05-03-2007, 06:10 AM
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public meeting on its forest classification and motor vehicle route designation proposal for state forest lands in Cook County on Tuesday, May 22, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 51 West Fifth Street, Grand Marais. The proposal has been developed in collaboration with Cook County, the U.S. Forest Service and the Grand Portage Band.
The first hour will allow people to informally review the plan, maps and other materials. DNR and Superior National Forest representatives will answer questions regarding motorized access for state and federal lands in the county. After this, DNR will present its proposal and respond to questions and comments. Written comments will be accepted at the meeting and through May 31.
For the state forest land in Cook County, the DNR is proposing to retain the current classification of the Grand Portage State Forest as managed, (routes are open to motorized use unless posted closed), and to classify the Pat Bayle State Forest and all scattered state forest lands outside of state forest boundaries as limited, which means the routes are closed unless posted open. All state lands within the BWCAW are currently classified as closed to motor use and would remain so under this proposal.
The plan also includes proposed road and trail designations for more than 200 miles of roads, trails and other inventoried routes on about 80,000 acres of state forest lands in Cook County. These designations propose where motorized vehicles, including cars, trucks and off-highway vehicles, would be allowed to operate on state lands. It also includes some existing route closures. The goal is to make these proposed forest access changes more readily understandable and enforceable.
The DNR's Cook County forest classification and route designation proposals are available on the DNR Web site at www.findthetrails.com. Copies may also be viewed at the Grand Marais Area Forestry Work Station, 1356 East Highway 61, Grand Marais.
Comments, questions or requests for copies of the planning documents should be directed to Brian McCann, DNR Trails & Waterways, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4052; to brian.mccann@dnr.state.mn.us, or by calling (651) 259-5627 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). Written comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 31.
The first hour will allow people to informally review the plan, maps and other materials. DNR and Superior National Forest representatives will answer questions regarding motorized access for state and federal lands in the county. After this, DNR will present its proposal and respond to questions and comments. Written comments will be accepted at the meeting and through May 31.
For the state forest land in Cook County, the DNR is proposing to retain the current classification of the Grand Portage State Forest as managed, (routes are open to motorized use unless posted closed), and to classify the Pat Bayle State Forest and all scattered state forest lands outside of state forest boundaries as limited, which means the routes are closed unless posted open. All state lands within the BWCAW are currently classified as closed to motor use and would remain so under this proposal.
The plan also includes proposed road and trail designations for more than 200 miles of roads, trails and other inventoried routes on about 80,000 acres of state forest lands in Cook County. These designations propose where motorized vehicles, including cars, trucks and off-highway vehicles, would be allowed to operate on state lands. It also includes some existing route closures. The goal is to make these proposed forest access changes more readily understandable and enforceable.
The DNR's Cook County forest classification and route designation proposals are available on the DNR Web site at www.findthetrails.com. Copies may also be viewed at the Grand Marais Area Forestry Work Station, 1356 East Highway 61, Grand Marais.
Comments, questions or requests for copies of the planning documents should be directed to Brian McCann, DNR Trails & Waterways, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4052; to brian.mccann@dnr.state.mn.us, or by calling (651) 259-5627 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). Written comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 31.