All your opinion....cars don't leave trash?
Yes it my opinion but its supported by quite a few regional press reports. You apparently moved into the region from elsewhere so I dont know you experience base with town meeting form of government. Mine is since 1987. My observations on who lives in Stark shouldnt be a big surprise.
Fish and Game personnel have testified in public numerous times about their lack of resources in covering the ATV boom. The trash observations come from similar ATV complaints in the Colebrook area. That area is a little easier to get information on as there still is functioning local newspaper. Stark is a backwater for news with little coverage.
Not sure where there is much contention that there is a lack of local businesses in Stark directly benefiting from the ATV boom As far as I know the closest store is Gordies in West Milan and they have been struggling for a few years. Stop by and take a look at their inventory and its pretty slim.
Talk to any landowner with an ATV trail going through it, trash is an issue as it is in the winter with snowmobiles. Yes motor vehicles owners do generate trash but in far less quantity and tend to concentrate along roads versus in the wood. There are public resources assigned to road side trash removal but the only resources are a very slim volunteer base and the landowner.
So tell me what local pluses do the residents of Stark get with their roads open to ATV traffic did I miss?
I am not opposed to the ATV network in the area as long as the trails are on land that the land owners voluntarily agree to its presence. All the politicians want to claim some of aura of the rapid growth and success of the system, but when it come to a funding needed resources and infrastructure, they dont do so. IMHO, the state of NH is gladly sucking revenues from the room and meals taxes for ATVs as well as the gas taxes and ATV registrations and funneling that revenue to general state expenses while starving the system of needed support. Put in more active education and enforcement of ATV regulations on the network and a lot of the impacts to residents can be mitigated. I think this petition in Stark is the residents only last resort option of having the ATV system thrust upon them. I hope it forces some hard discussion with the state on what can be done to mitigate the impacts residents who are impacted 7 days a week for 6 to 7 months a year. Many were there long before Ride the Wilds existed.
Its not just in Stark, Colebrook residents have had significant issues with ATV road use and the Gorham parking Lot on RT2 and the RT2 corridor has its share of detractors. The unfortunate adjacent landowners to the Gorham lot were assured that a privacy fence would be installed last year to reduce the impact to their homes but to date nothing has been done. Typically when there is public discussion the ATV supporters show up enmasse and generally stifle producutive discussion
