Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Project Manager Andrew Brown skipped the Cook County Commissioners “Committee of the Whole” meeting on Tuesday, February 18, saying, “As for my canceled update today, I really didn’t have much to say regarding the project that hasn’t been said already.”
Brown has taken the lead on the Border-to- Border Touring route that will run through the back roads of the northern tier of Minnesota counties to North Dakota.
Cook County has been on the planned route from the start, but there has been opposition to the B2B. In the end, that opposition caused The Minnesota Four Wheel Drive Association (MN4WDA) President Rick Langness to contact the Cook County Commissioners and announce, “This is to inform you that developments have occurred making it necessary to convey we are no longer interested in partnering with Cook County on the Border-to-Border Touring Route.”
“While we appreciate the nearly two years of rigorous attention and effort we’ve devoted to this issue in your county, and the invitation to continue working with you to provide additional planning and process, we feel we owe it to our members and to our other partners along the route to move forward. That is why we are excited to let you know we recently reached out to Lake County leaders, who approved a B2B Route trail head alignment in Silver Bay – on the same day they were approached. The MN4WDA board decision to cease partnership was unanimous.
“While we regret we will not be partnering on the project as part of the official alignment, we do plan on taking the advice of the many citizens who reminded us of the rugged backroads of your beautiful county that are already open to touring riders as legal roads for highway licensed drivers.
“The Cook County Board and staff should get recognition for the effort that was put into considering the B2B. Commissioner Bobby Deschampe deserves high-praise for his support of the project, and special recognition goes to Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk for her spirited, thoughtful, and measured leadership in support of the B2B, often under difficult circumstances.”
As far as the DNR’s role in the B2B, Brown said the decision by MN4WDA to move the route-head to Lake County leaves Cook County in limbo.
“I’m not sure yet what that means for the Borderto Border Route in Cook County,” said Brown. “The Minnesota DNR will be reviewing the project alignment to determine if it triggers an environmental review through Minnesota rules. Once that process is completed, we will be working with partner road authorities to formalize the route and develop agreements for signs, maintenance, monitoring, etc. Ultimately MN4WDA is the group funding the project and has made the decision to adjust the route out of Cook County and move forward.”
The Border-to-Border Off-Road Vehicle Trail (Route) is the largest and most ambitious off-road vehicle trail project in Minnesota history.
When decided, the route will link existing state and national forest roads— as well as township and county minimum-maintenance roads. This route and its connecting spurs will be available for any highway licensed vehicle to use.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Trails, has partnered with the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) and Minnesota Four- Wheel Drive Association (MN4WDA) to develop a route from the border of North Dakota to the Tip of the Arrowhead.
Detractors of the route say that bringing larger vehicles in large numbers to minimally maintained, unpaved roads with low volume traffic would enable access to some of our most fragile aquatic and terrestrial habitats, potentially endangering wetlands, waterways, and roadways.
Proponents contend numbers will be determined by the effort local partners put into marketing their areas and cite increased tourist dollars and compliance with DNR, USFS, and county outreach plans to bring new and diverse user groups to the outdoors as benefits of the B2B.
Langness said the decision to omit Cook County at this time was both a financial and a timing issue.
“We need to get the final alignment route approved by the DNR so they can do their environmental review, post signs, and we can get the course open and ready for summer use.”
“Our members have been firm on one guiding principal from the very beginning,” he added. “We will not invest in areas where we are not welcome.”
“A lot of people have been looking forward to the route opening. We had to make a decision. We’re in the fourth year of an alignment project for highway licensed vehicles on roads that already exist – five if you count the enabling legislation. Pretty non-controversial. But we just spent two years bogged-down in Cook County on an alignment that should have been operational last year. We spent time and money last year fighting your local opposition group who hired a lobbyist to kill a three-point bill to use our ORV fund revenue to make it better for our local government partners. It authorized a B2B administrator so locals had a decision maker one phone call away, a maintenance fund to address impacts to the low volume roads locals were concerned about, and a first-of-it’s kind statewide master plan, to make sure we built strong communication and efficiencies with local governments.”
“Can you tell me why anyone would want to kill a bill like that and make it worse for the rest of our partners? We made the call to Lake County leaders and had support in one day. Our members have moved on, both strategically and emotionally.”
With the project moving forward, Langness said officials from North Dakota had sent his club an email saying they are excited for the route to come to their state.
“North Dakota is looking at making a B2B route that joins ours, and Montana is looking at what North Dakota is going to do. Wisconsin already has a system they call “rustic roads. Ultimately we would like the route to go all the way to the West Coast.”
When asked who will use the B2B, Langness said anyone who owns a Jeep, Land Rover, Subaru, or other all-wheel drive vehicle. “People quit buying sedans 10 years-ago, and they are looking for adventure riding opportunities. The B2B is one project of 20 that are currently in our queue. Touring routes are the next big thing in outdoor recreation,” he said.
“This route is just phase one of a two-phase project. The goal is to work with local governments who will bring us ideas on where to build loops that will attract wheelers to their area.”
As for being open to future consideration he said, “We’re still coming to Cook County. Make no mistake about that. But they’ve lost access to the administrator and maintenance funds because there is zero interest on my board to include them in the B2B alignment. That’s what the opposition up there got you. The MN4WDA will not invest in areas we are not welcome.”
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