Letter to the Editor – March 2011

Letter to the Editor

Over the past few years I’ve read many articles concerning ATVs, most recently regarding the use of  ATVs on State Land so I thought I would share my views on the issue.

There is an estimated 10,000 ATVs in the state of VT. Many of these machine are used by landowners who ride only on their own land for everything from farming, gardening, gathering of firewood, sap and plowing driveways. There are many of us that use them at home and for recreational trail riding.

My name is Lloyd Church and I am currently the President of the Southern Vermont Trail Riders ATV Club ( SVTR ) located in Townshend Vt. I have been a member of  (VASA) the Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association for 10 years, and have been serving  as a member of the Board of Directors for about 6 years, so access to State land is of great concern to me.

VASA has 2750+ members. Our members are dedicated to riding legal which means we have written permission forms signed yearly for all 6oo+ miles of the VASA trail system. There are 22 separate clubs in VASA and it is our goal to link all these club trails together. We are in no way looking to open an ATV park on State Land, we just want to be able to ride across State Land on separate designated connector trails that have been approved through the State of Vermont. We want it done right and we want it done legal.

I believe a well managed and well maintained trail system will not destroy our State Land but if done properly it will help the land and the wildlife. There are a lot of Deer, Bear, and Moose that travel the trail system that we presently have in Townshend. It is a well known fact that deer travel on trails and if they are not on their own trails they’ll travel others. If I thought that a well maintained trail system would destroy our VT. Land than I would be against it myself. The SVTR has a well managed, maintained trail system that shares its trails with Horse rides, Hikers, and Mt. bike riders.  We have proven to our land owners and friends that we can co-exist on the same trails with respect to and for each other. This is why I think that the 2 year trial period for ATVs on State Land was the right thing to do. It would have given us a chance to prove that we were or were not the responsible riders that we say we are.

So now let’s also look at the economics of it. The Snowmobile and Skiing industry even on a bad winter still brings millions of dollars into VT and they only get a few months to enjoy their sport. ATVs have the ability to ride 7 to 8 months of the year. This brings money to our Stores, Motels, Restaurants and Shops throughout our regions.

Lets face it, a lot of our ATV opponents don’t think about the money income to Vermont because they don’t have to. But look at how many of us Vermonters there are  that rely on it.

I thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Whether you are for or against ATVs isn’t up to me but I thought you should know that there is a growing number of responsible adults out there that feel the same as I do and take this recreation very seriously.