News File Photo Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) are seen near Baldwin, Michigan in Manistee National Forest in this courtesy photo.

ALPENA — Due to damages caused by the recent ice storm, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) ORV state-managed trails and routes remain closed, according to the DNR. Reopening these trails may continue to be a long process, despite volunteer interest in aiding the clearing effort.

Ami Van Antwerp, a DNR communications specialist, stated that the DNR has to make necessary assessments of trails before reopening any of them.

“Once trail clearing is complete and reopening is recommended, the DNR conducts field and administrative reviews to confirm that it is ready for public use and meets trail clearing standards outlined in the Motorized Trail Maintenance and Signing Handbook,” Van Antwerp said.

Van Antwerp said that as of Wednesday, 269 miles of 1,123 miles of ORV trails have been reopened thus far since the initial closure. She also said that as trails reopen, trail users should take extra precautions.

“ORV and other trail users should remain cautious and alert,” Van Antwerp said. “It’s important to remain on open trails and roads and not venture into closed areas, especially because uninspected trees may still pose a risk. ORV riders are encouraged to (ride right) and reduce speeds.”

Individuals wishing to drive ORVs on public ORV trails in Michigan must purchase a permit, per DNR guidelines. These permits are valid from April 1 to March 31 (of the following year), regardless of the date that they were purchased on, according to the DNR.

The DNR’s “The Handbook of Michigan Off-Road Vehicle Laws and Riding Basics” states that permits are not required when used on private land.

Since the onset of the ice storm, the DNR stated that there has been interest among community members to volunteer and aid the cleanup efforts on state-managed trails. However, the DNR is not allowing any volunteers to aid the clean-up process until a sufficient protocol has been adopted.

The DNR states on their ice recovery resources page, “…until the DNR develops an approved volunteer action plan, we ask that interested volunteers await further guidance and instructions.”

The DNR also requests that community members wishing to volunteer should wait until the department announces it is safe to do so. At the moment, the DNR is prioritizing the work of utility companies and emergency services to complete the work they are required to do.

“We’re still in the process of evaluating storm impacts and determining needs,” Van Antwerp said. “Once we reach the phase where we can ensure volunteer safety, we’ll reach out to those who have expressed interest in supporting the cleanup efforts.”

Community members interested in volunteering with the DNR to clean up state-managed trails and sites should fill out the DNR’s volunteer interest form, which can be found on their storm recovery resources page at michigan.gov/dnr.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.