NORTHFIELD — On clear days when the 1,300 acres now owned by the state was controlled by Northfield Mount Hermon School, residents like Barry Bordner would drive into the woods on all-terrain vehicles.
However, when the property and its 27 miles of trails was turned over to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation in July, that tradition ended, in keeping with regulations governing use of most DCR land.
ATVs are permitted at eight state forests in the southeastern and westernmost parts of Massachusetts. Five of those only allow all-terrain dirt bikes but not four-wheelers, and with the exception of Tolland State Forest, all riders must obtain a riding permit in advance.
With the 1,300 acres becoming part of Northfield State Forest where ATV use is prohibited, local ATV owners like Bordner are complaining because they are left having to drive an hour and a half or more to use their vehicles on any state-owned property.
“I resent the fact that the state is coming in and removing that right,” Bordner said of operating ATVs on the Northfield property, during a recent meeting with a state official about Northfield trails. “It was never denied.”
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Hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobilers and equestrians are all welcome in Northfield State Forest. The property is also open to hunting.
Amanda Lewis, a state recreation trails program coordinator, explained that one of reason the state limits ATV use is the erosion the vehicles create on the trails.
“I’m out there trying to repair those trails constantly,” Lewis said of the properties where ATVs are allowed.
However, Bordner’s dissatisfaction with state regulations is a localized example of a broader discussion. One year ago, Massachusetts resident Nick Sommer began a Change.org petition to open more public ATV trails. Since then, the petition has garnered more than 7,500 signatures, with a goal of 10,000.
Sommer explains on Change.org that he has had to pay $750 in fines for riding an ATV on public land.
“The state is not doing its part in providing enough safe space for outdoor recreational use for all of its residents,” Sommer argues. “As riders and residents of Massachusetts, we need to propose the state do something about this. Riding ATVs and dirt bikes should not be considered a crime! There is a need to have more legal places to ride!”
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Sommer also believes state officials should consider allowing ATVs in state forests where only dirt bikes are permitted now, giving ATV riders more options.