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outlandish AWF Admin 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DNR plans public meeting Jan. 16 on motor vehicle use proposals for state forest land in Mississippi Headwaters State Forest and southwest Beltrami County (December 21, 2007) The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a public meeting on its motor vehicle use classification and route designation proposals for the Mississippi Headwaters State Forest and scattered DNR forest lands in southwest Beltrami County. The DNR will hold a public meeting on this proposal on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Beaux Arts Ballroom, Hobson Memorial Union, Bemidji State University, 1500 Birchmont Road, Bemidji. The DNR will present information and receive comments on its proposals. Joining DNR at the meeting will be representatives from the land departments for Beltrami, Clearwater and Hubbard counties. The Mississippi Headwaters State Forest is part of the greater West Central Forests planning unit that includes six state forests within a 10-county planning area. The West Central Group is divided into two subunits. The North Unit includes Mississippi Headwaters and White Earth State Forests and scattered forest lands in Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater and Mahnomen counties. The South Unit includes Huntersville, Lyons, Smoky Hills and Two Inlets state forests and scattered forest lands in Clay, Douglas, Otter Tail, Pope, Todd and Wadena counties. DNR is required to complete a classification review for all 58 of Minnesota's state forests by December 2008. Planning for the West Central Group began in July 2006 when DNR formed an interdisciplinary team of resource specialists to conduct the review. Five public open houses were held in the fall of 2006. Since then the DNR team has worked closely with county representatives to develop its recommendations. A draft plan outlining the proposed forest classification and road/trails designations is now out for public review and comment through Jan. 23. EVALUATION OF ROUTES, PROPOSED DESIGNATIONS In all, the draft plan makes recommendations for about 44.5 miles of roads, trails and other inventoried routes on about 11,500 acres of state forest lands in the state forest and associated scattered lands. The proposal, which includes some route closures, will ultimately determine where motorized vehicles, including cars, trucks and off-highway vehicles (OHVs), will be allowed to operate on state lands in the forest and southwest part of the county. This proposal was developed in cooperation with the land departments of Beltrami, Clearwater and Hubbard counties in an effort to foster consistency across land ownerships. PROPOSED FOREST CLASSIFICATION The motor vehicle use classification provides the framework for managing public motor vehicle use on DNR lands and associated forest roads and trails. All state forest lands in the planning area are currently classified as managed, which means trails are open unless posted closed. The proposal reclassifies the Mississippi Headwaters State Forest from managed to limited, which has trails closed to motor vehicle use unless posted open. This "closed unless posted open" policy would apply to all the trails inside the state forests and scattered forest lands in the portion of Beltrami County. Forest roads are open to both highway-licensed vehicles and OHVs under either the managed or limited forest classification. AREAS WITH LIMITATIONS The draft plan recommends establishing areas on both DNR Forestry- and county-administered lands receive special protections from vehicular use. The limitations area occurs along selected reaches of the Mississippi River and provides motorized use restrictions on about 15,360 acres. These areas were selected to protect sensitive resources, especially for public lands in the vicinity of the Mississippi River. If approved, the motorized hunter/trapper exceptions on state forest lands would not apply in total DNR and Hubbard County lands, with use of non-designated routes still available in Beltrami County. Limitations areas are not proposed for Clearwater County forest lands. The exceptions, which allow for both off-trail ATV travel and use of nondesignated routes by highway licensed vehicles and OHVs for certain activities, would still be in force for the remaining balance of public forest lands. PUBLIC REVIEW MEETING During the first hour of the Jan. 16 public meeting, people will be able to informally review the plan, maps, and other summary materials. The DNR interdisciplinary team and other supporting staff will be present to answer questions. DNR will also present its proposal and respond to questions and accept comments. Land department staff for Beltrami, Clearwater and Hubbard counties will also be present to answer questions and receive comments about designations on county-managed lands. PLANS AND MAPS NOW AVAILABLE The DNR's West Central Group - Mississippi Headwaters State Forest classification review and route designation proposals are available on the DNR Web site at http://www.findthetrails.com. Written comments, questions or requests for copies of the planning documents should be directed to Bill Johnson, DNR Trails & Waterways, 500 Lafayette Road, Box 52, St. Paul, MN 55155-4052; bill.johnson@dnr.state.mn.us, (651) 259-5643 or toll free at 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367). Written comments on the draft proposal will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
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