EMPORIUM — Residents of Cameron County were informed of efforts to organize an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail that seeks to connect a number of counties within the Pennsylvania Wilds.
More than 80 people attended the Cameron County ATV/UTV Association meeting held at the Emporium Volunteer Fire Department on Wednesday evening. The meeting highlighted actions taken by the Cameron County organization since its creation earlier this summer and featured guest speakers from the Central Mountains ATV Association and Clinton County Commissioners.
Speakers focused on efforts by the Cameron County ATV/UTV Association and other organizations to link trail systems in different areas through the use of township and forestry roads, with Clinton County Commissioner Jeffrey Snyder discussing the impacts ATV usage has had in his county.
Since the Cameron County group’s first meeting in late July, members have been busy creating the organization and setting up memberships and cooperative relationships with other organizations, and they will soon begin identifying proposed roadways to be added to the larger trail system.
The trail system being proposed by the Cameron County ATV/UTV Association is 1,200 miles long and is made up of trail systems connected by township and forestry roads. Association president Henry Sorgen IV stated the planned route brings riders into communities where they can access restaurants, lodging facilities and fuel distributors, and be more of a part of the community and bring tourism dollars into smaller, rural towns across northcentral Pennsylvania.
Snyder said the opening of ATV trails and the influx of ATV riders has helped small businesses thrive by bringing people into the area. Many towns in the region have seen the numbers of people who stay at camps for hunting and fishing season dwindle in recent years, but the availability of ATV riding opportunities is bringing some people back and giving them reason to stay longer, bring their families and spend more of their money here.
The biggest concern residents have when they hear their community is being included in the plan is that ATVs ruin scenic areas and woodlands.
Organizers do not dispute this, but state the “two percent” of ATV riders who do not follow the rules by staying on designated trails and limiting the damage and noise caused by their machines are going to cause that damage regardless of whether trails are available to them. If trail systems are opened up for legal riders, they will police themselves, and money for enforcement of laws will be available as more people use trails and pay registration costs and related fees.
“You’re going to have those kind of people whether you have ATV trails or not. The 2 percent are the jerks who are going to do this no matter what — they’re the same 2 percent who drive automobiles on the road that same way,” said Sorgen. ”It’s not the clubs doing that. They’re made up mostly of families.”
Snyder said that opening up ATV riding opportunities will create one more option for young people looking for something to do. Currently, Clinton County, along with many other counties in the region, is suffering from complications of the drug epidemic. If ATV riding can give a few young people something constructive to do maybe it will help them stay away from drugs, says Snyder.
“We wanted to work on ATV trails and other recreational opportunities because this is a family activity and it is one of the things we’re looking at as a commissioners’ board,” said Snyder.
Sorgen said the idea to link a large swath of the state through ATV trails began with an 800-mile proposed trail system in 2014, and has grown to 1,243 miles of proposed trails, which are approximately 43 percent completed at this time.
Jeff Snell, Cameron County’s ATV Association president, reiterated the club is looking to designate certain township and forestry roads as ATV trails, not all of them.
“We do not want every road. We just want a trail system where we can ride from one end of the county to the other and connect with other trail systems,” said Snell. “We don’t even want all the DCNR roads.”
“Our assets are our mountains and our beauty around here,” said Cameron County association board member Don Perry. “There are a lot of people here who could use a boost. People are driving through Emporium with trailers loaded with ATVs, but they’re not stopping here yet. How many jobs did that create elsewhere? We’re a dying area and we need to do something. Nobody’s beating the door down to build industry here.”
Sorgen said his organization has partnered with the Pennsylvania Off-Highway Vehicle Association, and the recommendation to the state has been to increase the fines for riders violating state and local statues regarding ATV-related activities and to increase the registration fees to cover additional costs, such as enforcement.
In addition to requesting more enforcement, officials from both organizations stated that training and safety is a top priority. The Cameron County ATV/UTV Association already offers training courses and urges members to participate in state and federal programs, as well. The Cameron County association also plans to implement training requirements, and discussions will be held at future meetings concerning that topic.
The work of the Cameron County ATV/UTV Association requires many discussions with municipal officials, and Sorgen said state law exempts townships from liability when opening roads to ATV operators. In addition, state law mandates that riders on township roads must possess a valid driver’s license, eliminating one of the biggest concerns mentioned at the meeting — children being injured while driving ATV/UTVs.
Currently, there are more than 164,000 registered ATVs in the state, and more than 33,000 registered snowmobiles. However, there are only 260 state ATV trail miles, but more than 2,200 state snowmobile trail miles.
The newly-passed law that requires separation of ATV and snowmobile registration fees will go a long way toward making that disparity less glaring, but Sorgen sees snowmobile organizations being overextended on maintenance and other costs due to the huge loss of revenue. He sees room for partnering with snowmobile organizations and possibly opening up a number of trails to additional uses.
The Cameron County ATV/UTV Association provides signage for township roads designated for use by ATVs free-of-charge to the municipality, and are willing to work with Cameron County municipalities to develop signs that best fits the needs of each individual community, including speed limit signs, directional and informational signs, and signs that denote one-way or restricted roadways.
Maps of the proposed trail systems and connectors are available on the Central Mountain ATV Association website at cmatva.org.
Residents wishing to join the Cameron County ATV/UTV Association can pick up an application at the Cameron County Chamber of Commerce in Emporium, the Driftwood Saloon, Bear’s Den in Sterling Run and Lakeview near Sinnemahoning. The Cameron County ATV/UTV Association is a member of the Cameron County Chamber of Commerce, and correspondence can be mailed to P.O. Box 64 in Emporium.
