Terry Eggum
US Forest Service
Tofte Ranger District
P.O. Box 2159, Tofte, MN 55615
August 4, 2002
Dear Terry,
On behalf of the board of directors of the Boundary Waters Trails Preservation
Association, I submit the following comments in response to the 'Superior National
Forest Draft Trail Management Plan, dated April 26th, 2002, File Code: 2310.
Boundary Waters Trails Preservation Association (Boundary Waters TPA)is a
newly formed non profit organization. Boundary Waters TPA has been incorporated
under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Its charter is to preserve trails within the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Boundary Waters TPA board of directors
would like to form a partnership in helping the US Forest Service bridge the gap between
the people and the USFS.
The draft trail management plan provides for either maintaining the trail or
decommissioning it. Either the trail is listed on the US Forest Service hiking trail
inventory and thus it can be legally be maintained, or if it is decommissioned then it is
lost forever. It is our understanding that it is illegal to cut any tree fall on the trail.
Under the proposed ‘Draft Trail Management Plan’, the decommissioned hiking
trails will disappear within a short time. We are highly fearful that these National Jewels
will be lost forever (termed irretrievable loss, and irreplaceable loss, in USFS
handbook). When these trails vanish, Minnesota heritage and history will be highly
missed by our current and future generations.
Therefore the Boundary Waters Trails Preservation Association, requests a third
category of 'Status to be Determined'. Condition of the trails falling in this category will
be preserved by the US Forest Services by providing leadership to sponsor maintenance
by non profit organizations and private groups. These groups may be the established
groups, such as the Kekekabic Trail Club, Rovers, Superior Hiking Trail Association, or
totally newly formed interest groups, or the US Forest Service.
A precedent for this type of arrangement exists in recent US Forest Service history.
The US Forest Service removed the Kekekabic Trail from trail inventory in 1980. But
soon thereafter the USFS responded to public request. Kek was included on the maps
with a disclaimer “primitive trail, not maintained”. This provided individuals a
methodology to clear and maintain the Kekekabic trail until it was adopted by the
Kekekabic Trail Club. By providing this service to the citizens and public at large, the US
Forest Service will be creating a unique national partnership model between the people
and the US Forest Service.
Boundary Waters Trails Preservation Association requests including the following
three trails on the ‘Status to be Determined’ category:
1. Kelso Mountain trail
2. Stuart trail
3. Gneiss trail
Brief notes on trails:
Kelso Mountain Trail, to use the words from the Community Millennium Council
designation, “connects people to their land, their history, and their culture.” This trail is
usable condition. Hikers travel on it every year to reach on of the highest peaks (elev.
2,100 feet) in Minnesota. It is reached by five mile, one portage, canoe route from
Sawbill Lake through Kelso River. We consider this access route one of the most scenic
in the BWCAW. The 1.25 mile long Kelso Mountain Trail is easily maintainable. This
provides ideal, day long, mixed wilderness experience trip for families and those who are
unable to partake in longer trips.
Stuart Lake Trail has been described in the SNF Draft Trail Management Plan.
Gneiss Lake Trail is a three mile long trail in the end of Gunflint Trail. It starts at
parking lot of Saganaga Lake and connects to two campsites on Granite River. A half a
mile spur trail off the Gneiss leads to popular lookout on Blueberry Hill. Hikers enjoy
breathtaking view of Saganaga Lake from the top. USFS trail head sign has been at the
trail head until someone removed it in spring 2002. This may have contributed to the
general public being unaware that the USFS decommissioned the Gneiss Trail 9 years
ago.
The following Federal government laws and documents further support our request:
1. BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978, Section 18 (b) copy of which is at
http://www.friends-bwca.org/preservationhistory/bwcalaw.html
2. Presidential Order # 13195, “Trails for America in the 21st Century”, signed
by Bill Clinton, January 18, 2001, copy of which is at
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/executive_orders/clinton.html
According to the Forest Service Handbook, Executive Orders have effect of law.
3. Kelso Mountain, Snowbank and Kekekabic are designated as Community
Millennium Trails by the White House Millennium Council and signed by the
then First Lady, Honorable Hillary Clinton. Copy of designation is provided in
attachments.
4. Categorical Exclusion exempts maintenance of existing trails from EIS
procedures etc. Kelso Mountain, Stuart Lake and Gneiss trails are existing trails.
Boundary Waters Trails Preservation Association is dedicated to preserving the
Boundary Waters trails. We would like to form a partnership in helping the US Forest
Service bridge the gap between the people and the US forest Services. We urge you to
preserve our wilderness hiking trails and to increase budgets to maintaining hiking trails
in the BWCA and SNF.
Respectfully,
Martin Kubik
President, Boundary Waters Trails Preservation Association
309 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Wtrails2@yahoo.com
651-214-5849 cell
encl.
Cc:
James Oberstar
Mark Dayton
Paul Wellstone