YellowSub1962
05-03-2002, 08:29 PM
ATVs criticized at forum
May 2, 2002
By SUSAN SMALLHEER Southern Vermont Bureau
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.
WESTON - All-terrain vehicles are viewed as the bad boys of the
recreation world in
Vermont, and other recreation groups said Thursday they took it as a
good sign that ATV
owners were organizing into a formal group.
Both representatives from the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and
the Appalachian
Trail Conference told a U.S. Forest Service forum that ATVs were to
blame for much of the
environmental damage to the trail system in the Green Mountain National
Forest.
Panelists also raised questions about how much usage the network of
trails in the state could
handle, as more and more Vermonters take to the woods for fun, whether
it is on a
snowmobile or on foot.
According to the Forest Service's 2000 survey, 3.8 million people used
the Green Mountain
National Forest on an annual basis, and recreational use is climbing. On
a national basis, there
are 300 million visits to the entire national forest system.
"What if there's a sign up on Brandon Gap that said 'trail full?'" said
panelist Tony Clark, a
member of the Moosalamoo Association and owner of the Blueberry Hill Inn
in Goshen. "It
boggles my mind to think it might happen."
The role of recreation on the Green Mountain National Forest was the
subject of the
educational forum, which drew about 100 people to the Weston Playhouse
on a rainy spring
night. There were snowmobilers and wilderness advocates, loggers,
hunters and
environmentalists all on hand to make their claim on the forest's
future.
Bryant Watson, executive director of VAST, said that too often
snowmobiles took the rap
for ATVs, and that ATVs often used VAST's network of trails illegally.
VAST's extensive trail system - 20 percent is on the national forest or
state land - is only
in place for the winter, Watson told the group. If anyone sees an ATV on
a snowmobile trail
in the summer, it's trespassing, he warned.
Watson also said four-wheel-drive trucks also use the trails, and are
responsible for a lot of
the damage done. "They're the bigger problem, more even than the ATVs,"
he said. Putting
up gates is no real solution, Watson said. "Sometimes putting up more
gates just makes it
more exciting for them," Watson said.
And J.T. Horn, the New England regional representative for the
Appalachian Trail
Conference, based in Lyme, N.H., said that while motorized vehicles are
banned from the
Appalachian Trail, portions of the trails that are outside of the
national forest boundaries, but
part of the national park system, are most likely to be used by the
motorized vehicles.
Horn said for the Appalachian Trail, the worst damage comes not within
the forest proper,
but on the 1,000-foot wide swath the trail owns or uses outside of the
national forest.
But Horn said that while law enforcement was a problem, and that "a
sting operation could
be run every weekend," his organization preferred the education approach
rather than strict
enforcement and installation of gates.
Horn said he was pleased with the news from Watson that ATV users were
organizing. Peer
pressure is often the best enforcement tool, he said.
"Now, if you have a problem, there's no one to go to," Horn said.
"I'm glad they are organizing," added panelist Clark, who runs a
cross-country ski area and
who said there were conflicts on winter trails in his region of the
forest.
Watson noted that there were four times as many ATVs in Vermont than
snowmobiles, and
they were used for a longer time during the year.
Watson estimated the number of ATVs in the state at between 140,000 to
165,000, while
only 15,000 are registered. The balance, he said, are operating
illegally.
In comparison, he said all snowmobilers have to be registered and
members of VAST and a
local snowmobile club in order to ride in Vermont.
Robert Manning, professor of natural resources and chairman of the
recreation management
program at the University of Vermont, moderated Thursday's forum, and he
posed the
audience's questions to the panelists.
Manning said one question was of particular interest to him - what will
recreation planners
do about potential crowding on the state's recreation trails?
Clark said he was worried about the potential for overcrowding, as
recreation seekers put
more and more pressure on the forest. And Watson said he was worried
about the carrying
capacity of snowmobile trails, particularly in the southern part of the
state.
In southern Vermont there are three clubs with 7,000 members, he said,
putting a lot of
pressure on 100 miles of trail.
And, Watson said, some of those trails would be off limits in the
future, if the proposed
wilderness designation for Glastenbury Mountain wins congressional
approval.
Thursday's forum was one of a series that started last November seeking
public input on the
rewriting of the Green Mountain National Forest's master plan. Other
forums have been on
wilderness, logging and the history of the forest. The forest plan
process is expected to take
several years.
