Vermont

BETHEL, Vt. — A Vermont state trooper is recovering after being knocked down by an all-terrain vehicle he was trying to stop.

State police say Trooper Paul Feeney walked up to the ATV Friday morning in Bethel and tried to stop it for operating on a public highway. After he told the driver to turn the vehicle off, the man drove away, knocking the officer down.

Dave Gram

Advocates for the elderly worry about changes in Medicaid funding for nursing homes, environmentalists say state park land would be sold too easily and regional planners say they can't be rushed into a merger with economic development offices.

Those are among the complaints being voiced about a package of efforts to trim the state budget dubbed "Challenges for Change."

I just read the "Happy trails" editorial about the ATV controversy on state lands (Jan. 12). There is a common assumption by those advocating for ATV use on public property that somehow because they pay a tax that gives them a right to tear up state lands and disturb the solitude of other people with their machines. Proponents are disingenuous when they use the well -worn argument that because a machine is banned, one can't access public lands.

Public lands are open to all people — just not to all their machines. One can hike, ski, snowshoe, bike, boat, sail, even drive a vehicle on open roads designed for traffic.

Daniel Barlow

BARRE TOWN – Three of the five Democratic candidates for governor tried Saturday to woo what has recently become a political focus in Vermont: ATV riders.

Sens. Susan Bartlett, Doug Racine and Peter Shumlin, all Democrats hoping to be elected Vermont's next governor in November, met with more than 100 members of the Vermont All Terrain Vehicle Sportsman's Association at the group's annual meeting at the Canadian Club in Barre Town.

The meeting comes while the Vermont Legislature is in a battle with Gov. James Douglas' administration over a new state rule that would allow limited ATV use of state-owned lands. It's a rule that is strongly supported by ATV owners and riders and strongly opposed by environmental groups.

That had some of the Democratic candidates trying to straddle the line between populist recreation and environmental conservation.

"In every sport, there are people who are idiots," said Bartlett, who represents Lamoille County. "The biggest problem for any of these sports is, how do you manage these idiots? Because it's this 1 percent, these idiots, who are making you look bad."

Bartlett and Racine both said they are open to the idea of some state land being used to connect private ATV trails. Striving to find some common ground, the two senators said there are bad apples in the ATV crowd who ruin the reputation of the whole sport. They were also critical of the route taken by the Douglas administration to enact the new rule, which kicks in, on a trial basis, later this month.

"I believe that Vermont lands should be open to all Vermonters," said Racine, who represents Chittenden County. "If we can begin the discussion from that point of view, I think we can figure out this situation."

But Shumlin, the Senate president pro tem from Windham County, staked out a strong – and unpopular, with this crowd – position.

"I don't support the new rule," Shumlin said. "I have an ATV. I understand the joy of the sport. But it doesn't take many people not following the rules to turn the public off."

Shumlin said allowing ATVs to use public lands is a divisive issue. Vermont should look to what other states such as New Hampshire have done, he said. And ATV riders will need to prove they can be good caretakers of these lands by continuing to do what they have done: Build up responsible local ATV groups, sign up members, and ensure that all riders know that riding is a privilege, not a right.

"Let's find a solution that doesn't divide us," Shumlin said. "I know this isn't what you would like to hear, but at least you will never wonder where exactly I stand."

Shumlin's position was not greeted kindly. Danny Hale, the ATV association's executive director, said it was "extremely disappointing." A woman named Anna told Shumlin that she was "very disappointed" in him. But Ernie Pappas, a member of the Tri-County ATV Club, noted that "just because someone owns an ATV, it doesn't mean they have to agree with us."

"Let's not pick on him," Pappas said. "At least he is honest."

All three Democrats said they disagreed with how the Douglas administration is bringing this rule change. Bartlett said legal counsel for the Legislature has said the state does not have the right to push through the change without legislation. She said ATV riders are caught in the middle in a power struggle between lawmakers and the governor.

"You are innocent bystanders in this squabble," she said.

Racine said Vermont's system of managing snowmobile usage on public land works well. He said ATV riders should be given the opportunity to show the rest of the state that they can responsibly use the land.

"We've seen how this can work," he said. "It ought to work the same way for you and your sport."

Jonathan Wood, the secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the man who has pushed the rule change allowing limited ATV use on public lands, denied that he is overstepping his authority. Attorneys working for the state have told him he is within his rights to increase access, he said.

He got a standing ovation from the crowd when he stood to speak.

"I appreciate that, but I'm just doing my job," he said.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Deb Markowitz, Vermont's secretary of state, and Matt Dunne, a former state senator, did not attend Saturday's meeting, nor did Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, a Republican who is also running for governor.

Daniel Barlow

BARRE TOWN – Three of the five Democratic candidates for governor tried Saturday to woo what has recently become a political focus in Vermont: ATV riders.

Sens. Susan Bartlett, Doug Racine and Peter Shumlin, all Democrats hoping to be elected Vermont's next governor in November, met with more than 100 members of the Vermont All Terrain Vehicle Sportsman's Association at the group's annual meeting at the Canadian Club in Barre Town.

MONTPELIER — Over the objections of lawmakers, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has adopted a rule to allow all-terrain vehicles on state land.

The rule quietly put in place this week, less than a month after a legislative rules committee formally objected to it, allows the agency to approve up to three trails across state land to link existing trail networks on private land.

ATVs are not allowed on Vermont public lands. A proposed rule change to enable the designation of ATV routes on state forests, parks, wildlife management areas and other state lands was introduced by the state Agency of Natural Resources. This proposed change allows ATVs because it is difficult to control them. Citizens submitted about 2,000 comments, which ran four to one against this ruling. The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, a bipartisan committee, reviewed documents of the Agency of Natural Resources public comments and considered whether the ATV rule conformed to proper administrative procedures. In December, the committee ruled 7-0 against the agency.

John Dillon

(Host) Governor Jim Douglas says his administration will brush aside legislative opposition and allow all terrain vehicles to use state land.

The administration's plan could face a legal challenge.

VPR's John Dillon reports:

Dave Gram

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Vermont legislative committee voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose rules drafted by the Douglas administration to allow limited use of all-terrain vehicles on state lands.

The committee vote was nonbinding and the state Agency of Natural Resources is expected to put the rule into effect anyway. But the decision will make it easier for opponents to challenge the rule in court.