# Snowmobile Trail Speed Limit to be Discussed in Marquette



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
November 9, 2005

Contacts: Debbie Begalle or Ann Wilson 906-228-6561

Snowmobile Trail Speed Limit to be Discussed in Marquette

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today that a pubic meeting will be held this month to discuss the possibility of establishing a maximum speed limit for snowmobiles that travel a segment of trail passing through Chocolay Township in Marquette County

The meeting is set for Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Cherry Creek School located at 1111 Ortman Road in Marquette. Representatives from several DNR divisions, including Forest, Minerals and Fire Management (FMFM) and Law Enforcement, will be present to provide information and hear public comment.

Area residents and officials have expressed concern regarding snowmobiles operating at excessive speed in the residential area near the DNR-managed trail that passes through Chocolay Township.

Debbie Begalle, Western U.P. district supervisor for FMFM said that the issue is one that has been at the forefront since the trail was first established in 2003.

"The DNR is planning to provide information on the many considerations that go into making final decisions that set restrictions on recreational trails, and take additional comments from the public on this matter," Begalle said.

DNR officials will also provide information on the process that will follow the public meeting in order to finalize a decision.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, enjoyment, use and protection of Michigan's natural resources for current and future generations.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

State eyes speed on controversial trail 

http://www.miningjournal.net/indexnews.asp

HARVEY - Many Harvey residents expressed disdain for the Chocolay snowmobile trail Tuesday but speed was the focus of a Department of Natural Resources public hearing at Cherry Creek School. "I do not want snowmobilers speeding, littering, drinking and even urinating in my back yard," said Barb Holman.

Holman lives directly adjacent to the snowmobile trail, which winds through 111 Chocolay Township residences. The Lake Superior and Chocolay River homes range from 37 feet to 200 feet from the trail's center. 

Holman's husband Joe said safety was his primary concern. 

"A school bus comes twice a day to a stop at Green Bay and Lakewood (streets) and kids get on and off and many have to cross the trail. That's how it is in many areas along the trail," he said. "We haven't had an accident yet. But I don't want to see the day where we say, 'We told you so.'" 

DNR Director Rebecca Humphries is considering an order that would establish a maximum 35-mph speed limit in Chocolay Township for snowmobiles using the 4.5-mile residential portion of the trail, which connects Munising to Marquette. 

Several DNR, county and township officials offered data and testimonies at Tuesday's meeting. Officials will compile the public comment from the 50 to 75 attendees into a report which will be presented to Humphries for a decision, perhaps as soon as January. 

Many local snowmobilers took issue with the blanket portrayal of their sport by concerned residents at the meeting. 

"I'm a snowmobiler and I'm 100 percent in favor of the trail and the speed limit," said Dale Freeman, who also lives in the residential area near the trail. 

"I don't drink or smoke pot or any of the other things they portray snowmobilers as doing," he said. "I have children and I don't let them play near the road or the snowmobile trail because it's dangerous for them there." 

John Pritchett of Harvey reminded attendees that the state motorized trail program and the law enforcement grants are funded by snowmobilers. 

"Cross country skiers, people who walk their dogs and the like don't fund those trails. Each one of us do by paying $25 a year to register our machines," Pritchett said. 

In August, the seven-member Michigan Snowmobile Advisory Committee voted unanimously against the 35-mph speed limit. While many in the group didn't oppose the township posting a large, 35-mph "recommended" speed, the committee is concerned that if the state sets a limit, it would set a statewide precedent. 

"We're certainly not opposed to the township enacting a 35-mph suggested speed limit," said James Duke of Munising, who represents the Upper Peninsula region of the Michigan Snowmobile Association. "We oppose (the state) posting a maximum speed on a state-funded trail because of the can of worms that could open statewide." 

But the state has already imposed a speed limit. In 1991, the state posted a 10-mph limit on the DNR trail that travels through Hancock. While the city police department does operate a snowmobile patrol, Chief Mike Beaudoin said his officers primarily focus on riders who endanger the public rather than minor speed violations. 

"There's no sense in making a law that most people are going to ignore and break. We focus on drunk drivers, unregistered machines and reckless riders," Beaudoin said. "While I'm not that familiar with the topography (of Harvey), personally, a 35-mile per hour speed limit seems very reasonable." 

Ron Yesney, the DNR recreation and management specialist who has been researching the Chocolay Trail over the last two seasons, said he doesn't believe the matter will set a precedent. 

"As far as we're concerned, these are isolated incidents unique in their context," Yesney said. "We'll take each request on a case-by-case basis and put each one through the same process."


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Note the PHOTO: Jason Wiitala,right, of downstate Howell talks to Chocolay Township Fire Chief Gary Johnson about Wiitala's snowmobile, foreground, which caught on fire on the trail through Chocolay Township Friday evening. Wiitala said he was "going 100 miles per hour for quite some time" before he stopped in Harvey and the machine erupted into flames. No one was injured.

Snowmobile ordinance eyed 

http://www.miningjournal.net/news/story/1218202005_new03-n1218.asp

HARVEY - The Chocolay Township board is expected to push forward Monday evening with plans for a snowmobile trail ordinance to help alleviate complaints voiced by residents. At its 7 p.m. meeting at the township hall, the board is scheduled to consider scheduling and publicizing a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, according to township Planning Director Dennis Stachewicz. 
Since by law the hearing must be scheduled at least 30 days after it is posted, it probably would be set for late January or sometime in February, Stachewicz said. 

"This proposal was tabled at the last board meeting (on Nov. 7) because several board members wanted to go through the process with the DNR before striking out on our own," he said. 

A public hearing with Michigan Department of Natural Resources representatives was held at the township's Cherry Creek Elementary School on Nov. 29. 

The main issue has been a snowmobile trail established by the DNR a few years ago on a former railroad grade that winds past 111 residences that are between 37 and 200 feet from the center of the trail. It is a major east-west artery for snowmobile traffic across the northern Upper Peninsula. 

The DNR said in the aftermath of November's hearing that Director Rebecca Humphries may issue an order in January to establish a 35-mph maximum speed along the 4¢ miles of trail near residences. 

Complaints about noise and safety lead a list of concerns voiced by residents. Some residents would like to see the trail banished, others would be satisfied with a speed limit. 

The township attempted to keep the railroad grade from becoming a trail at the time it was announced, but lost in a case that went to the state Court of Appeals and was argued by the Michigan attorney general. 

While the case was lost, Stachewicz said something important might have been gained at that time. 

"One of the arguments made against the township during the case, and that the court agreed was true, was that the township had the right to regulate the trail," he said. "That's what we're planning to do with this ordinance." 

While the township board will have the final say Monday, a draft of the ordinance is patterned after a model presented by the Michigan Townships Association. 

One difference, however, is that the proposal may expand the hours at night when snowmobiling speeds are severely restricted near dwellings - a speed of "no more than what will allow a snowmobile to move forward." 

The MTA suggests midnight to 6 a.m.; the proposed Chocolay ordinance may expand that to 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. 

It's been a slow snowmobiling season so far along the trail because of poor snow conditions caused by unusually warm weather. However, a snowmobile traveling the trail through the township Saturday caught on fire. 

"We've had about five complaints so far this season," said Chocolay Police Chief Greg Zyburt. "It's been slow - you're kind of crazy if you take a $10,000 machine in the rocks (on the trail)." 

The police department starting enforcing a state law last winter that prohibits snowmobilers from using "unreasonable speed" along a trail. 

"That's a subjective rule, and takes into account all kinds of things like general conditions, traffic, weather and the time of day," Zyburt said.


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