupaca, WI 54981 © 1999-2008 Site last updated 10/01/08 Designed by PBW | |
|
