Beltrami County Board Approves DNR Grant for Snowmobile and ATV Trail Equipment

Beltrami County Board approved at its Feb. 24, 2026 meeting the use of a Department of Natural Resources Grant-in-Aid allocation to purchase a soil conditioner and leveler for maintenance of snowmobile and all‑terrain-vehicle (ATV) trails. The action appeared on the county’s Consent Agenda and was recorded in the board materials for that meeting.

The board also adopted sponsorship resolutions naming specific trail systems for DNR GIA applications. The resolution lists Beltrami County Trails - Cross-country Ski; Blackduck Stumpjumpers – Northland Trail; Fourtown Grygla Sportsman’s Club – Fourtown Grygla OHV and Fourtown Grygla Snowmobile Trails; Lost River Trails, Inc. – Lost River Trails; North Country Snowmobile Club – North Country Trails; Timber Riders ATV Club – Timber Trails; and Northwoods Riders OHV Club – Wilton Trail NW. The resolution language states, in part, “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Beltrami County agrees to act as the local sponsor for the application made by each club for funding with the State of Minnesota Grant in Aid System, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Beltrami County agrees to sponsor said trails at no cost to the county.”

Minnesota DNR materials tied to the county action show a related DNR proposal in Beltrami County: the North Star Connector, described as a 28-mile route on the Moose River Dike. The DNR excerpt notes the corridor “is currently open to motorized use under existing management protocols” and that the proposal “does not change the existing operation of the Moose River Dike Road, including seasonal closures to motorized vehicles.” The DNR accepted written comments on the North Star Connector through 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, and listed Karen Cladas as a contact at 218-407-7176 with a map on the OHV trail plans and proposals webpage.

DNR grant-file excerpts included in the public materials show multiple equipment entries and dollar figures but the formatting is ambiguous. The raw lines in the excerpt include a Cass County groomer drag at $29,325.00 and $21,994.00 (0015-24-1A) and an entry labelled “Beltrami County Snowmobile Trails Equipment purchase Purchase of two snowmobiles for trail maintenance, clearing brush etc.” with figures $32,504.00 and $24,378.00 (0016-24-3C). Because the excerpt mixes counties, equipment descriptions, category labels and amounts, the precise state share, local match and grant IDs require verification in the DNR grants database.

County planning materials and the Beltrami County Recreational Trails Plan excerpts frame why the equipment matters to clubs and users. The plan notes that “responsible users of ATVs were not an issue and that everyone gets along very well most of the time” and warns that “In winter, ATVs on the trails can be a problem since they tend to rut the trail more than a snowmobile would.” The plan also recalls statewide ATV growth — from roughly 12,000 units in 1988 to over 260,000 units by 2004 — and endorses a “shared-responsibility multiuse maintenance program” and maximizing grant programs to support trail development.

The board’s Consent Agenda also included standard administrative approvals tied to trail sponsorship: approval of payment of Auditor/Treasurer bills and receipt of the warrant payment listing, plus previously adopted 2021 and 2022 Recreational Trail Sponsorship resolutions and a Resolution for Sponsorship of Recreational Trail Permits. County records state the county will serve as sponsor “at no cost to the county,” but the board materials and DNR excerpts provided do not specify exact grant award amounts or any local-match percentage for the equipment purchase; DNR grant records and the full county resolutions should be consulted to confirm award totals, state share and local-match responsibilities.