2-25-02

All-Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota Joins DNR Appeal of Environmental Studies Lawsuit

The All-Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota (ATVAM) today announced that it will join the Department of Natural Resources in their appeal of a recent court ruling mandating environmental studies for off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail plans in north-central Minnesota.

According to Sonia Bartz, ATVAM president, "Trail designation is the critical element for management of ATV's and all OIIVs on public lands. If this lawsuit is ultimately upheld by the appellate court, environmental reviews will be required before anything substantive and definite has been formulated for review. The only result will be that implementation of a definitive OIIV system will be delayed by the review process. Continued delays developing the state OHV system are not in the interests of protecting the environment".

Environment issues are addressed by the various DNR disciplines during the trail planning and development process. To add another layer of review on top of that internal review would be duplicative, more costly, and time consuming.

Bartz continued, "If this court ruling changing public policy on this trails issue is allowed to stand, it brings into doubt the process for all DNR projects in the future."

ATVAM is hopeful that the appellate courts will recognize that the courts are not the proper forum to second-guess public policy decisions made by the DNR and the Legislature.