Reminder - Berlin ATV Festival on this weekend

[peakbagger]

The north country of NH will be awash in ATVs this weekend. The event is centered around Jericho Lake State Park on RT 110 but Berlin and Gorham will both be busy. Unless you need to head into Gorham, take Pinkham B road to avoid it. Motels, campgrounds and restaurants will be full up all the way to the Conway area. It usually gets busy Thursday night with peak traffic in Friday night.

 

[CaptCaper]

The north country of NH will be awash in ATVs this weekend. The event is centered around Jericho Lake State Park on RT 110 but Berlin and Gorham will both be busy. Unless you need to head into Gorham, take Pinkham B road to avoid it. Motels, campgrounds and restaurants will be full up all the way to the Conway area. It usually gets busy Thursday night with peak traffic in Friday night.

If someone wants to check out the events, they tend to be family friendly but definitely country western redneck, camo tends to prevail.

Sir..I take offense on call them "Redneck..country western etc" and I assume you have much deeper darker thoughts on what you think about ATV'rs.. Many aren't into country or rednecked.

Why couldn't you of just mentioned about the festival and left it at that.. you seem to have narrow minded views on people and their affairs concerning ATV's..probably Snowmobiles and many other facets of this diverse life on this planet I have realized.

 

[peakbagger]

No offense intended. Since you object to the characterization I will gladly remove it. Of course since you quoted me, the characterization will remain in the thread.

BTW that is what PMs are for

 

[TJsName]

Sir..I take offense on call them "Redneck..country western etc" and I assume you have much deeper darker thoughts on what you think about ATV'rs.. Many aren't into country or rednecked.

Why couldn't you of just mentioned about the festival and left it at that.. you seem to have narrow minded views on people and their affairs concerning ATV's..probably Snowmobiles and many other facets of this diverse life on this planet I have realized.

I'm not offended by the word, but it is likely inaccurate, given the southern connotations of the term. The term hillbilly would also not be accurate as that tend to be more southern Appalachian. I think the safest term to use might be 'genuinely unpretentious'.

 

[Raven]

When I was growing up, people referred to us as "hicks," thank you very much.

I believe the band playing the festival is "Shot of JD." Punk band I think, maybe post-industrial metal.

 

[skiguy]

No offense intended. Since you object to the characterization I will gladly remove it. Of course since you quoted me, the characterization will remain in the thread.

BTW that is what PMs are for

Sometimes it’s a good thing to be called out publicly. It helps keep things politically neutral.

 

[peakbagger]

The 10th Jericho ATV festival is this weekend with events starting on Friday.

Not a great weekend to do Cabot due to potential traffic on Rt 110.

 

[Bob]

Sir..I take offense on call them "Redneck..country western etc" and I assume you have much deeper darker thoughts on what you think about ATV'rs.. Many aren't into country or rednecked.

Why couldn't you of just mentioned about the festival and left it at that.. you seem to have narrow minded views on people and their affairs concerning ATV's..probably Snowmobiles and many other facets of this diverse life on this planet I have realized.

if you see any ATV enthusiasts maybe you should thank them.
their yearly OHRV registration fees pay for the bulk of the hiker 'rescues'
($104 for non residents)

 

[JoshandBaron]

if you see any ATV enthusiasts maybe you should thank them.
their yearly OHRV registration fees pay for the bulk of the hiker 'rescues'
($104 for non residents)

If we're playing this game, hunting and fishing licenses and the federal govt contribute more to the F&G operating budget than OHRV registrations.

 

[skiguy]

Some actually enjoy a busy scene. It is Summer. We stayed in a campground in this area last year. It was shared by hikers, RV owners, fisherman, and ATV owners. In fact most were doing more than one of the above. Lot’s of good conversation among participants. Most seemed to be interested in not only what they were doing but also into what the other guy was doing. Especially if it was not what they were doing.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Tim

 

[peakbagger]

F&G acts as an administrator to collect the OHRV fees, much of the money is passed through to the Trails Bureau.

 

[peakbagger]

Not sure on the surcharge but the claim by the legislature is that if F&G runs a deficit that they can go back to the legislature and ask for more money. The reality is that any F&G request for additional funding out of the budget cycle is going to get a lot of pushback and probably is a career limiting option for the manager that does so. The net result is F&G does what it can to raid other budgets and programs to scrape through to the next funding cycle. The lack of long term funding has meant they can not be competitive in hiring and retaining staff and a large amount of their experienced staff are on the cusp of retirement which means fewer folks doing more work. The rangers are on call 24/7 and last thing I knew they were running significantly short handed.

