NEW Viper Winch Giveaway!! |
Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum > Rides | ATV News and Events > ATV | OHV News > Kittson County, DNR fight over controls of trails |
| Moderated by: zac41, OSOKILL, MtnOuty, killswitch_1, fmj40 |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Kittson County, DNR fight over controls of trails - ATV | OHV News - Rides | ATV News and Events - Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum | ||||||||||||||||
| Author | Post | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
|
outlandish Admin 
|
Kittson County officials are challenging the Department of Natural Resources over control of some rarely used roads in far northwestern Minnesota. Kittson County said it controls the roads - which are actually trails in Beaches Lake Wildlife Management Area - and that they should be open to all vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles. The DNR said it controls the roads, and state law prohibits ATVs in wildlife management areas, with few exceptions. The dispute is gaining attention statewide, and hunting and environmental groups are watching it closely. "It's the principle of the thing. That's the whole deal. They are our roads," said County Commissioner Leon Olson, who grew up riding horses and motorcycles through Beaches Lake Wildlife Management Area, which encompasses about 45 square miles. Last summer, the DNR put up signs closing the trails. And Olson put up bigger signs saying the trails were open. Both sides agreed to remove the signs. But when the DNR put up gates to close the trails, Olson tore them down. The county won that round and the DNR agreed to leave the trails open to all traffic until the issue is resolved. "We want to keep what we think are our township roads open to the public for access to the WMAs," Olson said. "And we want to get a four wheeler trail installed for economic development. Every dollar we bring to Kittson county helps." Eldon Johnson, a retired Kittson County auditor and member of a local ATV club, was angry when the DNR tried to close the trails. "I rode my ATV past those signs much more than I ride now that the signs aren't up. I'll admit it. I was making a point," Johnson said with a chuckle. "If they want to take me to court, I said, 'I am not going to pay a fine, I'll spend some days in jail just to prove a point.' Never happened." Johnson said the issue is a fight over local land, and he convinced the County Board to get involved. "I'm not going to ride an ATV for many more years because I'm getting up there (in years) but it's for the future. Because doggone it, if it's not opened up now it never will be," Johnson said. DNR Northwest Regional Director Mike Carroll said the dispute revolves around who controls the roads, and the effect of allowing ATV traffic in the wildlife management area. "They feel it's a backyard, local Kittson County issue and we know it has regional, statewide and perhaps federal implications for how our WMAs are managed," Carroll said, adding that if the DNR gives in, other counties will demand the same access. "We need to regulate this very closely, it needs to be done in a very legal process so it doesn't set a precedent for opening up other WMAs, knowing other counties are looking at it," Carroll said. "If it has to go to court, it has to go to court." The DNR has offered Kittson County a deal: Two roads through the wildlife management area would be opened if the county can provide records showing it has maintained the roads and if the county agrees to buy an easement from the state. So far county officials have refused a negotiated settlement. For different reasons, hunting and environmental groups are both demanding the DNR keep ATVs out of wildlife management areas. Minnesota Waterfowl Association Executive Director Brad Nylin said wildlife management areas are for habitat protection and hunting. "If the DNR is to manage these WMAs, it's in their best interest to come to bat for us as people who are using these WMAs for what they are designed for instead of a highway or road or county road coming through," Nylin said. Meanwhile, environmental groups are worried the ATVs might damage sensitive areas. As he drove around the perimeter of the wildlife area, DNR Wildlife Manager Donovan Pietruszewski talked about preserving the remoteness of Beaches Lake. "Beaches Lake offers a unique experience where you can actually get off the beaten path and walk in several miles without being harassed by motorized vehicles or even hearing motorized vehicles. And a lot of people are looking for that kind of experience nowadays," he said. The DNR plans to meet once more with Kittson County commissioners, but case may not be resolved for months. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
|||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Current time is 09:31 pm | |
| Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum > Rides | ATV News and Events > ATV | OHV News > Kittson County, DNR fight over controls of trails | |
