Tim Novak is the state trails coordinator in the Department of Natural Resources. Credit: LinkedIn.
By Eric Freedman
Capital News Service
Michigan boasts thousands of miles of trails for snowmobilers, hikers, off-road vehicle operators, dog-walkers, bicyclists, snowshoers and horseback riders, but the Department of Natural Resources needs to improve how it monitors them.
That’s the conclusion of the state Auditor General’s Office, which said DNR fell short in monitoring and inspecting the trail system. The office is a nonpartisan legislative agency that assesses how well state programs and departments operate.
Its report also said DNR should do better in communicating with county sheriffs’ departments on funding for trail-related law enforcement and safety.
The Auditor General said the department failed to notify sheriffs’ offices about $180,000 in additional funding that the Legislature authorized for ORV law enforcement grants in fiscal year 2023.
“Therefore, county sheriffs are no longer able to submit grant requests to obtain the $180,000 appropriated to them,” the report said. Thirty-four counties received grants that year.
“Our communication with our law enforcement partners is a top priority for us,” state trails coordinator Tim Novak said.
He said the DNR is implementing the Auditor General’s recommendations.
As of March 2024, the DNR managed about 4,100 miles of nonmotorized trails outside of state parks, as well as about 4,200 miles of off-road vehicle (ORV) trails and 6,200 miles of snowmobile trails on public, private and leased land.
DNR collaborates with local and federal agencies, snowmobile and ORV clubs and nonprofit groups “to ensure the integrity of the trails” and for enforcement of ORV and snowmobile laws. Funding comes primarily from snowmobile trail permits and ORV registration and permit fees.
Novak said the network is expanding by a couple of hundred miles a year, a smaller rate than in the past.
“We’re kind of maxed out in the amount of trails we can manage,” he said.
Priorities are filling gaps in existing trails and connecting to major trails, Novak said, adding, “We’re not looking for out-and-back spurs or loop trails.”
There is currently only one east-west route across the Upper Peninsula, he said, and a DNR goal is developing a second route across the southern UP.
Matt Saxton, the executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, said ORV and snowmobile patrol deputies have a variety of responsibilities, including enforcement of speed and safety laws.
“They make sure the driver is properly licensed. They make sure the vehicle has the right permits and licenses to be on the trail” and investigate accidents, Saxton said.
The ORV Trail Improvement Fund spent $15.1 million and the Snowmobile Trail Improvement Fund spent $15.4 million from October 2022 through March 2024, the performance audit said.
Under state law, at least half the money in the ORV fund must be spent for trail maintenance, at least 24% should go to sheriffs and at least 12.5% should be used to restore damage caused by ORV use.
Because of those percentages, Novak said, drawing out money for emergency projects near the end of a fiscal year requires also making more last-minute money available to sheriffs – sometimes too late for them to spend it.
The Auditor General’s report said the DNR policy is to inspect the entire off-road trail system each year to “address ongoing maintenance and respond to risks associated with natural disasters, trail user complaints, significant trail projects or aging infrastructure for both ORV trails and nonmotorized trails outside of state parks.”
However, the DNR told auditors that “it lacks an effective centralized process” to document and track inspections and that it lacks enough staff to inspect the entire system annually.
“It’s just not feasible,” Novak said. For example, there are only eight regional staff specialists to inspect the ORV trails.
He said the DNR is just starting to assess whether to adhere to the annual inspection policy or to amend it, such as making periodic inspections less frequently or as needed.