Citizens of Cook County have been hearing a lot about a proposed new touring route for off-road vehicles lately that would link the shores of Lake Superior to the northern North Dakota border near Canada. Most of the recent information that is out there about the Border-to- Border Touring Route is negative and comes from a group formed locally to oppose. We’ve seen the ad they have put together, heard the talking points, and sent a letter to county board members correcting the misinformation that is being purported as truth. We wish they would have come to us first, and we appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight.
The B2B is an exciting new, first-of-its-kind, proposed touring route for highway licensed and highway legal four-wheel drive vehicles on roads that already exist and where they can already go – route or no route. No other state or province is proposing this type of project and it is generating a lot of positive interest. We linked the proposed route to North Dakota at the far north, at that state’s request because they are considering continuing the route across their state.
There is a strong demand for off-road touring routes and off-road vehicle riding opportunities. In a state where a primary goal is getting more people into the out of doors and into the woods and wild places, the greatest energy and new interest in off-highway vehicles is in off-road touring.
So when you hear talk about thousands of aggressive, earth-shaking mudder trucks driven by wild-eyed motor heads who are intent on trashing the delicate fabric of the culture and ecology you all so richly cherish, you must know this: That’s not us.
We’ve heard all the negatives before, and they are not true. We’ve worked hard to build not just good, but great relationships with the local governments we work with as partners.
Gary Hendrickx owns a Subway Sandwich shop in Appleton, and is a Swift County commissioner. Here is what he said when we told him there was opposition in Cook County to the B2B:
“As a business owner, elected official and resident of Appleton, I remember the anxiety in town when the news first broke 15 years ago about the proposed Appleton Off-Highway Vehicle Park. Today, because the off-roaders have proven to be good partners they said they would be, you would need to look hard to find a single detractor in town.”
Keith Nelson owns a convenience store in Virginia, Minn., and is a St. Louis County commissioner. He is also an original member of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. Here is what he said:
“I know this group and I understand them. They do things the right way here, and they will do things the right way in the build-out of their touring trail system. They build relationships in the areas they recreate and they make it a point to buy where they recreate.”
On the B2B, we can’t be any more clear. These are highway licensed and highway legal vehicles that can already drive the roads on the route. We’re estimating the number of new vehicles on non-featured parts of the trail to be around 12 to 15 a week. We have a plan to reimburse road authorities for impacts attributable to increased B2B traffic. A full 95 percent of our membership drives Jeeps. Many others drive Land Rovers and our newest clubs are women only. We practice strictly sustainable, low-impact riding and put a hugely disproportionate amount of account revenue into enforcement. Bad actors give the rest of us a bad image and we want them caught and prosecuted.
Our members build relationships in the areas we recreate and we look forward to building key relationship in your area and along the route. The B2B should be embraced and supported for the forward thinking, access-driven action plan that it is. We hope you agree.
Leave a Reply