New ATV Park in Berlin NH

[Waumbek]

The WMNF will be getting a new neighbor: an ATV park in Berlin NH. AMC has not opposed but has expressed concern about "rogue riding" into the bordering WMNF. The park will apparently have hiking and x-c options, although "multi-use," when it mixes motorized and non-motorized users, has serious limitations in my experience.

 

[dug]

I doubt there will be any hiking done in the area. I don't think it gets much xc ski use now. However, while not an ATV rider myself I see this as a good thing. Allow the riders an area to go, and it will lessen the chances of them getting into more "sensitive" areas. This region needs something else for an industry. Berlin is trying to get into tourism so it can be less reliant on the paper mills. I don't think this will be the boom the mayor thinks - he's talking restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. all opening up. But, it will bring some income to the region.

 

[cp2000]

. I don't think this will be the boom the mayor thinks - he's talking restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. all opening up. .

What happens in Berlin stays in Berlin.

 

[arghman]

I wish the city of Berlin all the best, as long as it's sustainable growth/tourism that doesn't significantly change the character of the area. Their motto is "The city that trees built". I don't want to see "The city that cut down the trees to rebuild itself".

to that end I would vastly prefer the ATV park to that area being used for 2nd homes / businesses / etc.; & maybe it will give the more active ATVers in this state somewhere to go, instead of demanding all sorts of trails in other parts of the state where there's not much forest conserved & where giving up some of it for ATV use destroys the ability to use those places for peace & quiet.

edit:

Some callers wanted to know if the trails were open, others want to know if they could buy land nearby, said town planner Pam Laflamme.

[ my emphasis ] that's what I don't like

 

[Mike P.]

Is the land large enough & scenic enough so people will not be enticed with crossing over into WMNF land?

The group overall is probably pretty diverse, not all ATV'ers are mudders. I've seen a few hunter use them, sure beats carrying out a large animal.

When sight lines are good, like rail trails the roads on Greylock, etc, the motorized & non-motorized groups seem to do okay. (most of my experience is with snowmobiles)

That said, at least one ATV rider was on the restricted use Airline trail in CT when teh snow we had was wet, prior to the latest storm. the tracks went on for over two miles, they blew one donut partially on the private property of a trail neighbor & others in the Salmon State Forest. The tracks were icy & when soft he was digging into the mud too.

While it only takes one bad apple to spoil it for others, when you are using firearms or machinery the consequences are worse. (Okay I'd rather have muddy trails than be mistaken for a deer, well bear may be more like it)

 

[BrentD22]

Umm

The City that Trees Built refers to it's paper mill history. So you could say that Berlin is the City that takes cut down trees to make into paper.

Anyway....

If the piece of land is indeed big enough to feed the need of the ATVer's than I really see no problem with it. I sure hope they have constant patrols of the boarders to insure that there is no cross over.

 

[spider solo]

I don't think there will ever be a piece of land large enough to meet the appetite of the many ATV enthusiasts.

 

[snowshoe]

I think it is a great idea. I wish N. Jersey would do the same. I am not an ATV rider but by giving them a place to ride will hopefully keep them from illegaly riding in hiking areas. Then the ATV riders can not say there is no place to ride. I think most ATV users dont need a lot of space. Most at least all the ones I run into just want to ride somewhere.

 

[Grumpy]

I don't think there will ever be a piece of land large enough to meet the appetite of the many ATV enthusiasts.

There's the rub.

A very astute observation.

G.

 

[SherpaKroto]

I grew up in Berlin. Two of my friends died from lung cancer in their teens. Gerry (my best friend) at 14, Leo, at 17. They lived 2 doors apart on the East side in the shadow of the paper mill. My Dad currently suffers from asbestosis. I remember the day that the headlines on the Berlin Reporter read that the Androscoggin River was #1 in the most polluted rivers in the country. Rather sobering. Berlin was a tough place to grow up in.

It's tough to defend Berlin when the first thing you heard from literally everyone who visited it was "what is that smell?". Snow was great when it fell, but pretty ugly in a few days when it turned brown or black from all the soot. Spring was a different experience there - everything was covered with thick black coating. Paint also didn't last long: you didn't even need the smell to tell you which way the mill was: just look at the houses and their faded paint. You want an undercast? Just get up early on a calm cold winter morning - all the smoke would be sitting in the valley. The benefit of all this was that you could make a pretty decent living working in the papermills. In it's "heyday', Berlin/Gorham was near 25,000 people. Literally everone worked directly or indirectly for the Mill.

