New Hampshire - Jericho Mountain 4x4 trails

[HummBebe]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=577704

NH Trails Bureau Meeting
Scott Hatch
05/03/2007

This was a very productive meeting with Bill Gegas who is the motorized program specialist. Steve Nordby, Jay Ghelli, and I attended as the North East Association of 4WD Club (NEA4WDC) reps, and Marc Pouliot, President of Team PoorX4 in Berlin & his Vice President. Marc's club will be the managing club for the Jericho Mountain State Park 4x4 trails, when and if they get developed, and their club will also be joining the NEA4WDC.

Most importantly, the NH Trails Bureau supports our endeavors of 4x4 access and has laid the steps to gain access on Jericho Mountain State Park and to develop a sticker program for NH.

The first step for all motorized users at this point is the passing of NH Senate Bill 143, which is being stalled by the Recreation Committee Chair. This house bill is important as it is removing the coarse and fine filters used for motorized trail development at Jericho Mountain State Park. The Committee Chair is not a friend to motorized users and is doing everything in her power to halt the progress of trail development at Jericho Mountain State Park.

I am asking ALL NH residents to call, mail or email their state representatives. Tell your representative that you support motorized access at Jericho Mountain State Park and request that they support SB 143.

The 2008 Legislative Session will be a busy one for us, as we will be submitting three Amendments to current NH RSAs. The first is directly related to access at Jericho Mountain State Park and the second two will be used for the development of a 4x4 sticker program.

The first Amendment is to NH RSA 215A:43. This Amendment will allow Jericho Mountain State Park to provide access for 4x4’s. This Amendment will only apply to 4x4 access at Jericho Mountain State Park. The NH Trails Bureau will determine the user fees for the park.

The second Amendment is to NH RSA 215A:23. This NH RSA sets the fee structures for the various motorized user stickers and allocates a set amount to the various state agencies as well as land acquisition. This is also used for the Grant In Aid Program.

The third Amendment is to NH RSA 215A:1 Chapter VI and will define a 4x4 for the sticker program.

Finally, the NH Trails Bureau is in the process of revamping their website and 4x4s will be more promanantly displayed, including a link to the NEA4WDC and the NH Member Clubs.

This was a very positive meeting and I think we all left with a sense of hope for our sport. There is a lot of work ahead for us but we have the time, talent, and support to make this happen.

We ended the meeting by setting a date for October 3rd at 9:30am with the NH Trails Bureau to proof the Amendments listed above so they will be set for submission for the 2008 Legislative Session.

[GLBLWARMR]

That is good to see. NH over the past 10-15 years has really been getting silly when it comes to snowmobile and 4x4 trails. The snowmobile association has tried to petition the state to make it illegal for 4 wheelers to ride on their trails during the summer months because they say it RUINS them.