The director of Fish and Game earlier this year did an interview on the Exchange on NHPR and talked about funding, I had posted a link but can not find it quickly. In the interview the director downplayed the hiker S&R impact to the budget. He had far bigger issues to worry about. He did discuss the ATV funding and I believe he stated that the costs to support the increased ATV effort exceeded the small amount they retained from the OHRV fee to administer it. The majority of OHRV money goes to funding trail clubs and purchasing access for trails which is administered by the Bureau of Trails.

 

[Raven]

if you see any ATV enthusiasts maybe you should thank them.
their yearly OHRV registration fees pay for the bulk of the hiker 'rescues'
($104 for non residents)

The $1 surcharge paid by OHRV registrations may not even cover the S&R costs for OHRV accidents. There were two more Saturday that F&G was involved in. It's not just hikers, folks. There are quite a few ATV rescues as well.

"Conservation Officers Respond to Two Separate OHRV Crashes Saturday

Berlin – At about 10:40 A.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2019, a woman sustained serious injuries when she was involved in an ATV rollover. Cheryl Medvetsky, 61, of Monson, MA was traveling on Erik’s Way in Jericho State Park with a group of friends when she slowly rolled her ATV while attempting to navigate very difficult terrain. Members of her riding party immediately rushed to her aid and placed a call to 911. While first responders were in route to the scene of the crash, her friends escorted her out of Erik’s Way to Pipeline Trail where medical personnel could easily find her.

Upon receiving word of the incident, Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, Berlin Police Department, and Conservation Officers responded to the scene. First responders transported Medvetsky out of the woods by way of a Berlin FD side-by-side to an awaiting ambulance. Due to the nature of the injury, she was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

Berlin – Shortly after 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2019, a man and a woman sustained serious injuries when they crashed the ATV that they were riding. Emily J. Butland, 28, of Boscawen, NH, was operating an ATV on Moose Road in Jericho State Park, with her passenger Adam Deane, 32, of Boscawen, NH, when the incident occurred. Butland was traveling westbound when she lost control of the ATV and drove off a large embankment into a small stream, striking a boulder.

Members of their riding party came to their aid, lifting the machine upright, freeing Butland and Deane and assisting them back to the side of the trail. Members of the party placed a call 911 for help. Upon receiving word of the incident, Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, Berlin Police Department, and Conservation Officers responded to the scene. Due to the nature of their injuries and the severity of crash, they were transported by ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Operator and passenger were wearing helmets; inexperience is considered the primary cause of the crash."

S&R costs are a small fraction of the F&G budget as is clear in posts above. We all love the woods. Best not to bicker over who's paying for whom IMO.

 

[CaptCaper]

The $1 surcharge paid by OHRV registrations may not even cover the S&R costs for OHRV accidents. There were two more Saturday that F&G was involved in. It's not just hikers, folks. There are quite a few ATV rescues as well.

"Conservation Officers Respond to Two Separate OHRV Crashes Saturday

Berlin – At about 10:40 A.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2019, a woman sustained serious injuries when she was involved in an ATV rollover. Cheryl Medvetsky, 61, of Monson, MA was traveling on Erik’s Way in Jericho State Park with a group of friends when she slowly rolled her ATV while attempting to navigate very difficult terrain. Members of her riding party immediately rushed to her aid and placed a call to 911. While first responders were in route to the scene of the crash, her friends escorted her out of Erik’s Way to Pipeline Trail where medical personnel could easily find her.

Upon receiving word of the incident, Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, Berlin Police Department, and Conservation Officers responded to the scene. First responders transported Medvetsky out of the woods by way of a Berlin FD side-by-side to an awaiting ambulance. Due to the nature of the injury, she was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

Berlin – Shortly after 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2019, a man and a woman sustained serious injuries when they crashed the ATV that they were riding. Emily J. Butland, 28, of Boscawen, NH, was operating an ATV on Moose Road in Jericho State Park, with her passenger Adam Deane, 32, of Boscawen, NH, when the incident occurred. Butland was traveling westbound when she lost control of the ATV and drove off a large embankment into a small stream, striking a boulder.

Members of their riding party came to their aid, lifting the machine upright, freeing Butland and Deane and assisting them back to the side of the trail. Members of the party placed a call 911 for help. Upon receiving word of the incident, Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, Berlin Police Department, and Conservation Officers responded to the scene. Due to the nature of their injuries and the severity of crash, they were transported by ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Operator and passenger were wearing helmets; inexperience is considered the primary cause of the crash."

