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[Bigfoot]

Officials Hear Pro-Reciprocity Comments at Trails Discussion

By Claire Lynch

More than 50 people turned out for an informational meeting in Lancaster last Thursday night, concerning ATV registration reciprocity between New Hampshire and Vermont. Regardless of opinions on ATV riding in general, the crowd was clearly in favor of the sport's economic value on both sides of the river.

Public hearings will be held on this issue in the future, said N.H. Fish & Game executive director Glenn Normandeau, having learned on Tuesday that he would be unable to bypass the rule-making process to reinstate registration reciprocity between the two states. Following the hearings--one of which will be held in the North Country, he said--the issue will go before the Joint Legislative Committee on Legislative Rules.

Differing rules in each state caused a removal of the registration reciprocity, explained Chris Gamache of the N.H Trails Bureau. "We have a different system, but it works almost the same," he said. New Hampshire registration fees also include money that is turned back to the clubs for trail maintenance, while in Vermont, the fees are separate, he said.

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner Robert Ide explained that there is a small registration fee, but riders must also pay a separate $45 fee to be part of a local club, which ensures trail maintenance. It is this separate fee that is at issue, Mr. Gamache said, and in order for true reciprocity, there must be some leniency on the additional fees.

Vermont Representative Janice Peaslee, who also attended the meeting, said she has introduced legislation to allow New Hampshire riders to travel up to three miles into Vermont to reach services such as fuel and restaurants, but it may have to be modified for broader allowances. The current proposal would assist northern towns bordering Bloomfield, Canaan and Beecher Falls, Mr. Gamache said.

Both he and Fish & Game Capt. John Wimsatt agreed that New Hampshire does not get a fair deal in the situation with Vermont.

"This past winter we did have a deal with Vermont to have a three-day reciprocity in January, but we'd still like them to have the discussion of waiving the trail access pass and recognizing the New Hampshire registration," he said. In Maine, where reciprocity was rescinded several years ago, the rules are also starting to improve, Mr. Gamache said; "Maine has now passed a law which allows them to have a three-day reciprocity with us also."

Clubs represented at the meeting included those from Pittsburg, Stratford, Berlin, Littleton, Haverhill and Claremont. "I was surprised that there were that many people in the room, all of them looking for the same thing," Mr. Gamache said. "They all want to help the local communities and the economy."

In Stratford, the impact of non-reciprocity has already hit home, according to Burns Truck Stop and Grand Ole' Lodge owner Ted Burns, who said that his business has been reduced by 80 percent. "We used to fill our lodge four times all summer long, and now I don't think we had three people all summer," he said.

The North Country ATV Club, of which Mr. Burns is a board member, has also seen losses. At one time the club had a membership of more than 3,000, with 1,200 coming from Vermont, he. "Now there's less than 400 from Vermont overall," he said.

From 2007 to 2010, fewer than 200 Vermont riders have registered in New Hampshire, Mr. Burns said, calling the figures "peanuts" to the state budget. "We gained zero registrations when we came up with this decision to remove reciprocity," he said.

Commissioner Ide explained that his department does not cover ATVs, and that he would report the results of Thursday's meeting to his governor and Fish & Wildlife Department. "Vermont was very happy with the relationship that we had with had with New Hampshire, and we're disappointed that it ever went away," he said.

He expressed surprise at the number of people who feel that snowmobiles and ATVs should be treated the same as automobiles, where a single registration is purchased and covers travel in any state. "I have heard the arguments that we don't do things this way with boats or cars, but those are completely different issues that don't involve trail maintenance," Mr. Gamache observed.

According to Mr. Normandeau, it will be at least two weeks before his department does anything else with the issue. "I am not fully versed on where we stand with the whole business," he explained on Tuesday, stating that the feedback from the Lancaster meeting would be taken to the Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday, September 21. "We will be working to get it together, but we didn't make any promises on the outcome."