To the Editor:
It pains me to read the shortsighted negative opinions submitted to the opinion column last week by those opposed to the proposed ATV law in the town of Berne.

When are we going to take a breath and stop sensationalizing what, in its simplest form, was a way to solve a problem?

What used to be rural character has been eroded by those who never experienced the rural character I grew up in. Rural life has never meant total peace and quiet. There were tractors, chain saws, drills, and hammers. There were animal sounds, and smells, not always pleasant.

I have lived in my house in East Berne the better part of my almost 64 years. My childhood was spent playing baseball in nearby yards, riding bikes along trails and roads to friends’ houses, and riding snowmobiles and mini bikes (the precursor to today;s dirt bikes) on trails that could take you from Westerlo to Knox, East Berne to West Berne and back.

There were tractors in the fields and along the roads kicking up dust, too, and we were mindful to stay on the trails or along property lines so as not to disturb crops or lawns along the way. As new people have moved in, trails have closed and farms have shut down so trails end in odd places and require navigating along town roads for short distances in order to pick up the next route.

In reality, riders go past and are gone in a minute or two. It may be repeated an hour or so later, but the only reason you would hear it for any extended length of time is if that rider doesn’t have any trail nearby and only has their own land to ride on.

Do you also complain about your neighbor mowing his lawn? Same sound, different vehicle, much longer period of time.

And for those who are against motor sports in general, are you also lamenting our youth spending all their time sitting inside on their phones? What forms of entertainment would you prefer for that preteen? 

We want our young people to enjoy the outdoors, and find adventure in the woods, fields, and streams we are so lucky to have nearby. Riding is fun.

There is danger involved, just as there is for skiing, swimming, boating, and playing football. In New Hampshire, there are towns near miles of trails where you can get a permit to ride along certain roads to get from the restaurants and hotels to the trail heads. The Tug Hill has the same sorts of rules.

A possible compromise could be for the town to also work towards providing areas with trails specific for this purpose with designated rights-of-way to get there and for those with a properly distanced or little used property line to allow a town-maintained trail.

Perhaps add a permit system for residents, with higher fees for out of towners, with the fee helping to offset trail maintenance.

Maureen Abbott

East Berne