Western U.P. ATV group meets
Western U.P. ATV group meets
By Laura Kirby, Daily Mining Gazette, Houghton
WATERSMEET — ATV group Michigan Trails and Recreation Alliance of Land and the Environment (Mi-TRALE), will hold a public meeting today to discuss the proposal of routes for the Ottawa National Forest trail system, and opening more connecting trails between northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula.
Starting at 7 p.m. at Rogers Bar in Watersmeet, members will look at upcoming changes to ATV trails in Baraga, Ontonagon, Gogebic and Houghton counties.
One hot topic in the ATV community this year is the U.S. Forest Service implementation of the Travel Management Rule, which will likely be high on tonight’s agenda.
As part of a forest management plan and national federal legislation introduced in 2005, the rule will prohibit ATV riding throughout the national forest unless riders are on a designated trail, road or route.
Since then, “Mi-TRALE has been working on a map outlining which trails, roads and routes,” that the club would like to see stay open, said President Skip Schulz.
Giving the okay to use only a select number of trails makes trips into the forest pointless for occasional “off the beaten path” hunters, Watersmeet resident Doug Williams said at the meeting.
Closure of some trails is geared in order to protect the forest and “forge a sustainable system of routes and areas designated for motorized use,” according to a press release issued in 2005.
Mi-TRALE has met with National Forest officials and Department of Natural Resources representatives in recent months, in working to establish legal routes in the forest.
Riders should look out for Mi-TRALE’s “Preferred Route” signs on county roads where ATV travel is legal. Signs use “an alphabetical letter” system “to help riders get from one point to another,” Schulz said.
Areas targeted as yet include the Sidnaw to Baraga Plains ORV trail system. Right now ATV riders can legally ride from Bergland to Sidnaw on the abandoned grade, but it doesn’t have a legal way to connect to the Baraga Plains trail system from Sidnaw.
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