No replies to this topic

[Bigfoot]

Closed snowmachine trail angers Lewis

by Paul Lefebvre - The Chronicle

MONTPELIER — The recent closure of the main snowmobile trail between Derby and Norton has local and state officials scrambling to find an alternative route over state land.
Representative Bob Lewis of Derby said Tuesday he was upset with the reluctance of the state officials to allow snowmachines to travel across state land where a deer yard is located.
“We have trails that go through deer yards now,” he said. “No problem.”
The problem arose in November when a Norton landowner closed off the trail that ran across his land. And Representative Lewis, a former game warden, thinks the boondoggle has gone on long enough.
“It’s time to sort it out,” he said.
Local negotiations for the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) are being handled by Ray Dubreuil of Canaan, who is the Essex County director on the VAST board.
Reached Tuesday evening, Mr. Dubreuil said he was hesitant to discuss the problem until after he meets with state officials later this month.
The state land in question is the Black Tern Brook State Forest that is located in Norton along the Coaticook River. The land is the former site of Earth People’s Park, a sixties style commune that was confiscated by federal authorities following a police bust for marijuana cultivation.
Both the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation have been involved in trying to find a solution. Among the problems the sides have encountered is internal indecision and poor communication within VAST.
In an e-mail last week, Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Pat Berry said there has been “a lack of clarity” among the local clubs over who is in charge. The commissioner also noted there has been no follow-up to his suggestion to study the trail situation from a larger picture, as opposed to looking at it piecemeal.
Lack of snow has mitigated the financial impact the trail closure would likely have had on places like the Norton Restaurant or a snowmachine dealer in Derby.
Still, the state has expressed strong opposition to allowing a major snowmachine trail to go through Black Tern Brook State Park.
In a report to Commissioner Berry last month, Lou Bushey of Forests, Parks and Recreation said there was confusion among local club representatives over where the trail would go once it left Black Tern Park.
And while he noted that the area “has numerous wetland issues,” he said the park’s stewardship team believed that Black Term was not appropriate for a trail “because of the conflict with the deer wintering area.”
Representative Lewis said Tuesday he plans to meet with state officials this week to discuss the situation.
Sounding frustrated, he said if the state failed to meet him half way, he would withdraw his support for increasing the Fish and Wildlife Department’s budget by roughly $1-million.