The U.S. Forest Service in Grand Marais is accepting public comments on the development of a new snowmobile trail from McFarland Lake to South Fowl Lake in far northeastern Minnesota. The new trail was necessitated by the closure, in 2002, of the Tilbury Trail which crossed land included in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The Cook County News-Herald has a comprehensive story on the matter HERE.
The Forest Service had selected a new route for the trail in 2006, but a lawsuit filed by environmental groups halted constrcution along the route. In March, the U.S. 8th District Court of Appeals ruled that a trail could be developed in the area, if the Forest Service addressed the sound impact of the trail in the nearby BWCAW.
The asked-for comments are part of the initial scoping process for locating the trail.
Persons wishing to comment on that matter can mail Dennis Neitzke, Gunflint District Ranger, Attn: South Fowl Snowmobile Access Project, 2020 W. Highway 61, Grand Marais MN 55604, e-mail comments-eastern superior-gunflint@fs.fed.us, or fax (218) 387-3246.