Contact: Greg Fangel
Jeff Lynch, trail
maintenance supervisor for the North Shore Mountain Challenge has recently
reported extensive damage to the North Shore cross-country ski trails
by an off highway vehicle with large tires. “Last weekend, the 4-wheel
drive truck drove into the Britain Peak parking lot, past the signs and
right onto the ski trails. The truck tracks extended onto the Homestead
Loop and onto the Picnic Loop”, reported Jeff. “This most recent past
weekend, a similar vehicle entered the Oberg Mountain parking area and
drove onto the groomed Onion River Road ski trail, went down the road
and past a closed gate onto the Oberg Mountain ski trail. This individual
purposely opened the gate to get onto the ski trails. There are clearly
over 25K of ski trails damaged by wheeled vehicles”, stated Lynch.
The North Shore Mountain Challenge is a new cross-country ski marathon planned by the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association. Mother Nature has also challenged this first year of the marathon with meager snowfall on the trails. The ski marathon was planned to start at Lutsen on February 1, 2003 and follow the Picnic Loop to the Homestead loop, through Oberg Mountain ski trails, then back to Lutsen. The North Shore Ski Trails are part of an extensive cross-country ski trail network along the north shore of Lake Superior. Nearly 200K of trails are groomed for the enjoyment of skiers from Temperance River State Park near Schroeder to the Bally Creek Trails off of the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais. The North Shore Ski trails are grant-in-aid ski trails that are maintained with the help of funds from the Minnesota Ski Pass, the state general fund, local businesses and local and regional volunteer labor. Roger Landers of the Minnesota Nordic Ski Association (MNSA) stated, “MNSA is joining forces with non-motorized conservation groups to lobby the legislature to access the Off-Highway-Vehicle (OHV) dedicated account. MNSA and environmental groups believe the OHV dedicated account should be used to repair trail and other damages caused by 4X4 off-road trucks, dirt bikes and ATV’s.” As reported in a newspaper article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on January 9, 2003, “The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has done a poor job in planning and managing a trail system for ATVs and other off-road vehicles, and it has paid too little attention to local recreational needs, environmental protection, costs and enforcement, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Minnesota Legislative Auditor.” "The DNR relies on complaints to find out if there are problems with the trails," said John Patterson, author of the report. The Minnesota Nordic Ski Association was formed to promote, preserve and enhance the cross-country ski trails in Minnesota through education and legislation with public and private funding sources. PhotosJanuary 14th photos of some of the trail damage
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