District Ranger Dennis Neitzke
The final word on a snowmobile route connecting McFarland and South Fowl lakes is still unknown, but Superior National Forest District Ranger Dennis Neitzke has registered his decision on the matter in the latest Environmental Impact Statement. It’s the same decision he handed down in 2006 before the original environmental analysis was appealed in court.
The old Tilbury Trail route was the focus of the controversy because it crossed into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). On September 21, 2011, Neitzke updated the county board on where the issue stands.
Ranger Neitzke said his first choice of routes is the shortest route, which was the second out of four alternatives that have been considered. His second choice, Alternative 4, would require new trail construction. If Alternative 2 had to be closed for some reason, such as if too many violations occurred relating to the proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), he would recommend Alternative 4.
“What I’ve seen within the community is a pleasant trend where we can discuss the issue and not make it personal,” said Neitzke.
In a September 12 letter to interested parties, Neitzke wrote, “It has been awhile since the existence of the Tilbury Trail was brought to my attention and to some of you it may seem like forever that we have been working on establishing a new safe route to the border lakes.
“…To those who have waited so long, I am very sorry that we seem to be very bureaucratic at times. However, I must also say that our administrative and legal review processes are what ensures that we are accountable to the people of the United States.
“…With that thought, one thing I’ve found in working with our communities over these past years is we have a spirit of working together to find solutions. We have worked through blowdowns, wildfires, and floods and have come out a stronger community after each event. Our community leaders and citizens have stepped up to form partnerships that have taken the relationship of the people and the government to new levels—new levels of working together, new levels of communication, and new levels of success.
“…I have some hope that … possibly we can all understand there are two sides and not one solution to fit both. That maybe we can move forward understanding there are differences but without the thought that there has to be winners and losers.”
When Neitzke spoke with the board, he had just returned from providing hurricane relief in Vermont. The water damage there was many times worse than Cook County’s 2008 storm, he said, as it dumped a foot of rain on mountainous terrain. Seven hundred homes were lost.
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