Times have changed - and this needs to continue.

When I was young I remember watching the logs floating down the river above Berlin with my Grandfather (how many of you remember the Diamond Queen?). The rocks are still like greased cannonballs when I wade on my fly fishing trips - but the fishing is now excellent. I was able to hike, hunt or fish from directly behind my house. There were many good things about living in Berlin as a youngster.

I also remember catching my first rainbow below the Power dam in Shelburne (south of Berlin) - a nice 18 inch fat trout in 2002. I finally kayaked this same section this past fall, and it is beautiful.

Moose and Eagles slowly returned to the area as efforts were made to reduce the pollution. The smell is A LOT less than what it used to be. There are fewer people in Berlin than there used to be (10,484 per 2004 census). It is much harder to earn a living there though, so there have been costs to the residents.

Will the ATV park be the end all savior to this region? Doubtful. Is it a positive development? I sure hope so (and believe it will be). Times are changing, and hopefully this will change the perception that people have of this beautiful area, while relieving the hardship that its residents have had to endure.

Sorry to ramble a bit on this, but Berlin will always be where I come from. I hope many will eventually learn to love what it has to offer.

 

[dug]

Sherpa,

Thank you for your very insightful post. It is very easy for us "downcountry" to make observations without direct knowledge. I was one of those people who always complained about the rotten egg smell. As a hockey player, a yearly trip to Berlin was a requirement. I can't tell you I had many fond things to say about the area. My position has changed 100% in the last 15 years. I married a wonderful woman from Berlin. I make it up there (and Milan) about once a month now. I see a change in the area. They are embracing their history, but also moving forward. It hurts to see the area so depressed. Family is still there, and whatever (within reason) they can do to keep bills paid and food on the table is OK by me. If that means an ATV park, a state prison, federal prison...OK.

Many from that area have different values and hobbies than we do. I sit at my in-laws house, stare out the window at Mt. Madison, and wonder why they don't go up there daily!

dug

 

[David Metsky]

I don't think there will ever be a piece of land large enough to meet the appetite of the many ATV enthusiasts.

While I'm not an ATV enthusiast, the same could be said of hikers.

-dave-

 

[peakbagger]

The area is bounded pretty well by a ridge line and has been pretty well cut over in the last two years. There is an extensive logging road complex that runs through it. It has been private timberland for as long as Berlin has existing (although the recent timber liquidation has drawn attention). It is also the location where the wind power project is currenlty being installed.

There are no maintained hiking trails and the area is adajcent to an area of the WMNF that is managed for unorganized recreation (I.E. no new trails). One jem is the Jericho Lake recreation area that has been turned over to the state. It is a large undeveloped lake that Berlin has never had the resources to manage well so it tends to be a party spot. There is a "gravity sports" outfitter that has purchased a building (formerly a Knight of Columbus lodge) right near the proposed entrance. He plans to make sure that mountain biking is a major use of the property. The Nansen ski club is also going to be relocated there due to the loss of the current lease.

The area was actively being discussed as a location for ridgeline and hillside second homes (AKA Jackson NH) as it faces away from the mill complex and is upwind of the mills.

 

[vegematic]

I think this development will be largely positive all around. Certainly there will be some riders who will not be satisfied unless they can ride where ever they want and will continue to ride illegally. However, I think we will find those folks to be a minority (just as there is a minority of "bad apples" in many groups, including hikers).

Concentrating a lot of the ATV use in this area may make it easier to spot and deal with riders spilling onto private or National Forest land as it would focus the area the needs the most patrolling.

And while I don't see this park as the economic panacea that some suggest in the article I think it can only be a much-needed positive step for the Berlin area.

Obviously I'm speculating above, but nobody will know if such a park can be successful until it is tried. Clearly ATVers are going to ride whether or not they are provided with legal terrain. Many of us have seen that first-hand. I see nothing to lose by opening up a terrain park for the (hopefully majority of) users who would prefer not to ride illegally.

