Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Sometimes it takes bitter medicine to treat a problem and restore good health.
The bitter medicine that the Maine Legislature prescribed for ATV riders last year made many angry but it has set the industry on the road to a very healthy future.
This story started on March 19, 2003, in the Augusta Civic Center where the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine -- my employer -- hosted an ATV conference funded by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. Many landowners were fed up with the abuse of their land by renegade riders and the problem had become a crisis. More than 300 people attended the conference and left with a sense of excitement and accomplishment, knowing that solutions to ATV problems were available and could be achieved through cooperation and collaboration.
Governor Baldacci quickly formed an ATV Task Force and gave its members about six months to "develop a comprehensive ATV action plan."
The governor asked the task force to build its plan on three major principles: community involvement, interagency cooperation and combined resources. Made up of all the diverse interests that have a stake in this issue, from municipalities to state agencies to ATV riders, the task force came up with an ambitious list of 49 recommendations.
The most ambitious -- and the most critical -- recommendation was a change in Maine law to require ATV riders to have the permission of the landowner. This was a very significant change to the privilege of public access to private lands for recreation and it generated heated debate.
It was here at the Legislature that a new group, ATV-Maine, emerged as a real leader. Despite strong opposition to the proposed law from many ATV riders (and a companion measure that sharply increased ATV registration fees in order to fund trail building and law enforcement), ATV-Maine supported the bill. That was a courageous move that established the new organization as a credible spokesman for the future of ATV use in Maine.
Their bold move worked. The Legislature adopted the proposed law requiring ATV riders to have landowner permission and directed increased registration fees to trail building and law enforcement. Two weeks ago, I was astonished to learn these facts: ATV-Maine now has 16,000 members. There are now 160 ATV clubs spread throughout the state. And the Department of Conservation has just published a map showing more than 4,000 miles of ATV trails -- a doubling of the trail network in just two years.
All of this is important because ATVs have become a critical component in Maine's outdoor economy. An economic study by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine in conjunction with the Department of Conservation estimated that $156 million of net spending took place in Maine during the 2003-04 season to purchase, register and operate ATVs.
This did not include the additional economic activity induced by ATV use (the multiplier effect). The study estimated that nearly 2,000 jobs depended on ATV spending. The tough new laws caused a dip in ATV sales and use, but that dip has now been erased as more trails are built, more clubs organized and more cooperative relationships established between riders and landowners.
Other states are ahead of us in building their ATV-based economies -- but they are also showing us a future that is promising for all. For example, in nearby Berlin, N.H., an ATV park is planned where riders will enjoy special trails. They expect the park to attract riders from in and outside the state. It's possible that this machine, once thought to be the scourge of the countryside, can turn into a growth industry supported and sanctioned by all.
That promising scenario depends on ATV riders themselves. They must get permission, ride responsibly, join a local ATV club and be an activist in trail building and maintenance. If they do this, their future -- and the future of this budding industry --will be bright. George Smith is the executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine; he was, until February, a member of the board of the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. He lives in Mount Vernon and can be reached at george@samcef.org.
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
THE NATIVE CONSERVATIVE: George Smith
Article Reference: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.co.../2672236.shtml
Sometimes it takes bitter medicine to treat a problem and restore good health.
The bitter medicine that the Maine Legislature prescribed for ATV riders last year made many angry but it has set the industry on the road to a very healthy future.
This story started on March 19, 2003, in the Augusta Civic Center where the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine -- my employer -- hosted an ATV conference funded by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. Many landowners were fed up with the abuse of their land by renegade riders and the problem had become a crisis. More than 300 people attended the conference and left with a sense of excitement and accomplishment, knowing that solutions to ATV problems were available and could be achieved through cooperation and collaboration.
Governor Baldacci quickly formed an ATV Task Force and gave its members about six months to "develop a comprehensive ATV action plan."
The governor asked the task force to build its plan on three major principles: community involvement, interagency cooperation and combined resources. Made up of all the diverse interests that have a stake in this issue, from municipalities to state agencies to ATV riders, the task force came up with an ambitious list of 49 recommendations.
The most ambitious -- and the most critical -- recommendation was a change in Maine law to require ATV riders to have the permission of the landowner. This was a very significant change to the privilege of public access to private lands for recreation and it generated heated debate.
It was here at the Legislature that a new group, ATV-Maine, emerged as a real leader. Despite strong opposition to the proposed law from many ATV riders (and a companion measure that sharply increased ATV registration fees in order to fund trail building and law enforcement), ATV-Maine supported the bill. That was a courageous move that established the new organization as a credible spokesman for the future of ATV use in Maine.
Their bold move worked. The Legislature adopted the proposed law requiring ATV riders to have landowner permission and directed increased registration fees to trail building and law enforcement. Two weeks ago, I was astonished to learn these facts: ATV-Maine now has 16,000 members. There are now 160 ATV clubs spread throughout the state. And the Department of Conservation has just published a map showing more than 4,000 miles of ATV trails -- a doubling of the trail network in just two years.
All of this is important because ATVs have become a critical component in Maine's outdoor economy. An economic study by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine in conjunction with the Department of Conservation estimated that $156 million of net spending took place in Maine during the 2003-04 season to purchase, register and operate ATVs.
This did not include the additional economic activity induced by ATV use (the multiplier effect). The study estimated that nearly 2,000 jobs depended on ATV spending. The tough new laws caused a dip in ATV sales and use, but that dip has now been erased as more trails are built, more clubs organized and more cooperative relationships established between riders and landowners.
Other states are ahead of us in building their ATV-based economies -- but they are also showing us a future that is promising for all. For example, in nearby Berlin, N.H., an ATV park is planned where riders will enjoy special trails. They expect the park to attract riders from in and outside the state. It's possible that this machine, once thought to be the scourge of the countryside, can turn into a growth industry supported and sanctioned by all.
That promising scenario depends on ATV riders themselves. They must get permission, ride responsibly, join a local ATV club and be an activist in trail building and maintenance. If they do this, their future -- and the future of this budding industry --will be bright. George Smith is the executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine; he was, until February, a member of the board of the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. He lives in Mount Vernon and can be reached at george@samcef.org.
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
THE NATIVE CONSERVATIVE: George Smith
Article Reference: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.co.../2672236.shtml
