GRAND RAPIDS, MI — January 31, 2012
Contact: Bill Manson-616-301-2743
On September 29, 2010, Kurt Meister, a southeast Michigan attorney won a case against the USDA Forest Service claiming that his right to enjoy public lands in Michigan were being infringed upon by noisy firearms hunters and folks using snowmobiles on designated trails. His solution? Ban guns and snowmobiles on almost 70,000 acres of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
Finally the Record of Decision for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) and Amendment 1 to the 2006 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Huron-Manistee National Forests was signed by the Regional Forester, Charles L. Myers, January 27, 2012.
THE MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILE ASSOCIATION, a non-profit group that has served as Michigan’s voice for snowmobilers in Michigan since 1982, quickly organized a response fueled by sound science-based management principles and its members who believe strongly in the rights of Michigan’s citizens to snowmobile on public lands.
The USFWS adopted “Alternative 4″ which maintains the rights of snowmobilers will be preserved on designated trails and the hunters to hunt in all areas as were allowed previously. While this was not MSA’s choice (we wanted alternative #3) Alternative #4 will allow the same use that snowmobilers enjoyed over the past 6 years. What alternative #4 will do by not designating the Semi Primitive Non Motorized (SPNM) areas to Semi Primitive Motorized (SPM) areas, that may leave the door open to further lawsuits.
The USFS ruling was not without some potential problems however. The agency also announced that it will retain the objective in several areas in the Huron-Manistee to provide for a “less-roaded opportunity” relative to the rest of the forest. Any road closures would still have to go through analysis and public comment before a site-specific decision would be made.
We understand the Forest Service’s desire to eliminate some roads that either were not intended to be permanent or were illegally created, but there must be a process in place to determine which roads will be closed so that adequate access is maintained. There is a fine line between creating a more solitary experience for those who are seeking that and shutting the public out of the land that they own.
We will be watching this process very closely to ensure that snowmobilers are considered in those decisions.
While the first battle in this war has been won thanks to the efforts of MSA and its members and partners, it is not yet over. The decision is still subject to appeals and MSA will be actively monitoring the situation to ensure the final outcome is the best one for Michigan’s snowmobilers.