1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to natural resources; establishing the 
  1.3             Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation area; 
  1.4             authorizing bonds; appropriating money; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 85.013, by adding a 
  1.6             subdivision. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE RECREATION AREA.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [85.013] [Subd. 10a.] [GILBERT OFF HIGHWAY 
  1.10  VEHICLE RECREATION AREA.] The Gilbert off highway vehicle 
  1.11  recreation area is established in St. Louis county. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [ACQUISITION.] The commissioner of natural 
  1.13  resources is authorized to acquire by gift or purchase the lands 
  1.14  for the Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation area.  The 
  1.15  commissioner shall develop and manage the area for multiple 
  1.16  recreational use.  
  1.17     Subd. 3.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] (a) A local area advisory 
  1.18  committee is established to provide direction on the 
  1.19  establishment, planning, development, and operation of the 
  1.20  Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation area. 
  1.21     (b) Membership on the advisory committee shall include: 
  1.22     (1) a representative of the all-terrain vehicle association 
  1.23  of Minnesota; 
  1.24     (2) a representative of the amateur riders of motorcycles 
  1.25  association; 
  1.26     (3) a representative of the Minnesota four-wheel drive 
  2.1   association; 
  2.2      (4) a representative of the St. Louis county board; 
  2.3      (5) a state representative appointed by the speaker of the 
  2.4   house of representatives; 
  2.5      (6) a state senator appointed by the senate committee on 
  2.6   committees; 
  2.7      (7) a designee of the iron range resources and 
  2.8   rehabilitation board; 
  2.9      (8) a designee of the local business community selected by 
  2.10  the area chambers of commerce; 
  2.11     (9) a designee of the local environmental community 
  2.12  selected by the area environmental organizations; 
  2.13     (10) a designee of the local tourism community selected by 
  2.14  the iron trail convention and visitors bureau; and 
  2.15     (11) a representative of the Tower regional office of the 
  2.16  department of natural resources.  
  2.17     (c) The advisory committee shall elect its own chair and 
  2.18  meetings shall be at the call of the chair. 
  2.19     (d) The advisory committee members shall serve as 
  2.20  volunteers and accept no per diem. 
  2.21     Subd. 4.  [MANAGEMENT PLAN.] The commissioner and the local 
  2.22  area advisory committee shall cooperatively develop a 
  2.23  comprehensive management plan that provides for:  
  2.24     (1) multiple use recreation, including hunting, 
  2.25  snowmobiling, horseback riding, biking, and hiking; 
  2.26     (2) protection of natural resources; 
  2.27     (3) forest management; 
  2.28     (4) land acquisition needs; and 
  2.29     (5) road and facility development.  
  2.30     The completed management plan shall serve as the master 
  2.31  plan for purposes of section 86A.09.  
  2.32     Subd. 5.  [BOUNDARIES.] The following described lands are 
  2.33  located within the boundaries of the Gilbert off highway vehicle 
  2.34  recreation area:  
  2.35     That part of St. Louis county, Minnesota, lying within:  
  2.36  Section 25, Township 58 North, Range 17 West.  
  3.1      EXCEPT the North Half of the Northeast Quarter.  
  3.2      EXCEPT the Northwest Quarter.  
  3.3      EXCEPT the Northwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter.  
  3.4      EXCEPT the Southwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter lying 
  3.5   north of the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railroad.  
  3.6   Section 26, Township 58 North, Range 17 West.  
  3.7      EXCEPT the Northeast Quarter.  
  3.8      EXCEPT the Northwest Quarter.  
  3.9      EXCEPT the Southwest Quarter.  
  3.10     EXCEPT the Southeast Quarter, 100 feet along the east side 
  3.11  of the quarter.  
  3.12  Section 35, Township 58 North, Range 17 West.  
  3.13     EXCEPT the Northwest Quarter.  
  3.14     EXCEPT the Southwest Quarter.  
  3.15     EXCEPT the Southeast Quarter.  
  3.16     EXCEPT the West Half of the Northeast Quarter of the 
  3.17  Northeast Quarter.  
  3.18     EXCEPT the Northwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter.  
  3.19  Section 36, Township 58 North, Range 17 West.  
  3.20     EXCEPT the Southeast Quarter of the Southwest Quarter.  
  3.21     Subd. 6.  [FEE.] Notwithstanding section 85.053, 
  3.22  subdivision 2, no fee shall be charged by the commissioner for 
  3.23  use of the Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation area.  
  3.24     Subd. 7.  [ADOPT-A-RECREATION AREA.] The commissioner shall 
  3.25  utilize section 85.045 as much as possible in developing and 
  3.26  operating the Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation area.  
  3.27     Subd. 8.  [FEASIBILITY STUDY.] The trails and waterways 
  3.28  division of the department of natural resources shall conduct a 
  3.29  study to identify additional sites to expand the Gilbert off 
  3.30  highway recreation area and to determine the feasibility of 
  3.31  acquiring, developing, and connecting the sites.  
  3.32     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.33     Subdivision 1.  [NATURAL RESOURCES FUND.] $850,000 is 
  3.34  appropriated to the commissioner of natural resources from the 
  3.35  all-terrain vehicle account in the natural resources fund to 
  3.36  develop and operate the Gilbert off highway vehicle recreation 
  4.1   area and to conduct the feasibility study, to be available until 
  4.2   June 30, 1998.  
  4.3      Subd. 2.  [SPECIAL REVENUE FUND.] $750,000 is appropriated 
  4.4   to the commissioner of natural resources from the iron range 
  4.5   resources and rehabilitation board account in the special 
  4.6   revenue fund to acquire and develop the Gilbert off highway 
  4.7   vehicle recreation area.  
  4.8      Subd. 3.  [BOND PROCEEDS FUND.] $600,000 is appropriated 
  4.9   from the bond proceeds fund to the commissioner of natural 
  4.10  resources to build a bridge in the Gilbert off highway vehicle 
  4.11  recreation area.  
  4.12     Subd. 4.  [ACCOUNT REPAYMENT.] (a) $425,000 is appropriated 
  4.13  from the off-road vehicle account in the natural resources fund 
  4.14  to the all-terrain vehicle account in the natural resources 
  4.15  fund, to be transferred in one or more installments before July 
  4.16  1, 1998.  
  4.17     (b) $85,000 is appropriated from the Gilbert off highway 
  4.18  motorcycle account in the natural resources fund to the 
  4.19  all-terrain vehicle account in the natural resources fund, to be 
  4.20  transferred in one or more installments before July 1, 1998.  
  4.21     Sec. 3.  [BOND SALE AUTHORIZATION.] 
  4.22     To provide the money appropriated in section 2, subdivision 
  4.23  3, from the bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of finance, on 
  4.24  request of the governor, shall sell and issue bonds of the state 
  4.25  in an amount up to $600,000 in the manner, upon the terms, and 
  4.26  with the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  4.27  16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article 
  4.28  XI, sections 4 to 7.