News flash:  The Vermont legislative committee reviewing the Douglas Administration’s 11th-hour proposal to open state parks, forests, and wildlife management and natural areas to ATV use voted unanimously to object to the rule.  The bi-partisan vote 7-0 signals major legislative concern about the policy change the agency is proposing–currently state lands are closed to ATVs except to enable handicap access in limited circumstances–and the manner in which the agency tried to make this change.

Though this vote presents a major potential obstacle to the Agency’s plan to open state lands to this high-risk, high-impact activity, I’ve written before on this blog about how the Agency could still choose to move forward despite the objection.  For the full story read my “Riding Roughshod Part 2” post or check out the press clips collected on CLF’s web site.

For now, the legislature has done the right thing by erecting a roadblock.  But Republican Governor Jim Douglas isn’t running for re-election.  ATVers have been a loyal constituency for this governor and he’ll stop at nothing to repay that loyalty, the rule of law and public opinion be-damned.  Whether the Douglas Administration and the leaders at ANR decide to ride roughshod over the Committee objection remains to be seen. 

CLF is working hard to protect Vermont's sensitive public lands from this kind of abuse

For those of us concerned about negative impacts of ATV use in Vermont including but not limited to:

•  increased air, noise, and water pollution
•  threats to wildlife (both game species and rare, threatened and endangered species) and wildlife habitat
• the spread of invasive plants as the forest is disturbed to cut new trails
• added public safety risks
• conflicts between motorized and nonmotorized users
• rampant and destructive illegal off-trail riding
• overburdening of a state agency that has been devastated by budget cuts and cannot fulfill all of its basic land management dutie even without the added responsibility of montioring construction, maintenance, and enforcement around a new motorized trail network

now is the time to ask the full legislature to make a stand on this important issue.  For more information on how you can help, please contact CLF’s Vermont office!