Cass to develop year-around trails

CASS LAKE - The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to proceed with developing year-round destination recreational trails between cities within the county and to connect with trails in neighboring counties.

Mark Sprague, a county forest resource manager, has developed proposed mapped routes for the trails. Each commissioner gave Sprague input on routes within his commissioner district before Sprague designed the current trails maps.

The board now is seeking suggestions from township boards, city councils, chambers of commerce, recreational clubs and others interested in the proposed trail system. Maps may be viewed at the land department building in Backus.

Some routes follow existing snowmobile trails. Many will require connections along existing road ditches to complete the connection between cities. Wherever possible, routes are directed over county-administered or other publicly owned land.

The board directed Sprague to forward these county map designs to the U.S. Forest Service, DNR and the county's comprehensive plan update committee for consideration in their trails planning processes.

Notice also will be sent to the neighboring counties of Aitkin, Beltrami, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Morrison and Wadena because some of the routes cross through and connect with trail systems or proposed systems in those counties.

In other land department business Tuesday, Land Commissioner Norm Moody reported the county sold $126,024.97 worth of timber from county lands in August, with aspen selling for $35.29 per cord. Loggers paid the least for maple ($17.41) and the most for jackpine ($44.33).