As for hiking and x-c skiing...is there even a need to mix them into the ATV park? Seems to me we've got plenty of our own trails in the WMNF. Are there many of us who would want to hike/ski this ATV park?

I would hope there would be an education component and good trail development and maintenance similar to what hikers might encounter in the WMNF. Interpretive signs, the ATV equivalent of summit stewards or ridgerunners, trail maintainers working in view of and interacting with riders can all go a long way to developing an awareness among ATVers of their environmental impact that many may not yet have.
-vegematic

 

[jade]

I LOVE ATV'ers......I could kiss 'em all day long....I DO NOT like ATVs as a means of entertainment or sport....I use one instead of a workhorse on my land.....

....Jade

 

[NewHampshire]

While I'm not an ATV enthusiast, the same could be said of hikers.

-dave-

Ha, quite true Dave. But to be fair (and while I am not an ATV owner/user I do think they have their place and dont mind them at all) the damage caused by careless users far outweighs what the average hiker can do. We have a set of powerlines that runs behind our house. there is a section of the trail that is turning into a mud bog because the majority of ATV riders go down the dip, and then decide to throttle it up the other side ripping big ruts in the ground.


But to be fair one could make the same argument about those hikers who walk around a muddy spot on the trail instead of going through it and widening said trail .
Brian

 

[forestgnome]

The new park will double the miles of legal ATV trails in the sate, which collects handsomely from the riders. I think this is a great idea because it will (hopefully) draw many people to it, and away from other areas for two reasons; it's new and it would be a place to gather. New things are always appealling, and they've been on the same old trails for years. More importantly, the social aspect of meeting other riders and socializing will be very enticing, I suspect.

I think of Jackson, NH for xc skiing. The idea of a trail network, supporting establishments (restaurants, taverns, shops, etc.), and the chance for socializing with like-minded people in a centralized area is inviting.

 

[BrentD22]

Lived in Berlin for 2 years

I can't remember the name of the street, but it was a dead end right next to the paper mill. I lived in a big baby blue ugly apartment building. I rented it site-unseen when I was coming up there to work in the mountians (trail crew). I couldn't believe I could actually rent a large 2 br. apartment everything included for $225 per month.

I didn't figure out why it was soooo cheap until I moved in. I was right in line with the cloud of toxic rotten egg smoke. I got somewhat used to it and certain days where worst than others. I sure now that my lungs didn't like what was going on for the first 6 months I was there. I also had cockroaches, mice, and a stinky neighbor.

I had a cancer scare when I was there. They thought I might have had some kind of tumor near my knee. It was actually nothing, but I always wondered did they first think cancer because I lived in Berlin?

I for one hope times can change for Berlin and if an ATV park helps with that great. If they build another 10 prisons, very fine expands, ect great as long as what ever happens is some kind of improvement on what the people of that area have now.

Too bad they couldn't just knock down the paper mill and use all that land as a huge ATV amusment park with all sorts of trails, obstical course, hotels, ATV stores, and anything else other than a stinky paper mill. They can leave the giant bark mulch/saw dust pile.



How is that historical western thing that was being built some time ago? Has that done anything for "tourism" in the area?

 

[ken]

people will come and use it, but it will not stop ATVers from riding everywhere else that they want to also - it will just be "in addition" to everywhere else - first you will need to bring the ATV there (not as convenient as stepping out into your 1/4 acre back yard, starting it up and riding on everyone elses property) - then they will soon have seen it all (ATVs go much faster than a hiker) and will soon need bigger and better places - there is also that sense of adventure that they get from going where they don't belong (and not getting caught) sort of like hunters that hunt on land that they dont have permission to be on (or hikers that do lists that contain mountains on private property such as "top 100s") - it should bring a little bit of business to the area (people need to buy gas) but it is much easier to ride near home (where all your friends are riding) than it is to drag it someplace else to ride "just to stay legal" - but it will be a nice place to ride once in awhile...

 

[spider solo]

recreational bi-pieds

While I'm not an ATV enthusiast, the same could be said of hikers.

I'm afraid I think not...I believe we are by far and large losing ground to recreational motorized sports.

We just opened up another 10,000 acres in this area on the logic that it was inconvient for them to have to travel so far from the population densitys and therefore more should be made to be at their disposal...