Duluth News Tribune, Posted on Mon, Mar. 10, 2003
Point of View by JEFF BROWN, Executive Director,
Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation
Stop snowmobile trails in their tracks
Last week's alarming news that the Minnesota House Environment Finance Committee has approved using $300,000 to build the state's first permanent snowmobile trail on private property should have Minnesotans hopping mad and deeply concerned.
Most immediately disturbing is that it appears that the bill's sponsor, Rep. Dave Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, at least prior to Wednesday's News Tribune article, could not account for the $200,000 in public money already spent. And this when we are closing parks and schools and people all around us are losing their jobs.
The "Duluth snowmobile bypass" is the snowmobile trail nobody wants. This "missing link in the statewide snowmobile trail system" was first rejected by Duluthians who did not want 20,000 snowmobiles in their back yards. The Duluth door closed, and snowmobilers found their way into Hermantown where they repeatedly alienated that community with their forceful presence, causing property owners to withdraw their temporary easements.
Now snowmobilers have lost their right-of-way through Hermantown. Despite these problems, the state remains determined to connect the end of the Munger State Trail in West Duluth with the parking lot for the North Shore State Trail on Martin Road across from the Dirt Factory. The problem continues to be that people don't want to be part of the "missing link" snowmobile trail.
Dill's proposal to use public money for permanent snowmobile trails that can never be closed panders to and has its roots in the very worst behavior of snowmobilers. In Hermantown, where snowmobilers have annually alienated enough residents to lose their right of way through town, some snowmobilers have lied to the School Board, and some have even trespassed, intimidated and threatened residents who have withdrawn their easements or who have chosen not to give permanent access to their land. Some of this behavior is not unique to Hermantown. Unique is Dill's wrongheaded and reckless approach that only rewards and reinforces this behavior.
In Dill's world and value system, the rights of snowmobilers to go where they want, when they want and how they want, is more important than the rights of citizens to enjoy their property in peace and quiet and personal safety. In Dill's world and value system, snowmobile trails are more important than snowmobile enforcement. Ironically, Dill proposes the state take from what precious little money exists in the snowmobile enforcement account to buy this permanent trail for out-of-control snowmobilers.
In the Dill plan, permanent snowmobile trails become the answer to the permanently bad behavior of some snowmobilers. Instead of removing these individuals as we do reckless drivers and drunken and disorderly people from public places, in the Dill plan, these snowmobilers are assured that they will always have access to somebody's back yard and our statewide trail system. By the way, public money in Minnesota now supports an outrageous 20,000 miles of snowmobile trails.
Statewide, because of the noise, fumes and bad behavior, snowmobile trails have become so unwanted that Dill wants to force these trails on us using our own tax money to pay property owners to accept these unwanted impacts. Neighbors know the noise and fumes and maybe even the machines will not stop at their property line. In the Dill plan, the state has already paid the Evergreen Right-of-way Co. to cajole Hermantown residents into surrendering 30-foot easements for perpetuity across their land. Some snowmobilers have banged on the same doors. Already, Evergreen Right-of-way Co. has paid some local property owners $500 to $5,000 in public money to accept what will be the state's first permanent snowmobile trail on private property.
Alarming stories around the development of this permanent snowmobile trail beg a public accounting. Why has the local club and state already gone ahead and built part of the trail when there is not yet a continuous right-of-way between the two end points? My understanding of road projects is that until right-of way is secured, money is not disbursed. It is very odd that a portion of unconnected trail has already been built. (Where does it go? The Sunset Bar on Martin Road.) Was this an attempt to spend the $200,000 in public money already appropriated in order to allow Dill to come back for more this session? A public accounting is needed.
Since 1996 Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation has been protecting the rights of citizens to live in quiet, safe, healthy environments. The group organized Duluthians to say "no" to 20,000 snowmobiles. Since then, we have carefully followed events in Hermantown and have twice cautioned our neighbors there about the problems inherent with permanent easements, preventing the first round of purchases from taking place.
If Dill succeeds in the coming days and weeks, our community will be home to the state's first permanent snowmobile trail. For "perpetuity" the easements will say. We will never be able to close this trail no matter how poorly behaved its users.
Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation urges Minnesotans everywhere to contact their legislators right now to say "no permanent snowmobile trails on private property" -- not in Hermantown or anywhere else.
JEFF BROWN is director of Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation based in Duluth.