Cross-country skiers won't know until July whether they'll be practising their sport at Hiawatha this winter.
Proposals to the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority to provide a cross-country ski program on 38 kilometres of trails in the Hiawatha Highlands closed Tuesday.
Only one proposal had been received by mid-day Tuesday, said Christine Aason, spokesperson for the conservation authority.
She said that proposals will be reviewed and evaluated in the best interest of the public, but the board can reject all proposals if they don't meet conservation standards.
A decision is expected at the authority's July 11 meeting.
Sault Trails and Recreation (STAR) founding partner Kinsmen Club announced earlier this spring it was going to pull out of the non-profit group.
STAR, originally consisting of the Kinsmen Club, City of Sault Ste. Marie, conservation authority and Sault Finnish Nordic Ski Club, has lost two of its members in the past five years and is in the process of dissolving.
It had been operating the ski trails in the Hiawatha area since 1988.
STAR passed its assets to the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club.
That club has applied to the conservation authority and hopes to partner with it and negotiate a land-use agreement with the Kinsmen Club to ensure cross-country skiing occurs at the well-used site.
Hiawatha Highlands is an 850 hectare area centered at Landslide Road and Fifth Line, at the northern end of Sault Ste. Marie.
The request for proposals states the conservation authority has an interest in continuing its partnership for a cross-country ski program.
It would be run from Oct. 15 to April 15 on existing trails, excluding "the Mockingbird Hill Loop Trail," the website states.
A minimum fee to use the lands is $10,500 for the trails and parking lot on Landslide Road.
The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is entering its 50th year as a not-for-profit organization.
The club's objectives include establishing and operating a clubhouse and recreational facilities, specifically to skiing.
The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club has maintained the Jack Rabbit Ski Program, which has taught thousands of young cross-country skiers to ski since its inception.
