Connecticut, the dead zone for ATV riders

 
 

Connecticut's tourism Web site at ctvisit.com brags that the state has 137 state parks, 800 miles of hiking trails and 230 lakes. It boasts of numerous outdoor activities ranging from biking, boating and horseback riding to fishing, golfing and even hot air ballooning. But nowhere does it tout ATV or dirt bike riding.

That's because there is no state land specifically set aside for ATVs or off-road dirt bikes ��” despite the fact the legislature passed a law in 1986 requiring that the Department of Environmental Protection "shall make available" state property for off-road riding.

After 21 years of waiting, the Connecticut Motorsports Business Association is going on the offensive on behalf of dealers and the extremely frustrated off-road riding community.

"We are the only form of transportation that does not have space to ride," said Lewis Davidson of Old Lyme, president of the CMBA, who sent a letter to DEP commissioner Gina McCarthy on November 14 requesting answers to off-road enthusiasts most obvious questions.

In the letter, which D.E.P. acknowledged receiving on Wednesday morning, Davidson diplomatically asked that McCarthy to notify him "as to what land is currently available for such use" and further inquired "��-has any land in Connecticut been designated for such use at any time during the past 21 years?"

Davidson already knows the answers, and so does Jerry Shinners, administrator of the New England Trail Riders Association, who lives in Collinsville. For more on this story please visit www.rep-am.com

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