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In 2000, the University of Vermont School of Natural Resources conducted exhaustive research on the Environmental and Social Effect of ATVs and ORVs, upon which the ANR based it's 2001 recommendation that public lands not be made available for ATV use. This study cited numerous environmental impacts beyond those that might be controlled by "good behaviors" on the part of the riders. Without the benefit of contradictory evidence, and despite objections from both the general public and the environmental community, in January 2010, former Governor Douglas (aided and abetted by a more submissive ANR) went ahead and opened the door for ATV use on state lands.
Then-Senator Peter Shumlin never made a secret of his opposition to allowing ATV trails to cross state lands. He expressed this opposition even before announcing his candidacy and never wavered. Why then does it come as such a surprise to some that one of his first moves as Governor is to rescind the limited permit for this activity ?
In today's Free Press Danny Hale, chief executive of VASA, the Vermont All Terrain Vehicle Sportsman's Association, is quoted as saying of Shumlin:
"This is just political payback for the people who voted for him,"
Say what? So now it's wrong somehow to live-up to your campaign positions...because the majority, who supported you based on your principles expect you to do so? Not the best argument to make, Mr. Hale!
Overlooking the unlikelihood that supporters of ATV use on public lands voted for Shumlin in the last election, ATV rider, Lloyd Church of Townsend, threatened political retribution of a different stripe:
"Two percent of the people put the governor in, so when he runs next year, talk to your neighbor. A three percent change could take him out," Church told the meeting.
Governor Shumlin has expressed his willingness to meet with VASA to discuss the issue, and that's all well and good; but 3,000 VASA members insisting that they have a "right" to use state lands for recreation, should not be overly indulged. Of course they have a right to that use, but that right is subject to the same limits observed by all the non-ATV-riders in the state. If my idea of recreation is to build the perfect campfire, that doesn't give me the "right" to build one in the middle of the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail!
Impacts to the natural environment aside, the vast majority of Vermonters do not wish to ride ATV's on state lands; nor, I'd wager to guess, are they particularly happy about encountering ATV's as they hike or stroll through state lands. The argument made by VASA that the elderly or disabled cannot access state lands unless ATV's are permitted is simply disingenuous. There are channels available by special permission for these populations to be transported onto state lands, on a case-by-case basis. Once there, most elderly and disabled users would find the experience much more pleasant without the threat of ATV's bearing noisily down upon them.
So quit yer whining, VASA. It's not all about you. The rest of us have rights, too. |
