Sounding (the silent sports) Alarm [9.06]
Causes for concern & action
INPUT SOUGHT ON APOSTLE ISLANDS PLAN There's still time for the tens of thousands of kayaking and hiking visitors to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to help set the National Park Service's management priorities over the next 15 to 20 years.
In early August, a series of public meetings was held in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota to discuss the NPS's 23-page outline of major management
issues facing the Apostle Islands. NPS will continue to seek written comments until September 25. The document, titled 2006 Options for Future Management, is available online at www.nps.gov/apis/gmp.htm.
"There are critical issues and the park's funding outlook is uncertain. We'll need to set priorities for the future. Help us do that," park superintendent Bob Krumenaker said in a press release.
The major issues facing the Apostle Islands
include how best to manage recreation in the wilderness areas, mostly by kayakers; what kind of facilities to maintain in the nonwilderness areas, including the visitor center at Little Sand Bay; and the extent of preservation of the lighthouses.
"It's hard to imagine an Apostles visitor who doesn't have a stake in at least one of these issues, and probably a strong opinion about the options under discussion," according to an August 6 editorial in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Some
50,000 people visit the Apostle Islands every year. But only 40 people showed up at seven public hearings held in late 2004 to make suggestions about the park's long-term management plans, according to the newspaper.
Questions and comments about the future management document should be directed to Chief of Planning and Resource Management Jim Nepstad at 715/779-3398, Ext. 102; jim_nepstad@nps.gov or apis_comments@nps.gov.
THREE MORE DROWN AT AN ILLINOIS DAM It happened again. Another fatal tragedy has occurred at a dam in Illinois. This time it was on Aug. 14 at the Wilmington dam on the Kankakee River, south of Joliet. Eerily similar to an incident in May, which claimed three lives at the Yorkville dam on the Fox River, the Wilmington tragedy also resulted in the deaths of three people.
Once again, swirling currents were involved as a 4-year-old boy fell into the churning water.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the boy's mother and a bystander drowned attempting to save the boy. Also presumed drowned was the boy's uncle, who hadn't been accounted for and was presumed drowned when this issue went to press. The boy and the boy's father survived.
The Sun-Times reported that 15 to 20 people have died at the Wilmington dam over the last 25 years. The Yorkville dam has claimed 16 lives since 1960.
There is a strong undertow at the dam, which drops the water level
of the river 5 feet. It is very similar to Yorkville, where there is a 6-foot drop.
"You get too close to the undertow and it's going to pull you back toward the dam and keep you there," Wilmington police chief Wally Evans told the Sun-Times.
As pointed out in Silent Sports columns by Mike Svob in July and Bob Richards in August, a tremendous danger exists at these dams, and despite warning signs, tragedies continue to take place.
For more information on the problem of dams on local
rivers, a video prepared by the Illinois Paddling Council illustrates the problem well. Find it at www.illinoispaddling.org. ATV DEATH RATE HIGHEST YET IN WISCONSIN ATV-related deaths in Wisconsin reached a record high in 2005. Of the 22 people killed last year, 80 percent were not wearing a helmet and had not taken an ATV safety class, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Four people have died so far
this year and none of them took the safety course run by the DNR for the past 20 years.
Gary Eddy, an ATV/snowmobile administrator for the DNR, told The Associated Press that it is not surprising the death rate is increasing. ATVs are used in a variety of ways, year-round, have a high center of gravity and low-pressure tires.
The DNR said there are now 298,678 ATV registered in the state – far more than the 214,758 registered snowmobiles.
BICYCLING 'DREAM JOBS' IN LANSING, CHICAGO Tired of working in a job you don't believe in? Ready to join the ranks of advocates working for a bicycle-friendly Midwest? Well then, you may wish to apply for one of the following positions.
Lansing, Mich.
• Coordinator of Active Communities: This person will help Michigan communities create safe walking and biking environments. This includes promotion and coordination of the Promoting Active Communities (PAC) Assessment Tool/Award
and specific community demonstration projects. E-mail résumé and cover letter to the Michigan Fitness Foundation in care of Risa Wilkerson at rwilkerson@michiganfitness.org.
• Safe Routes to School coordinator of programming and grant manager (two positions): These individuals will plan, develop and coordinate new and existing Safe Routes to School programs to encourage and enable Michigan elementary and middle school students in urban,
rural and suburban settings to safely walk or bicycle to school. To apply, write to Safe Routes to School Director, Michigan Fitness Foundation, PO Box 27187, Lansing, MI 48909 by August 25.
Chicago, Ill.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Project Planner: The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is seeking a full-time project planner to work on bicycle and pedestrian projects. E-mail résumé and cover letter to Nick Jackson at jamorgan10@comcast.net.
•
Advocacy and Volunteer Coordinator: The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's full-time volunteer coordinator will develop and manage a volunteer program and ensures that the experience is mutually beneficial to both the volunteer and the organization. E-mail résumé and cover letter to Dan Korman via www.biketraffic.org. ROUTES IN MINNESOTA FORESTS MAY BE MOTORIZED The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting public
comments on its motorized use and route designation proposals for seven state forests and other DNR Forestry-administered lands in Cass, Beltrami and Itasca counties. The DNR is also proposing designations for roughly 740 miles of roads, trails and other routes on some 320,000 acres of DNR lands within the Chippewa Group project area which will determine where ATVs and other off-road vehicles are allowed to operate.
Public meetings on the proposals are scheduled for the following times and locations:
• Oct. 17: Northland High School, 316 Main St. E., Remer, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
• Oct. 19, Deer River High School, 101 1st Ave. N.E., Deer River, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
• Oct. 24, Beltrami Electric Cooperative, 4111 Technology Drive N.W., Bemidji, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
The DNR classification proposal, road and trail designation plan and related maps can be seen at www.dnr.state.mn.us. Click on the "OHV riding" button on the right-hand side of the home page.
The DNR will accept written comments on the proposals until 4:30 p.m. November 3. Comments and requests for copies of the planning documents should be submitted by mail to Jack Olson, DNR Trails & Waterways, 1601 Minnesota Drive, Brainerd, MN 56401, by phone 218/833-8716, or by e-mail to jack.olson@dnr.state.mn.us. | 
