Minnesota statutes were amended in the 2005 Legislative session to allow the DNR Commissioner to designate areas within state forests that are not subject to the big game hunting and retrieval exceptions or the furbearer and minnow trapping exceptions (MS 84.926, Subd. 2 and 4). Field teams recommend nonmotorized areas to protect unique natural resource values or to balance existing or future user opportunities.

When determining whether to recommend a non-motorized area, DNR staff must consider some important factors:

1) Enforceability. These areas should be designed to be enforceable, taking advantage of natural barriers (e.g., lakes) to create clearly defined perimeters and accessible enforcement.

2) Enhanced experience. Generally, staff should choose a few larger, rather than several smaller, areas to enhance the non-motorized experience.

3) Ownership. Where multiple ownerships are involved, all parties should agree to the classification, which would only apply to state land within the defined boundary.

4) Other protections. Non-motorized areas should seek to provide additional protections to user or resource values, but should not be used only to designate already-protected resources, such as wetlands.