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.....AND ACTION!
New Hampshire Trail Facts and how they affect us all.
September 2003 - The New Hampshire Musher's Association has been very busy this summer getting
organized, gathering information and setting up lines of communication with
mushers, the State Bureau of Trails and the NH Snowmobile Association. We are
now registered as an official state non-profit organization, which positions us
to be an advocate for all mushers who use NH trails. You can follow our progress
and projects here on our website.
Now it is time to get out there and train, and we need to start sharing what we
know. On August 23, historic Chinook Kennels in Wonalancet, NH hosted our first
group meeting which was attended by 40 people from all over New England! It was
great fun and super to have such a cross section of dog drivers. We consider
mushers to be anyone who participates in a dog-powered sport. We are all equally
important, as we all use the trails. At the meeting our NHMA president, Tom
Dimaggio, outlined some short term goals for the organization which included
finding out where people train around the state and getting a good sense of
present and potential trail access and use problems in these areas. This
information will allow the club to use now-established contacts and
relationships to help properly address each issue.
Amidst the great food and company, there was also a lot of discussion about what
our rights actually are on winter snowmobile trails. Everyone seems to have a
different opinion and if we are going to work as a group to address present and
potential problems on the snowmobile trails that so many of us rely on, we need
to know the facts.
Here are a few:
Fact #1: The right to run your dogteam on your own property is guaranteed under
the constitution of the State of New Hampshire. Access to any other property,
anywhere in the state is a privilege.
Fact #2: Motorized training rigs are not allowed on federal land without special permission, even
when used for dog training.
Fact #3: The State Bureau of Trails is not an advocate for any individual sport
but a resource for all. They are providing the NHMA and other advocacy groups
with good information on how to interact with individual landowners and the NH
Snowmobile Association.
Fact #4: State Corridor Snowmobile trails are not necessarily on state
property. Eighty five percent of the 6959 miles of snowmobile trails in NH are
on private property.
Fact #5: Each local snowmobile club has obtained written permission from every
landowner for winter use by snowmobiles and through the State of NH provides
each landowner with 2 million dollars worth of liability insurance for their
section of trail.
Fact #6: Snowmobile clubs are funded in a number of ways. Their own fund
raising efforts, The Grant -In- Aid Program (State) and the Recreation Trails
Fund (Federal). The Rec Trails Fund provides clubs and agencies with federal
funds collected from sales of gas to off-road motorized vehicles. Grants are
also available for maintenance of trails. Thirty percent of the state grants
budget is awarded for motorized vehicle use, 30% for non-motorized vehicle use
and 40% for multiple use. Many snowmobile clubs apply for these multiple use
funds and would welcome their local mushers' help in documenting their trail
use.
Fact #7: Local snowmobile clubs maintain their trails strictly through the
efforts of volunteers.
Well, if you are following me on this you're getting some ideas on how we few
mushers can start to fit into this huge puzzle. It can't be about forcing anyone
to let us do what we want, it is about becoming part of the big picture and
developing a group reputation of being helpful, courteous and resourceful
neighbors. It's as easy as joining your local snowmobile club, spending a
weekend or two in the woods working on a trail, cooking chicken at the
fundraiser barbecue, helping to write a multiple use grant or even taking your
turn on the groomer. Oh, and attitude counts too. This isn't about changing
them; it is about changing their perception of us, which will make them want to
be courteous and careful.
There is so much more to discuss on this topic and there will be a chance to get
involved and hear this in more detail and discuss concerns at the Down East Sled
Dog Club's Fall Trade show. But simply stated, we are not in the driver's seat.
If we as mushers are perceived by the snowmobile community as a threat to their
trail access, it would take a mere hours to have us banned. Be realistic, get
involved, make friends and most importantly have fun!
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