Residents and visitors to Hubbard County are blessed with and enjoy some of the most beautiful natural surroundings in Minnesota. They are one reason we live here or return here to vacation. In general, there were few restrictions on where we could travel by motor vehicle on forestry-administered state or county lands. But that changed when the legislature mandated that all state forests south of state Highway 2 had to be reclassified as either "Limited" or "Closed."
According to the law, on forestlands classified as limited, a person may operate a motor vehicle only on forest roads that are not posted and designated closed and on forest trails or areas that are posted and designated to allow motor vehicle use.
No person shall operate a motor vehicle or snowmobile on forest lands classified as closed, unless on frozen public waters where operation is not otherwise prohibited. Motor vehicles that are licensed for use on pubic highways may be operated on forest roads that are not posted or gated closed.
A cooperative process that included all forestry-administered state and county lands in Hubbard County began. While there was an "opt out" provision for the county-administered lands within the state forest there had also been a long-standing cooperative working relationship between the two agencies. So with that relationship and an effort to minimize user confusion, a planning team that included the county land manager and DNR staff began working together to identify and designate which routes would be available for motorized vehicle use.
The process has been completed with lots of public input. The Paul Bunyan and Badoura state forests became officially recognized as "limited" Jan. 1, 2007. The last and final step culminated more recently when the Hubbard County Board adopted an ordinance regarding motorized vehicle use on county -administered lands effective March 29, 2007 and hired a deputy to assist with off-highway vehicle (OHV) enforcement issues on county lands and roads.
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What does this mean to the public? Across county and state forestry ownerships, the regulations, mapping and signing standards are consistent. Open routes will be signed. If there is a symbol for your vehicle type, you can be there. Intersections will be marked with reassurance markers to help guide. To garner compliance from the forest users, consistency across public ownership is vital and has been achieved.
Reminder: unauthorized use of snowmobile trails by OHVs can create wetland violations, future problems for snowmobile clubs and more negatives for hardworking OHV clubs trying to foster an improved public image.
It is hoped the public will pay attention to the change in regulations at a time when enthusiasts may be considering venturing out into the forest for a ride. For updated information on state forest roads and trails as well as other OHV opportunities, please refer to the DNR Web page Thursdays after 2 p.m. at www.findthetrails.com .
