By LISA KACZKE
Staff Writer

DNR completes
its review of
state-administered trails in county

State forest trails in Koochiching County administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are expected to stay open to all-terrain and off-highway vehicles.
The DNR has recently completed a review of 3,400 miles of trails in Itasca and Koochiching counties to designate them as closed, limited or managed to motorized use. The Legislature ordered the review after it heard reports of damage to state forest trails by inappropriate trail use.
A draft of the county’s trail designations was presented to the Koochiching County Board by DNR staff Tuesday. The draft is open for public comment for 60 days. A map of the trails is expected to be posted on the DNR’s Web site beginning next week for public review. The DNR also plans a public meeting Oct. 29 in International Falls to receive public comments.
Commissioners said they were glad the process went smoothly, but expressed concern that the process was a way to get “a foot in the door” to more strict laws.
The state is requiring the DNR complete the review of trails in Minnesota by Dec. 31. The DNR began reviewing and classifying trails throughout the state in 2003.
Koochiching County is the last county in the state to be reviewed. Board Chairman Wade Pavleck joked that the DNR reviewed the county last because it “didn’t want to meet in an arena,” referring to the angry community in Roseau County that responded to the DNR’s draft plan.
DNR staff did not anticipate a lot of change to trail designation in Koochiching, said Jim Rupert, DNR acting regional forest supervisor. Some walking and hunting trails, such as the Tilson Creek trail, have been closed to motorized use. Some trails were also noted by the DNR as having the potential for problems, especially if the trail is wet when a motorized vehicle travels over it. The DNR also categorized some trails as “frozen access,” meaning the trail should be frozen over for travel.
“We kept just about everything open,” Rupert told the board Tuesday.
The DNR can also give access permits to those who have cabin leases where access has been affected, Rupert said.
The responsibility is up to the rider, said Craig Engwall, DNR regional director.
No new conservation officers have been hired to enforce the new designations, Engwall said, noting that the issue faced most in Koochiching County is riders running over wetlands.
Commissioners were concerned that the trail designations wouldn’t allow for new trails to be created. But Engwall assured the board that new trails can be made by snowmobile clubs and city councils using the DNR’s grant-in-aid program.
Commissioners also voiced concern that the trail designations could change in the future. Commissioners asked the DNR staff to keep in mind that Koochiching County is different than other counties in Minnesota because of the vast amount of wetlands.
Pavleck was concerned that the designations were different for counties north of Highway 2. Some people see it as a way for organizations to create policies that are more strict for the northern counties.
“That’s where people get their fear of the government and distrust,” Pavleck said.
But Lepper concluded by saying that the DNR had an open process in Koochiching County and they “did a nice job.”