4-wheelers and Dogtown

[jsb2dc]

I just got back from a ride at Dogtown. 4-wheelers and MX bikes were out in force there today. I can't believe the trail damage that has been done in the last month. Actually it's amazing the amount of damage that has been done since I rode there Thursday. Most of the trails from Anne's Path out to the quarry are about 50% wider than they were back in Jan/Feb. It's unbelievable. I can't believe the damage I saw done today alone. I swear, you have to have an IQ of 50 or less to ride a 4-wheeler on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The sad thing is that there is little or nothing that it seems can be done about it. Between developments and 4-wheelers/MX bikes I have seen so many of my favorite trails ruined in the last couple of years. I hate them.

" I swear, you have to have an IQ of 50 or less to ride a 4-wheeler on the North Shore of Massachusetts"

And what's the IQ for the rest of Massachusetts?

[bdee]

Apparently my IQ isn't high enough to get your point (10 dog) - but then again I'm from Rhode Island so I guess I'm lucky I can read ;D !

I'm sorry to hear about Dogtown, I spent a summer in Gloucester in '94 and rode there almost daily. It is a really cool place to ride, I've only made it up there a few times since I moved back to NE in '99. I seriously think you are giving the Quad riders a little too much credit with the IQ of 50. Even our esteemed president has an IQ that hovers at about 50 - and look how well he's done in life :-. I have a feeling there will be a lot more of that crap going on. I saw a lot of damage and off trail riding around here this winter (Foxboro mainly). If the trail is too narrow they'll just do whatever they want. I'm glad IMBA, NEMBA etc have never worked or affiliated themselves with these clowns to push for access. IMHO motorcycles are far less of a problem than Quads, at least from what I've witnessed.

Apparently not. I don't see the difference between illegal activity on the north shore or anywhere else.

[mtbtom]

Rode over there today. Oh man I can't believe what happened to the (what used to be) singletrack that connects dogtown commons to the main fire road that runs out to the bog bridge - two quad tracks the whole way down and a huge mud puddle now where it was just a small wet area. Pretty sad. I also noticed there are some "no motorized vehicles" signs up.

If anyone wants to meet and attempt to turn that trail back into a singletrack shoot me a PM.

Tom

[AA]

That blows! It's amazing how fast 4-wheelers can ruin a trail.

As for 10-dogs posts; either he has a dizzying intellect that is beyond most of us or some type of impairment. I haven’t yet figured out which ;)
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(Please not use of smiley, denoting good-natured ribbing. All comments made here are for entertainment only and not intended to injure, embarrass, or degrade anyone. Good day.)

[digger]

Rode there yesterday as well and what I saw, while disappointing, was not a huge change from a few weeks ago. I was expecting to find a disaster area. This is not a new situation and people have been trying to deal with the problem, but it’s not easy.

The Dogtown Advisory Committee was disbanded by the former mayor and has now been reformed. We attended a recent meeting and they understand the threat posed by ATVs and are the group behind the signs on the Gloucester side of Dogtown. It seems likely that we may participate in some trail work days with them this season.

Since it appears that much of the motorized activity is coming from the Rockport end, I spoke with a member of the Rockport Conservation Commission and a big trail advocate. They have been calling in the local police and the environmental police for some time, but the response is not good. While much of what we know of Dogtown in Gloucester is municipal land, many of the Rockport trails are on private land, something of an impediment to enforcement. Cyclists, walkers, and other trail users are guests as well. Calling the environmental police may help – perhaps they will respond if they receive enough calls.

Yesterday I saw two pickups with 4 wheelers in the back heading up the road to Johnson’s Quarry. Remember when they had the Land Rover rally here? Rockport Con Comm has an unresolved complaint with this large landowner about this activity, but clearly this landowner has no problem with ATVs or even trucks. One of the pickups had a big massmudders sticker on the window. Check out http://www.massmudders.com/ There is enough intellect to produce a reasonable website.

DS

[C.P.]

Damn ATV's >:(

RE Massmudders - Seems they've got their legal stuff (website) covered in an interesting fashion - to me it looks like the website is their authorized "presence" on the web, with bylaws and their actual business name "mass Mudders inc", yet it discloses in small print in many places that the website is NOT "endorsed" or "promoted" by massmudders... interesting twist.

They like "Vietnam" - proof in these photos among others... http://www.massmudders.com/ab.html

[paul_C]

I have been dealing with Illegal atv's for three years now coming into the state park where I am trails ambassador, best way so far has been to document the damage take digital photos, if you see them try to get the ohrv# on their reg. sticker, bring copies of this info to the law, after awhile (hope it's short) enough info is documented that they will do something to help with the problem, remember:
detailed info of damage, location,and any enviromental concerns if any.