:usa:
May 2, 2002
By SUSAN SMALLHEER Southern Vermont Bureau
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.
WESTON - All-terrain vehicles are viewed as the bad boys of the
recreation world in
Vermont, and other recreation groups said Thursday they took it as a
good sign that ATV
owners were organizing into a formal group.
Both representatives from the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and
the Appalachian
Trail Conference told a U.S. Forest Service forum that ATVs were to
blame for much of the
environmental damage to the trail system in the Green Mountain National
Forest.
Panelists also raised questions about how much usage the network of
trails in the state could
handle, as more and more Vermonters take to the woods for fun, whether
it is on a
snowmobile or on foot.
According to the Forest Service's 2000 survey, 3.8 million people used
the Green Mountain
National Forest on an annual basis, and recreational use is climbing. On
a national basis, there
are 300 million visits to the entire national forest system.
"What if there's a sign up on Brandon Gap that said 'trail full?'" said
panelist Tony Clark, a
member of the Moosalamoo Association and owner of the Blueberry Hill Inn
in Goshen. "It
boggles my mind to think it might happen."
The role of recreation on the Green Mountain National Forest was the
subject of the
educational forum, which drew about 100 people to the Weston Playhouse
on a rainy spring
night. There were snowmobilers and wilderness advocates, loggers,
hunters and
environmentalists all on hand to make their claim on the forest's
future.
Bryant Watson, executive director of VAST, said that too often
snowmobiles took the rap
for ATVs, and that ATVs often used VAST's network of trails illegally.
VAST's extensive trail system - 20 percent is on the national forest or
state land - is only
in place for the winter, Watson told the group. If anyone sees an ATV on
a snowmobile trail
in the summer, it's trespassing, he warned.
Watson also said four-wheel-drive trucks also use the trails, and are
responsible for a lot of
the damage done. "They're the bigger problem, more even than the ATVs,"
he said. Putting
up gates is no real solution, Watson said. "Sometimes putting up more
gates just makes it
more exciting for them," Watson said.
And J.T. Horn, the New England regional representative for the
Appalachian Trail
Conference, based in Lyme, N.H., said that while motorized vehicles are
banned from the
Appalachian Trail, portions of the trails that are outside of the
national forest boundaries, but
part of the national park system, are most likely to be used by the
motorized vehicles.
Horn said for the Appalachian Trail, the worst damage comes not within
the forest proper,
but on the 1,000-foot wide swath the trail owns or uses outside of the
national forest.
But Horn said that while law enforcement was a problem, and that "a
sting operation could
be run every weekend," his organization preferred the education approach
rather than strict
enforcement and installation of gates.
Horn said he was pleased with the news from Watson that ATV users were
organizing. Peer
pressure is often the best enforcement tool, he said.
"Now, if you have a problem, there's no one to go to," Horn said.
"I'm glad they are organizing," added panelist Clark, who runs a
cross-country ski area and
who said there were conflicts on winter trails in his region of the
forest.
Watson noted that there were four times as many ATVs in Vermont than
snowmobiles, and
they were used for a longer time during the year.
Watson estimated the number of ATVs in the state at between 140,000 to
165,000, while
only 15,000 are registered. The balance, he said, are operating
illegally.
In comparison, he said all snowmobilers have to be registered and
members of VAST and a
local snowmobile club in order to ride in Vermont.
Robert Manning, professor of natural resources and chairman of the
recreation management
program at the University of Vermont, moderated Thursday's forum, and he
posed the
audience's questions to the panelists.
Manning said one question was of particular interest to him - what will
recreation planners
do about potential crowding on the state's recreation trails?
Clark said he was worried about the potential for overcrowding, as
recreation seekers put
more and more pressure on the forest. And Watson said he was worried
about the carrying
capacity of snowmobile trails, particularly in the southern part of the
state.
In southern Vermont there are three clubs with 7,000 members, he said,
putting a lot of
pressure on 100 miles of trail.
And, Watson said, some of those trails would be off limits in the
future, if the proposed
wilderness designation for Glastenbury Mountain wins congressional
approval.
Thursday's forum was one of a series that started last November seeking
public input on the
rewriting of the Green Mountain National Forest's master plan. Other
forums have been on
wilderness, logging and the history of the forest. The forest plan
process is expected to take
several years.
:usa: