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ATV News
A big THANK YOU
The Androscoggin Valley ATV Club would like
to send a big thank you to Jay Holmes of Gorham NH, for his generous
donation of a tow behind mower. With a little work from our trail
masters, it was cleaned up and working perfectly. It will be a big help
out on trails for the coming years. We will be able to cut some of the
grass that grows a long the trails. So a big THANK YOU to Jay...
Wingzilla
Well
we did not win first place, but we had a great time. We met a lot of
great people and ate some great food. We want to thank everybody for
helping making this happen. We also want to congratulate the Berlin Fire
Department for their first place win...Nice job. Here are some of the pictures of the Wingzilla event.
What is Wingzilla you ask, it is an all-day fun occasion you and your family won’t want to miss. This grand event is being presented in collaboration with the Berlin NH Fire Fighters Association. Wingzilla is a Barbeque Chicken Wing Cook-Off Competition and “Luck of the Draw” Horse Shoe Tournament! Cash prizes awarded to the winners of both competitions! Come, enjoy the show and tantalize your taste buds with BBQ Chicken Wings as you’ve never experienced. Enjoy discounted Androscoggin River Boat Tours all day!
The
Androscoggin Valley ATV Club is entering the Wingzilla contest this
year. So come and have some wings and enjoy the day. The date is June 18th, 2011 and the gates open up at 10 am. The club will also have some tee-shirts on sale and memberships will be available too.
For this year's event, and with the great work of the Northern Forest Heritage Park, the City of Berlin is allowing ATV's, UTV's & Dirt Bike to ride to the park. Just follow Hutchins St north, pass Success Pond Road to Bridge St, take a left and go across the foot bridge. The gates will allow a UTV's to pass. At the end of the bridge, take a left onto Main St (Route 16) and the park is the first driveway on the left. You are allowed to park in the parking lot across from the VFW. We will be putting up signs, so just follow them.
This is a great fun filled family event. Please come by and support your ATV club. All monies won or raise will back into supporting the club and the trails.
Update: There is a parade of ATV's starting at Noon time on June 18th, 2011 starting from the city parking lot next to City Hall. If you are interested in taking part of this parade, please meet at 11:30 am. THe Berlin PD will have there ATV's leading the parade to the Wingzilla event. See you all there...
For this year's event, and with the great work of the Northern Forest Heritage Park, the City of Berlin is allowing ATV's, UTV's & Dirt Bike to ride to the park. Just follow Hutchins St north, pass Success Pond Road to Bridge St, take a left and go across the foot bridge. The gates will allow a UTV's to pass. At the end of the bridge, take a left onto Main St (Route 16) and the park is the first driveway on the left. You are allowed to park in the parking lot across from the VFW. We will be putting up signs, so just follow them.
This is a great fun filled family event. Please come by and support your ATV club. All monies won or raise will back into supporting the club and the trails.
Update: There is a parade of ATV's starting at Noon time on June 18th, 2011 starting from the city parking lot next to City Hall. If you are interested in taking part of this parade, please meet at 11:30 am. THe Berlin PD will have there ATV's leading the parade to the Wingzilla event. See you all there...
Ice Golf Tourney set for March 5th
BERLIN — Preparations for the 2011 Auger Open Ice Golf Championship are now in full swing. On Saturday, March 5, golf enthusiasts from near and far grab their clubs and head to the frozen Jericho Lake in Berlin, for an 18-hole round like no other.
Now in its third year, the Auger Open was started by a group of friends who played ice golf for the first time back in 2009. Realizing how much fun it was they started preparations for a similar tournament in Berlin. The decision was also made to have the tournament serve as a charity fundraiser with all proceeds donated to those in need in our community.
The Auger Open Committee has announced that this years proceeds will be donated to the Berlin & Coos County Historical Society.
The tournament has been backed by the overwhelming support of many businesses, volunteers and sponsors. With the sport growing each year, organizers anticipate a full field of players once again on March 5.
The ice golfing course was originally setup as a 9-hole course, but has since grown to a full 18-holes that sprawls along the perimeter of Jericho Lake. The format is two-person teams, best-ball scramble. Tournament officials and volunteers shuttle the teams out to their respective starting holes via snow machines as players wait for the shotgun start.
The tournament committee is asking that people do not ice fish on the lake between February 25 and March 5. The ice fishing holes create hidden hazards for the golfers and also create holes for water to come up through as the ice settles which creates wet/slushy areas on the ice.
In addition, there will be NO ATV's or snowmachines allowed on the ice during the tournament.
Anyone who would like to make a donation or volunteer can contact organizers through the tournament web site www.augeropen.com.
Feb 25th, 2011
We recieved this through NHOHVA and would like to pass it along to you. As this really doesn't effect the Jericho Mountain State Park and the Success Trails, you might want to be aware of it if you have tracks on your ATV for winter riding. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me and I will try and get an answer for you, thanks dan.malone@ne.rr.com
SUBJECT: Tracked ATV Discussion
The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify the position of the Law Enforcement Division related to the operation of Tracked ATV's and ensure that all officers and staff are consistent with how these questions are answered and how situations are enforced. Many of you have received calls or encountered Tracked ATV's in the field. A Tracked ATV is a typical 4-wheeled ATV that has had the tires and rims removed and replaced with 4 individual belted tracks and in some cases two tracks on the rear wheels and two skis up front. I have had several discussions with Bureau of Trails staff, NHFG licensing staff, NHSA and the County Directors to garner their input. All organizations involved continue to receive calls from the public regarding where these machines can operate.
Based upon the need to ensure that we respect landowner's wishes, a review of the applicable definitions, laws, rules and related follow up discussions, the Law Enforcement Division's position on this issue is as follows:
- A Tracked ATV can only operate on trails approved/open to winter ATV use. If they wish to operate on other snowmobile trails they can only do so with written landowner permission.
- We must be cognizant of landowners that granted approval for a snowmobile trail but did not authorize ATV's. We do not want to blindside any landowners who may not want these tracked machines on their land. As an example, PSNH does not allow ATV's or Tracked ATV's to operate on their land. (They don't allow snowmobile clubs to use them for maintenance or grooming either) We have at least two other reports of landowners who will close their land if Tracked ATV's were allowed.
- We are not allowing a Tracked ATV to register as a "snowmobile" with a "snowmobile registration" (we recognize that some of these machines do meet the definition of a snowmobile). We will continue to register an ATV with an ATV/Other registration to ensure proper accounting in our licensing office and continue with our long standing practice of registering a vehicle for its originally manufactured purpose.
- In many cases, a Tracked ATV does meet the statutory definition of a "snowmobile" but to allow them to register as a snowmobile would infer that operation on snowmobile trails is authorized. This is not so.
- Most DRED properties that have maintained snowmobile trails allow winter ATV use on snowpack (Pawtuckaway, etc). Therefore, Tracked ATV's are legal.
- NHFG WMA's with approved snowmobile trails will allow Tracked ATV's on snowpack.
- Most of the DRED operated rail trails that are funded with federal dollars do not allow for summer or winter ATV use. Therefore, Tracked ATV's are illegal. If you are not sure about the rail trail in your patrol area, contact the Bureau of Trails or call me and I will get clarification.
- Many paper company lands in northern NH have lease agreements with DRED. These lands do allow for ATV use in the contract language. Therefore, Tracked ATV's are legal.
- We are reviewing landowner issues and what regulatory changes would be needed to appropriately account for their use on the snowmobile trails (ie. paying the additional fee associated with the snowmobile registration.) If and when the decision is made to address their use on snowmobile trails.
- Registered Tracked ATV's can operate on frozen public water bodies.
In closing, the purpose of this memorandum is to get the word out to all conservation officers and staff that encounter these Tracked ATV issues to ensure consistency and accuracy of information. Conservation Officers and other law enforcement officers are asked to use a great deal discretion when encountering tracked ATV's on the trail. Many of these operators have been given conflicting information from a variety of sources. I ask that you document the contact with a written warning so that we can keep a track record. This will also provide for an operator history in the event of repeat offenses.
