Trail cutting

[Pittenger5]

You'll get royally fucked in NH if you fuck with wetlands. I'll just let Randy chime in on this...

I meant more with general tomfoolery, not with the wetlands.

[Stoneman]

I meant more with general tomfoolery, not with the wetlands.

Oh, I'm not saying don't do it. You asked what's the worst that could happen.

[RandyO]

You'll get royally fucked in NH if you fuck with wetlands. I'll just let Randy chime in on this...

for trails thare is a fairly simple "trails notification" form

http://des.nh.gov/organization/divis...il_dev_act.doc

well, maybe not that simple, but there simple enuf I have never had a client pay me to do one yet

there is also state matching money to help with trail costs, its normally a 50% match, but today a client of mine told me that there is a 90% first timers match, my client put in his own labor that covered the other 10% it didn't cost him a thing, obviously it would have to be open to public, but you also get covered by the states insurance policy

http://www.nhtrails.org/grants-and-p...n-aid-program/

http://www.nhtrails.org/grants-and-p...rails-program/

[Stoneman]

I don't think Pitty's interested in the RTP grant program. It's my understanding that you'd hafta leave those trails open to the public for a minimum of like, 5 years or some shit. And isn't there a domain issue if you use RTP grant funds to also maintain those same trails?

Opening those trails to the public could really piss off his neighbors, which he seems slightly concerned about...

As for the 'state insurance policy', once again the land would hafta be open for ALL recreational activities. But - and this is a big 'but', the state only covers you up to $2 million. Although they (the state of NH) makes it damn near impossible for someone to sue you once your land is legally filed as 'open for recreational use'. He's also eligible for like a 20% discount on property taxes if he leaves it open. But he's gotta head down to the local town hall & apply...

[Paul_E_D]

Wow, none the less, that's pretty cool.

[Stoneman]

Wow, none the less, that's pretty cool.

Yeah, it is. Our land is currently 'open for recreational use' and half of it's in 'current use'. We pay less than $500/year in taxes for almost 25 acres...

The local ATV club DESPERATELY wants to use RTP grant funds to open & maintain trails on our property as well as to finish our parking area AND upgrade & maintain the half-mile discontinued road to it. Some big hold-ups for us are:

a) They led me to believe that if they use those funds, it'd be almost impossible for me to deny them access for 5 years...

b) If they use the funds for all that and I leave it open to them for over 10 years, I'm under the impression that the state could claim rights to the portion of my property that the trails are on...

c) Opening our property up like that could REALLY piss off some neighbors. Everyone's been pretty friendly so far, and they all know we're gonna be cutting trails out there. Some've already asked permission to ride ATV's, dirtbikes & horses out there. But to leave it open as a 'registered' parking area with trails access might get under some people's skin...

Although I'm guessing at this point, NONE of all this garble has ANYTHING to do with what Pitty wantsta do...

[FTMS]

RTP money is drying up. This might be the last year that it is available.

If a club use state or federal money to make or improve trails there is nothing saying that the trail has to remain open for any period of time. I have put in $50,000 to $70,000 worth of work into a trail only to the the trail shut down a year or two later by the land owner. There was nothing that we could do but walk away.

Pittenger- Don't suppose your land is close to Hurricane MTN road so that there would be easy access to it with oh say pit bikes for a late night burn?

[Pittenger5]

Pittenger- Don't suppose your land is close to Hurricane MTN road so that there would be easy access to it with oh say pit bikes for a late night burn?

Alas, no, maybe 5 miles?

[Stoneman]

RTP money is drying up. This might be the last year that it is available.

They've been saying the grant money's drying up for years. Although it does look like it's getting closer to that reality

If a club use state or federal money to make or improve trails there is nothing saying that the trail has to remain open for any period of time. I have put in $50,000 to $70,000 worth of work into a trail only to the the trail shut down a year or two later by the land owner. There was nothing that we could do but walk away.

I think they've changed the way that works now though. I've heard of that happening, but I THOUGHT that *now* there was some wording that prevents private property owners from shutting their trails down for 5 years or some shit if they use the grant money to create and/or maintain trails...

When you say 'I & we', who are you referring to? You belong to a club up there?

[FTMS]

I was trail master for the local snowmobile club for the past 6 years and my wife was trail administrator.

The last time we did grant writing, about a year ago, there was nothing in there about keeping property open for a period of time. Which is kind of stupid on the states half after putting money into a trail to only keep it open for a short time. But it is also tough to tell a land owner what they need to do with their land. The other thing is it is not always the land owner land that we did the work on that would close something down. It could also be the next piece of property also.

[RandyO]

some clubs are getting hesitent to put money into trails without getting a deeded trail easement first, to many landowners taking advantage of the trail money just to get some free fire & forest access trails

more often though, trails get shut down when there is a change in ownership

[FTMS]

The state was talking at one point about giving land owners a tax break if they would give easements to clubs for long term use of their land. I don't know if that actually went anywhere.