The North Shore State Trail - a winter snowmobile trail and summer hiking trail - begins in Duluth and traverses St. Louis, Lake and Cook Counties along Minnesota's North Shore on its way to the Canadian Border. For more than a decade the DNR, county boards, ATV clubs and legisltaors have determined to convert the North Shore State Trail to a 135-mile ATV superhighway.
Recent accelleration of such plans could dramatically alter the nature of Minnesota's North Shore.
Help protect Minnesota's North Shore. Inform yourself and contact DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten today to oppose conversion of the North Shore State Trail to ATV use!
Essential background and DNR Commissioner contact info below:
- LAKE CO SEEKS AMENDMENT OF NORTH SHORE TRAIL MASTER PLAN TO ALLOW ATVS ON STATE TRAIL
- "THE BACKBONE OF THE DNR'S OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE SYSTEM IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA"
- SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL AND THE NORTH SHORE STATE TRAIL
- SCRAMBLE AREA IS PROPOSED TRAILHEAD
- IMPLEMENTING $875,000 FEASIBILITY STUDY
- SHIRKING LEGAL DUTY TO CRITIQUE, DNR WILL "ASSIST AND COOPERATE" WITH LAKE COUNTY
- AMENDMENT MAY TERMINATE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO MANDATORY ENVRIONMENTAL REVIEW
- DNR COMMISSIONER'S AMENDMENT IMPENDING
- CONTACT THE DNR COMMISSIONER NOW
LAKE CO. SEEKS AMENDMENT OF NORTH SHORE TRAIL MASTER PLAN TO ALLOW ATV USE ON STATE TRAIL
Data recently obtained by MRR reveals that Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources has received a request from Lake County to amend the North Shore Trail Master Plan (9 MB) to allow ATVs on a portion the state trail in Lake County. Lake County has been an active proponent of converting the entire length of the 135 mile North Shore State Trail to ATV use, lobbying legislators and encouraging St. Louis County and Cook County to do the same. ATV use on the North Shore State Trail is expressly prohibited in the Master Plan which "prohibits off-road vehicles on the trail". Master Plan for the North Shore Trail, p. 86-87.
"THE BACKBONE OF THE DNR'S OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE SYSTEM IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA"
Contrary to the North Shore Trail Master Plan's prohibition, It is the long stated goal of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, ATV enthusiasts and their advocates in county government and the Minnesota legisalture to convert the North Shore State Snowmobile Trail to ATV use. In the DNR's own words," the North Shore State Trail is to become the backbone of the DNR's off-highway vehicle system in Northeast Minnesota". ATV clubs waiting in line to recieve public funding, want to use the 135-mile long North Shore State Trail as a central corridor, off of which to spin a web of gas-tax funded ATV, dirt-bike motorcycle and four-wheel drive truck routes in Northeast Minnesota. The DNR has already, for several years, been receiving grant-in-aid applications for these routes. Gas tax-funded grant-in-aid ATV routes will be bulldozed by snowmobile and ATV clubs with disastorous results and with little oversight or accountability. See below.
SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL AND THE NORTH SHORE STATE TRAIL
The Superior Hiking Trail is known for its expansive vistas of Lake Superior, rugged terrain, rivers, wildlife and solitude. One of the nation's top hiking and backpacking destinations, the Superior Hiking Trail is for Minnesotans among the most beloved jewels on our North Shore. The North Shore State Trail, that the DNR wants to convert to an ATV super-highway, border and paralells, crosses and in some places shares a treadway with the Superior Hiking Trail. ATVs are already trespassing on the Superior Hiking Trail and will be common place if Lake County and the DNR have their way.
SCRAMBLE AREA IS PROPOSED ATV TRAILHEAD
"Scramble areas" connected with the North Shore State Trail and secondary routes that would allow "random, cross-country travel" have also appeared in DNR plans since 1997. One such scramble area was planned in Cook County on top of the Superior Hiking Trail. While MRR defeated that idea the notion of multiple scramble areas, fed by the North Shore State Trail and secondary routes, remains. The current Lake County proposal would use the defacto Alger Spur Scramble Area as trailhead for launching ATVs onto the North Shore State Trail and nearby Superior Hiking Trail.
IMPLEMENTING $875,000 FEASIBILITY STUDY
In a 2006 feasibility study completed by the Minnesota DNR found that $875,000 would be required to flatten slopes and fill low areas and otherwise alter the North Shore State Trail to accomodate ATVs. Undeterred, Lake County wants to begin implementing the study.
SHIRKING LEGAL DUTY TO CRITIQUE, DNR WILL "ASSIST AND COOPERATE" WITH LAKE COUNTY
In a September 16 letter to the DNR, MRR reminded the agency of its legal duty, established in the North Shore Trail Master Plan, to actively critique, not promote, proposals that are inconsistent with the North Shore State Trail Master Plan. Despite this clearly established duty, newly revealed August 10 DNR Talking Points provide evidence that the DNR instead intends to "assist and cooperate" with Lake County in opening the North Shore State Trail to ATV use.
AMENDMENT MAY TERMINATE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO MANDATORY ENVRIONMENTAL REVIEW
Minnesota Envionmental Quality Board rules include "Mandatory Environmental Assessment Worsheet Categories" that require competion of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for any "permanent physical encroachement on lands within a ...state trail corridor inconsisent with the trail's master plan " (see Subp. 30. Natural Areas). Amendment of the North Shore Trail Master Plan could have the effect of exempting Lake County's proposal from the currently mandated public and environemental review.
DNR COMMISSIONER'S AMENDMENT IMPENDING
In 2002 then-DNR Commissioner Allen Garber signed an amendment to allow ATVs on a 6.6 mile portion of the North Shore State Trail in Lake County. Following this, MRR discovered and documented major damage done to the state trail by the gas-tax funded Lake County Silver Trail Riders snowmobile and ATV club on their bulldozer. MRR Case Studies: 2003 ---- Gas-tax Funded Destruction Of Wetlands And Forests: Publicly Funded Silver Trail Riders Snowmobile and ATV Club bulldozes North Shore State Trail 50” wide, leaving “spoil piles” in riparian zones of adjacent trout streams and a road through a wetland killing surrounding forest.
Current DNR Commissioner Mark Holstein could approve another such amendment unless Minnesotans speak up now. The DNR's most recent September 17 statement is that "No response [to Lake County's request] has been sent as of this date."
If you care about Minnesota's North Shore
speak up now!
Contact DNR Commissioner Mark Holstein.
Tell him you oppose amendment
of the North Shore Trail Master Plan to permit
ATVS on the North Shore State Trail.
Mark.Holsten@state.mn.us
651-259-5555
For over a decade MRR has championed protection of the North Shore and the Superior Hiking Trail by successfully opposing conversion of the North Shore State Trail to ATV use.
Learn more about the history of MRR's work protecting Minnesota's North Shore.
Support MRR's work with a tax-deductible contribution.