S&R costs are a small fraction of the F&G budget as is clear in posts above. We all love the woods. Best not to bicker over who's paying for whom IMO.

I don't believe you've said this. Speculation for one and it's a fact hikers don't pay their share for their burden they cost. Many ATV's also hunt,fish and snowmachine. Fact still remains hikers don't pay the costs they give us. Couple that with AMC's tax free status.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Couple that with AMC's tax free status.

Curious what AMC's tax status has to do with SAR funding?

 

[egilbe]

Curious what AMC's tax status has to do with SAR funding?

Well, if they paid state taxes to NH, that's more money to the state, right? I'm pretty sure the AMC has too much money to spend foolishly after the new logo was unveiled.

 

[Raven]

I don't believe you've said this. Speculation for one and it's a fact hikers don't pay their share for their burden they cost. Many ATV's also hunt,fish and snowmachine. Fact still remains hikers don't pay the costs they give us. Couple that with AMC's tax free status.

No speculation here, Cap'n.

I'll dig up last year's numbers given some time. I've got the figures on ATV accidents from 2018.

As my HS math teacher said, "figures don't lie, but liars figure."

Your post is tremendous.

 

[peakbagger]

Yes, its over and was reportedly quite successful for the local economy. Local groups and vendors have come up with various activities to fill the summer and into fall weekends but this is it for major events this year. There was a fall event sponsored by one of the major ATV makers for a couple of years but it shifted somewhere else.

 

[Andrew]

Need a new name or a new agency

if you see any ATV enthusiasts maybe you should thank them.
their yearly OHRV registration fees pay for the bulk of the hiker 'rescues'
($104 for non residents)

I resurrect this not to debate or denigrate anyone's perspective stated through this thread- but post here since it has an excellent foundation of information for thought on what is driving me crazy over the past few days.

It's really unfortunate that our Conservation Officers valuable time has to be spent on patrolling this use at the expense of attention to wildlife issues.

Our neighbor brought us a newly fledged American kestrel late Friday afternoon that had been caught up in a hockey net in their yard. Since their barnyard is very active with dogs, cats, goats, horses, and chickens, he thought it prudent to bring to our yard to release and monitor. The bird sat in our lawn for awhile until it feebly flew to a low perch at forests edge, but 3 hours later the bird had not moved and let me walk right up and place my hand under its feet. As it was dark now and a storm expected- I wanted to put it in a place where it could be more protected and under cover (an empty phoebe nest). Come morning the bird was standing on the ground and I felt I had to take it in and was now concerned about it needing to eat. After some research we have spent the past 30 hours harvesting an oddly abundant crop of grasshoppers from our lawn/meadow to feed to the very appreciative bird.

Since yesterday morning we have spoke to or attempted to connect with 7 different (private/volunteer/donation funded) permitted wildlife rehabbers spanning from Twin Mt. to VINS to Henniker NH trying to get transport for this little guy to some help, with the only option for us to drive nearly 6 hours round trip to Henniker, which is not in the cards for us.

So here is the point- NHF&G CO's typically run relays between private citizens, other state officials, and rehabbers to coordinate transport- especially since they are often moving between areas anyways. So we left messages with officers who never heard them since they were out of range on ATV trails in Coos (eventually got an apologetic return call after supper yesterday), and no return call from our assigned area CO on a non-emergency call through dispatch. While we were trying to make these contacts we kept saying to ourselves..."...I'm sure they are just tied up with ATV patrols (was in the end the case).

It's just a shame that this is our state wildlife agency and the officers can't give priority to wildlife issues, and ATV's suck up so much time that would be better handled fully by another agency geared toward this whatever it is that relates to "Conservation".

As an aside I remember one very late night at Monadnock when we were already exhausted from searching many hours for a lost hiker and were regrouping and planning the next move over topo maps. The sergeant looked at me and asked "where should we look next." I looked at him and said "You tell me, you're supposed to be in charge of this stuff." He gave me a defeated look and said "Andrew, I graduated college with a wildlife management degree....and here I am doing my best with this stuff." (paraphrased).

Meanwhile calls and connections were made between the rehabbers network (bless them!), and a plan has come together for us to meet someone in Twin today and relay the bird to Henniker along with another new patient.

So I wish they were not even dependent on this ATV money so we could get them back to their real jobs, but I know state agencies often have to follow the funding.