New York

Letter writer Pat Stanley (July 18) is just wrong when stating that ATV trails work well for other states.

A recent paper written by the Sierra Club documents that illegal ATV use has not declined in states that have established ATV trails. In fact, the trails seem to provide a means for ATV riders to gain access to still more places that they don't belong. Massachusetts was forced to close state forest access that it had previously opened to ATV riders because it could not control their bad behavior.

Mike Maciag

MAYVILLE, N.Y. -- A Chautauqua County man found riding his ATV on a roadway Tuesday morning was arrested and charged with driving while impaired.

John T. Hopkins, 37, of Mayville, was driving an all-terrain vehicle on Route 394 when he was stopped by police about 1:20 a.m. An officer determined Hopkins was intoxicated and charged him with driving while intoxicated, operating an ATV on a public roadway and other infractions that were not available this morning.

Olga Hartman

I would like to thank John F. Sheehan for his July 13 letter about ATV riders in the pristine Adirondacks.

There should never be trails built for some people who enjoy racing dangerous ATVs through forests.

Anyone who would like to enjoy nature's beauty in a place like the Adirondacks should be welcome to hike, bicycle and, in wintertime, ski.

Thanks for the story on those poor all-terrain vehicle riders who can't seem to find anyone who loves them ("ATV fans see trails paradise," July 5). It seems no one wants them to build trails in their neighborhoods or on public forest lands in the Adirondack Park. How sad.

ATVs are fine for hauling wood or working a farm. But "recreational" riding has become the scourge of public forests, streams and trails throughout the Adirondacks.

John Sullivan 

BLOOMING GROVE — They tear up people's lawns, shatter the peace with the howl of their motors and show little to no respect for property boundaries, according to town officials.

And now Blooming Grove is cracking down on all-terrain-vehicle users.

Sarah M. Rivette

EVANS MILLS — Spring is here, and that means one thing to residents of Elm Ridge Road in the town of LeRay — more all-terrain vehicles.

"There are wheelers going over 50 miles per hour," said Jeffrey L. Grill, a resident of Elm Ridge Road. "They are concentrated on my road and we don't catch a break."

Russell Drumm

On a Sunday last month, a couple were trotting along a section of the Paumanok Path in the Jacob’s Farm section of Amagansett when a number of motorized all-terrain vehicles, A.T.V.s, came roaring up behind them. The horses were spooked, and so were the riders.

Richard Lupoletti, chairman of the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society’s trails protection project committee, attended the East Hampton Town Board’s work session in Montauk on Tuesday to urge the board to enforce existing laws that prohibit the use of motorized vehicles — dirt bikes, quads, and the like — on land meant for hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers.

Kyle Odegard

IRISH BEND — A gate may be installed at the entrance to Irish Bend Park — northeast of Monroe on the west bank of the Willamette River — to block offroad vehicles that have damaged the scenic spot.

“Right now, it’s drive over the entire resource and go wherever you want,” said Jeff Powers, Benton County Natural Areas and Parks Department director. People have carved roads through the riverside brush and vehicle tracks criss-cross the gravel bar.