Border to Border Touring Route

Citizen Petition to Prepare an EAW

On March 4, 2021, DNR received a petition requesting the preparation of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the proposed Border to Border Touring Route, located in the Minnesota Counties of Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Lake of the Woods, Itasca, Beltrami, St. Louis and Lake.

Project Description

The project identified in the petition is the Border to Border Touring Route (Proposed Project), proposed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Proposed Project creates a border to border touring route across northern Minnesota using existing road way.  In essence, the Proposed Project is the creation of a map and signage delineating interconnected roadways that a motorist might use to traverse northern Minnesota.  The route is 764 miles long between the North Dakota border and Silver Bay on the shore of Lake Superior. The route is not an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) or All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) trail. No new road construction is anticipated as part of the Proposed Project although there may be some maintenance work undertaken to improve the condition of some roadways.

DNR’s Decision

On April 15, 2021, DNR denied the petition for an EAW on the Proposed Project because evidence presented did not demonstrate that, because of the nature or location of the proposed project, the project may have the potential for significant environmental effects. This means no EAW will be conducted at this point. The rationale for the decision is described in the DNR Record of Decision.

• Border to Border Petition-DNR Record of Decision
• Border to Border Citizen Petition Content
  • Border to Border Touring Route Transmittal Letter
  • Citizen Petition-B2B Touring Route-Part 1
  • Citizen Petition-B2B Touring Route-Part 2
  • Citizen Petition-B2B Touring Route-Part 3-signatures

These document are available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by contacting Kate Fairman at [email protected] or Jill Townley at [email protected].

Next Steps

• The Division of Parks and Trails will develop a Route Management Plan over the coming months that will involve public input and potential usage of roads included in the route. The plan will consider topics such as monitoring, protection of waterways and wetlands, invasive species and ongoing funding, among others. Additional background information on this project is available at the project web site, including a brief overview of the project history and maps of the proposed route alignment.