gas-taxfundingstlouiscounty

History of ST. Louis County Abuse of Public Funds, Public Land and Public Trust

St. Louis County has a well-documented history of the systematic withholding of public data, conflicts of interest, trespass on private property, violation of open government rules, environmental review regulations and motorized recreation grant requirements. In the absence of accountability MRR now works to end St. Louis County funding of motorized recreation.

Damage continues on St. Louis County forest lands:
4/3/08
Slideshow and Video: 2007 Off-Road Vehicle Effects and Cost of Restoration Study, DNR Proposed Taft ATV/Snowmobile Trail; Cloquet Valley State Forest, St. Louis County, Minnesota

St. Louis Co. refuses to acknowdedge evidence of pervasive grant violations of gas-tax funding of motorized recreation:
4/3/08
Tell St. Louis County Commissioners & legislators you oppose expansion of gas-tax funded ATV & snowmobile routes

2/1/08
County persists in denying evidence of pervasive grant violations, MRR again calls for supension of gas-tax funding of motorized recreation in St. Louis County.

11/8/07
MRR calls on St. Louis County to produce missing documents required for county's gas-tax funding sponsorship of motorized recreation clubs.

9/26/07
MRR calls on St. Louis Co. Attorney to reply to citizen audit.

5/23/07
Audit of St. Louis County motorized grants-in-aid finds pervasive violations, recommends suspension of funding until standards implemented.

11/3/06
MRR launches Citzen Audit of St. Louis County's gas tax funding of motorized recreation

MRR Files Complaints with State Auditor and Data Practices Office regarding St. Louis County witholding of public data, conflicts of interest and violations of the open government rules, state environmental review laws and motorized recreation grant-in-aid requirements:
10/24/04
Property owners excluded from snowmobile trail planning involving their backyards

6/25/04
Complaint to State Auditor re St. Louis County motorized recreation grant violations, conflicts of interest involving Gilbert dirt-bike motorcycle trail next to Mesabi Bikeway

6/17/04
MRR Petitions for Public and Environmental Review of St. Louis County Sponsored Proposed Dirt-Bike Motorcycle Track Just 20" from the Mesabi Bikeway

Selected Damage Photos

6/8/04
Complaint to State Auditor re St. Louis County conflicts of interests and grant violations involving conversion of North Shore State Trail to ATV use and development of dirt-bike motorcycle route next to Mesabi Bikeway

St. Louis County Commissioners Peg Sweeney and Joan Faye have private conversations with ATV club, quietly pass resolution to convert North Shore State Trail into ATV highway:
1/16/04
MRR Data Request to St. Louis County Chair Raukar and Co. Administrator Bushey Refused

Motivated by MRR evidence including grant violations by St. Louis County sponsored motorized recreation clubs the Minnesota Legislative Auditor conducts landmark audit of DNR's gas tax funded motorized recreation program and corroborating MRR concerns:
1/2003
Office of the Legislative Auditor's Program Evaluation Report: State Funded Trails for Motorized Recreation

Not So Funny Motorized Recreation Money distributed to legislators sucessfully encouraging them to support legislative audit

2/13/02
MRR provides Office of Legislative Auditor with evidence

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St. Louis County Campaign to End
gas tax Diversions to motorized recreation

St. Louis County, the nation's largest county east of the Mississippi River, is the home front for MRR's statewide campaign to end gas-tax funding of motorized recreation.

For many years MRR has documented the unwanted effects of gas-tax funded motorized recreation in the St. Louis County, uncovering regular trespass on private and public property, damage to forests and wetlands and abuse of private property owners suffering from unwanted snowmobile and ATV routes.

In May, 2007 MRR completed a nine month landmark citizen audit of St. Louis County's gas-tax funded motorized recreation program - the county is one of 100 local fiscal agents diverting gas-tax funds to motorized clubs - finding pervasive violations of basic grant-in-aid requirements. Instead of becoming more transparent and accountable, St. Louis County has since adopted low DNR standards in its laissez-faire diversion of gas-tax revenue for motorized recreation.

MRR will highlight St. Louis County in our work at the legislature in 2008. We have invited St. Louis County to be positive partner leading the way, not a bad example, during reform at the state capital this session.

Illegally Bulldozed Snowmobile and ATV Routes
Sponsored and Condoned by St. Louis County
"Most of St. Louis County's snowmobile trails were developed through trespass." Veteran St. Louis County Land Manager

This illegal snowmobile route was bulldozed by the Ely Snowflyers on St. Louis County forest land near Wolf Lake Rd, west of Burnside Lake. After discovering the illegally buldozed route the St. Louis County Board ordered the County Public Works department to "complete" the illegal trail causing even more damage to county land. Fall, 2000.

City of Hermantown front-end loader constructing Missing Link State Snowmobile Trail without required written permission fromproperty owner and utilizing public trail grant approved by St. Louis County Commissioner Dennis Fink, Hermantown and Ugstad Roads, Hermantown, Minnesota, December 4, 2003

Before and after photos of St. Louis County sponsored illegal snowmobile trail bulldozed near Jacobs Lake by gas tax funded Resevoir Riders Snowmobile Club, 2001

© Copyright 2006 Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation - All rights reserved.
P.O. Box 111 Duluth, MN 55801
Phone 218-740-3175
Fax 218-740-3179
info@MnResponsibleRec.org MnResponsibleRec.org
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