March 1st, 2011
Club's Guest Book
We are experiencing a lot of problems with our Guest Book Page. We are receiving a lot of bad entries, so the Guest Book has been shut down for the time being, we are very sorry about that. Please e-mail us with any comments or suggestions at info@avatvclub.org or you can post items at the forum, http://greatnorthwoods.proboards.com/index.cgi
Feb 12, 2011
City Trail Connector
Attention all riders, effective December 3rd, 2010, the City Connector Trail is CLOSED
for riding. All the trails at Jericho Mountain State Park and Success
Trails are still open. There is ample parking at both locations. The
City Connector Trail will re-open on or about May 23rd, 2011. The City of Berlin, Berlin PD and the Androscoggin Valley ATV Club want to THANK all those for riding into the City of Berlin.
New Terrain Opens at Jericho Mountain State Park
(Concord, NH) The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation’s Bureau of Trails announced today that ten more miles of trails have opened Jericho Mountain State Park. The new terrain consists of three new loop trails on the northern parcel of the park, near Head Pond. These trails will offer elevation changes, views and exciting riding. One of the new loops has a section with a 150’ bridge over wetlands.
“We are excited to add new terrain as these trails expand the riding at Jericho to over 65 miles,” said Chris Gamache, Bureau of Trails Chief. “Prior to this expansion, most riding was concentrated to one section, now the riding is throughout the park.”
Located in Berlin, Jericho Mountain State Park is the newest state park in New Hampshire. The park was originally purchased with the goal of providing more Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle (OHRV) riding. The majority of funding for the purchase of this park was from OHRV registrations.
The park offers a day-use area with a beach for swimming, pavilion and boat launch. The park is known for the 65 miles of OHRV trails that have been developed since the state acquired the park. The Bureau is in the process of building a new Visitor’s Center that will house visitor information, restrooms, offices and storage.
center for Jericho park
BERLIN — The planning stage is underway to construct a visitors’ center at Jericho Mountain State Park through a partnership
with the Berlin High School’s Career and Technical Education program. The C.T.E. program recently signed the
agreements to partner with the Division of Resources and Economic Development and the Bureau of Trails to construct the
visitors’ center at the park for next school year’s student project. Construction for the project is set to begin in the fall once the
students return to school. “The partnership between the Bureau of
Trails and the Career and Technical Center will provide students with an opportunity to give back to the community while they
learn the technical skills of the trade,” said C.T.E. Director Roland
Pinette. “It seems like a win- win for each of the programs,” said Chief Chris Gamache, of the trails bureau. From the state’s perspective, Gamache said the project was attractive because it gets the local community more involved with the park. He added it also helps the state since it likes to do as much
work with local people as possible. Gamache said it’s great to get the kids involved with the park, and a goal of the state is to involve the community in its parks, especially since outdoor recreation is critical to the economic future in the region.
“Construction of a visitor center at Jericho Mountain State Park
supports the city’s mission to promote outdoor recreation in Berlin,”
said Pinette. “We are pleased to be working with the state to advance economic development in the region.” Normally, the students build a single-family home as its project. Pinette said when the school solicited project proposals, the
state submitted the visitors’ center as an idea. He said he felt the project was a chance for the students to give back to the community, and decided to accept the project. Two classes would work on the project, and each class has about 14 students enrolled.
Pinette said the visitors’ center would offer the same building experience as a home, so it’s an equivalent learning experience.
“It’s good for the community and it’s good for the kids,” said Pinette. Gamache said this is a unique project since it would create a visitors’ center at the largest park with trails systems for off highway recreational vehicles in the state. The tentative plans for the building would be a two- story building. Based on the placement of the building, either story would be at ground level since it would be built on a hill. Gamache said the first floor
would be the visitor’s information center as well as offices, and bottom floor would mostly be storage and a garage area.
By building the center themselves, the students would take
pride in the project, said Gamache. He added when they return to the park, they’ll be able to look at the center said tell people they built it. “Many of our students are avid riders,” said Pinette. “Involving them in this endeavor will build pride and a sense community.” The park reopens for the spring on May 23 after closing during mud season, and Gamache said he hopes to have a small ribbon cutting for the visitors’ center.
November 2010:
The Androscoggin Valley ATV Club has joined the New Hampsre Off Highway Vehicle Association(NHOHVA). This group is the main voice at the state level. It speaks on-behalf of all OHVA riders in regards to pending legislation while these laws are being made in Concord. For more information, please visit their website at www.nhohva.org. If you have any questions about NHOHVA at info@avatvclub.org
