A s a Massachusetts resident, I started visiting New Hampshire for recreation in the early 1970s as a ski enthusiast. Due to a knee injury in the mid-1980s, I took up snow-mobiling.

Since then, I spend almost all of my free time and a lot of money vacationing in New Hampshire, including building a second home there. If it were not for the Bureau of Trails and its programs promoting motorized recreation, I would be unable to take advantage of many wintertime activities. The revenue from motorized registration fees goes right back into maintaining the trail system, which is based mainly on private land, not public land. Some of these registration fees are also used to help fund search and rescue efforts for hikers.

There are over 7,000 miles of snowmobile trails (of which 300 miles are rail trails) maintained by hundreds of volunteers with funding partially provided by the Bureau of Trails. (In comparison, the state is responsible for maintaining 4,800 miles of roads).

As a result of this joint effort, more than 40,000 New Hampshire residents and visitors get to enjoy these trails every winter. In addition to snow-mobilers, other trail users include hikers, cross-country skiers, mushers and snow shoers.

For ATV riders, the Bureau of Trails is in the process of developing a dedicated ATV park in Berlin. This new park will bring in tourists from all over the Northeast.

If the Concord Monitor is going to accuse the Bureau of Trails of having an agenda, it should be the agenda of promoting outdoor recreation. The combination of generous New Hampshire landowners, the Bureau of Trails and selfless volunteers allows people of all abilities to enjoy a wonderful trail system second to none.

LARRY GOMES
Westborough, Mass.