Its not in the online version of the Lakeland Times, but the paper last week reported that the steamroller that is the ATV Stakeholder's group has stalled because they missed a Manitowish Waters town meeting. They need permission from the town to run the northern trail along Circle Lily Road. I am sure anyone living on the road would have been happy with the ATV's running day and night. I am sure the ATV Stakeholder's group would have waited to be sure EVERYONE who lived along the road would have approved.
Lets hope this is one of many glitches in a process that so far has worked perfectly for ATV interests.
Read the article. It is clear Dennis Leith's committee has ignored all contrary evidence up to this point. I don't know if it is a done deal, but it will be forces outside, and not inside, the committee that will stop these trails from being approved. Remember, Vilas County Residents voted 3/1 against ATV trails, and the state feedback against ATV's during the NHAL planning process was huge. This process is driven by a minority of interests that have power over the DNR through the State Legislature.
Think of this: The committee consistently refused to lay out the standards they were using to judge whether a trail impacted other user groups. Dennis Leith has said that the two currently planned trails are a "test" for other trails. Since no standards are laid out, is there any reason to think that the DNR won't call the trails a success, and allow trails throughout the forest, just like snowmobiles?
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