Wis. DNR Secretary appears doubtful ATVs belong in the NH-AL
A little more than five months since he was appointed secretary of the Wisconsin DNR, Matt Frank appears unconvinced ATVs ought to be allowed in the state’s largest and most ecologically diverse state forest.
Maybe he’s been convinced by the more than 2,500 public comments overwhelmingly opposed to the development of 60-some miles of ATV trails through the Northern Highland-American Legion (NH-AL) State Forest.
Maybe his own resource managers have impressed upon him the widespread damage ATVs would cause to that unique natural resource.
Or maybe the nearly $13 million price tag of the ATV trails – $110,000 to $179,000 per mile – has soured Frank on the whole idea.
Actually, I’m not certain Frank would come out against one or all three ATV trails proposed for the NH-AL if the Natural Resources Board (NRB) asks him for a recommendation. But in a 4 ½-page memo from Frank to NRB members, dated Feb. 13, he included few unqualified reasons to support ATV traffic anywhere in the 225,000-acre state forest.
In the memo, Frank describes how “extremely challenging” it would be to locate ATV trails where they won’t harm the state forest’s 900 lakes, 300 miles of waterways, 14 threatened or endangered species, 79 rare species or displace the more than two million hikers, campers and bicyclists who visit every year.
“Substantial improvements, with significant costs, would be necessary to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental and social impacts stemming from summer ATV use,” Frank wrote.
One option is a 49-mile linear ATV trail from Lake Tomahawk in Oneida County to the community of Sayner in Vilas County; a trail that would “dead end” for lack of connections to existing or likely ATV trails outside the state forest.
“Some positive economic impacts to local businesses are expected, but these may come at the expense of displacing other users, which may negatively impact other businesses,” Frank wrote.
This trail would unavoidably conflict with users of a paved bike trail, three campgrounds and the Bittersweet-Prong Recreation area. And although the trail would mostly follow existing forest roads and snowmobile trails, Frank said it would nevertheless cost more than $5.4 million to develop.
There are also two options in Iron County – an 18-mile trail connecting existing town and county ATV trails at a cost of $3.3 million or an 11.6-mile trail that would incorporate 8.1 miles of town roads and snowmobile trails for nearly $4.3 million.
The first of those two trail options would greatly impact a remote campground and paddlers on the Manitowish River. The trail would need to cross the high-quality stream twice and State Highway 51 twice.
The Iron County alternatives would also pose significant law enforcement and maintenance challenges, Frank implied, because the trails would be located more than 23 miles from the nearest DNR facility.
The various ATV trail plans generated more than 2,500 emails and letters, mostly critical. “Local opposition far outweighs local support, and support is generally from statewide ATV users,” Frank wrote.
It has taken three years of study and rancorous public debate to bring the issue of ATVs in the NH-AL before the NRB. Until its agenda was amended last week, the NRB was set to hear one last round of testimony on Feb. 26.
Instead, the board will hear next week only from NH-AL Superintendent Steve Peterson, who will summarize the recently completed NH-AL Trail Feasibility/Suitability Assessment. The board has put off a public hearing and a vote until it meets again March 26 or April 23.
In the mean time, the public can review the trail plans, read a summary of the comments about the plans, the subsequent assessment as well as Frank’s memo. All of that has been posted here.
What is not being released in advance of the March or April NRB meeting is the section of the DNR feasibility study titled “conclusions and recommendations.”
But if Frank’s memo is any indication of what most concerns the DNR, there are numerous reasons for the NRB to keep the gates closed to ATVs altogether.
– Joel Patenaude