Work is underway now to block off illegal trails and roads in the eastern district of the Hiawatha National Forest, specifically near Brevort Lake. Work will continue with heavy equipment throughout the area to keep trail riders off of rider-created paths that threaten the forest environment.

Residents in the Worth Road and Schaeffer Point area of the Hiawatha National Forest, near the northwest corner of Brevort Lake, have noticed several roads and trails formerly used by off-road vehicles (ORVs) that are now being blocked off by crews from the U.S. Forest Service. Some have raised concerns about the need for the change.

District Ranger Steve Christiansen said the paths and roads that are now being blocked off in the area are not roads or trails sanctioned by the Forest Service, but are illegal roads and paths threatening the environmental integrity of the forest.

The key for ORV riders, Mr. Christiansen said, is to consult the forest's mixed vehicle use map, first published in 2007, which identifies exactly what roads are available for ORV use. These maps are available free at the U.S. Forest Service office on US-2 west of St. Ignace and can be found at various area gas stations and other locations.

These maps were created after a directive was handed down from the national level to develop a plan for where ORV's could be used for recreation, Mr. Christiansen said.

"While some of those areas look like a road or a trail that is legal, they are not legal to ride on," he said. "These changes are an implementation of our national policy."

It is very important for the future of the forest that anyone using an ORV consults this map and stays on officially sanctioned roads, Mr. Christiansen said.

"We have sustained some pretty major damage to some of the areas of the forest that we just can't accept," he said. "There are areas where, if we allow that use, it will be damaged past what we want as stewards of the land."

In Hiawatha National Forest, about 2,000 miles of lower-standard roads are open to ORV's, about half of them in the eastern portion of the forest, Mr. Christiansen said.

"People do have quite a bit of ample amount of riding area," he said. "We at the forest service are very supportive of motorized vehicle recreation. People should get the maps."

Anyone with questions about ORV use in the national forest or who would like information on obtaining a mixed vehicle use map may call the U.S. Forest Service St. Ignace office at 643-7900.