Green Scissors Report

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Beaver Basin Rim Road

IMAGE imgs/GSMI07.gif

Proposal & Savings
• Remove the requirement for the
National Park Service to build a
new road through Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore on
Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Consider less expensive
alternatives, such as improving
existing county road H-58.
Savings Estimate: $4.7 million

Map Source: Sierra Club

Background:
When Congress established the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along Lake Superior in 1966, it
required the Park Service to develop public recreation facilities within the park, including a "scenic lakeshore
drive."
The Park Service originally proposed a road along the lakeshore connecting Munising at the park's western
end to Grand Marais in the east. However, field studies showed the original alignment had serious engineering, cost and environmental problems.
As a result, the Park Service General Management Plan of 1981 proposed a 12.2-mile Beaver Basin Rim
Road, between Legion Lake and Twelvemile Beach campground.
Both locations also are served by the existing Alger County road H-58, which is in need of repair.The
Park Service argues that upgrading H-58 would not fulfill Congressional intent because the road predates the
establishment of the park, and partially lies outside the shoreline zone.
Recent Action:
In the 104th Congress, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) won passage of an amendment to an Interior Department
appropriations bill that prohibits the Park Service from spending money on the Rim Road in fiscal year 1997.
Rep. Stupak also has introduced legislation in the 105th Congress, H.R. 351, to prohibit construction of the
Rim Road while authorizing appropriate improvements to County Road H-58. Actual appropriations for the
improvements require separate legislation.
Taxpayer Concerns:
• At a cost of $13.4 million, the Rim Road is a waste of money. Upgrading H-58 would cost considerably
less, saving federal taxpayers at least $4.7 million.
• While the new road would simply connect two remote locations within the park, an upgraded H-58
would more likely improve access to the park's entire lake shore.
Local Community Concerns:
• Local opposition to the road is strong from both pro-conservation and pro-development interests. Of the
700 comments the Park Service received while conducting the road's Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
97% were opposed to the road.
• The project is opposed by local newspapers, including The Mining Journal and L'Anse Sentinel. The
Sentinel found it "hard to conceive of a more stupid and unnecessary plan than the long ballyhooed push for a
road through one of U.P.'s most scenic examples of nature's beauty."
• Other citizens who support increased tourism and economic growth in the region favor upgrading H-58,
and insist that improving the county road is the least expensive and most effective way to improve park
access.
Environmental Concerns:
• The Beaver Basin Rim Road would run right along the ecologically sensitive rim area, degrading the
very values the lakeshore was established to protect. That is: 200-foot sandstone cliffs dropping straight down
into Lake Superior, a sense of remoteness from human settlement, and the pure nature of the surrounding
wilderness.
• By comparison, upgrading the existing county road H-58 would be far less damaging to the environment.
$
Green Scissors Contacts:
Marvin Roberson, Sierra Club Mackinac Chapter Consultant, 906/523-4428; Judy Allen, Sierra Club CUP
Group, 906/228-9453.
Pro-Spending Contact:
Grant Petersen, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 906/387-2607.



	Beaver Basin Rim Road

Proposal & Savings • Remove the requirement for the National Park Service to build a new road through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Consider less expensive alternatives, such as improving existing county road H-58. *Savings Estimate: $4.7 million*
		Map Source: Sierra Club
	Background: When Congress established the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along Lake Superior in 1966, it required the Park Service to develop public recreation facilities within the park, including a "scenic lakeshore drive." The Park Service originally proposed a road along the lakeshore connecting Munising at the park's western end to Grand Marais in the east. However, field studies showed the original alignment had serious engineering, cost and environmental problems. As a result, the Park Service General Management Plan of 1981 proposed a 12.2-mile Beaver Basin Rim Road, between Legion Lake and Twelvemile Beach campground. Both locations also are served by the existing Alger County road H-58, which is in need of repair.The Park Service argues that upgrading H-58 would not fulfill Congressional intent because the road predates the establishment of the park, and partially lies outside the shoreline zone. Recent Action: In the 104th Congress, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) won passage of an amendment to an Interior Department appropriations bill that prohibits the Park Service from spending money on the Rim Road in fiscal year 1997. Rep. Stupak also has introduced legislation in the 105th Congress, H.R. 351, to prohibit construction of the Rim Road while authorizing appropriate improvements to County Road H-58. Actual appropriations for the improvements require separate legislation. Taxpayer Concerns: • At a cost of $13.4 million, the Rim Road is a waste of money. Upgrading H-58 would cost considerably less, saving federal taxpayers at least $4.7 million. • While the new road would simply connect two remote locations within the park, an upgraded H-58 would more likely improve access to the park's entire lake shore. Local Community Concerns: • Local opposition to the road is strong from both pro-conservation and pro-development interests. Of the 700 comments the Park Service received while conducting the road's Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 97% were opposed to the road. • The project is opposed by local newspapers, including The Mining Journal and L'Anse Sentinel. The Sentinel found it "hard to conceive of a more stupid and unnecessary plan than the long ballyhooed push for a road through one of U.P.'s most scenic examples of nature's beauty." • Other citizens who support increased tourism and economic growth in the region favor upgrading H-58, and insist that improving the county road is the least expensive and most effective way to improve park access. Environmental Concerns: • The Beaver Basin Rim Road would run right along the ecologically sensitive rim area, degrading the very values the lakeshore was established to protect. That is: 200-foot sandstone cliffs dropping straight down into Lake Superior, a sense of remoteness from human settlement, and the pure nature of the surrounding wilderness. • By comparison, upgrading the existing county road H-58 would be far less damaging to the environment. $ *Green Scissors Contacts:* Marvin Roberson, Sierra Club Mackinac Chapter Consultant, 906/523-4428; Judy Allen, Sierra Club CUP Group, 906/228-9453. *Pro-Spending Contact:* Grant Petersen, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 906/387-2607.