MA: Florida and Adams Roads

[Lyle]

The Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs is asking for your donations. For several months, they have been reviewing old maps and deeds and working with local municipalities to protect wheeling opportunities in Massachusetts. The time has come for assessment studies and potential legal action. Your assistance is needed.

Additional information can be obtained from Scott Hatch
[e-mail] or David Brill [e-mail].

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It is now the eleventh hour and the Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs are working feverishly with its associate members as well as non-affiliated clubs including Eastern 4 Wheelers and Patriot Jeepers. In peril, as you may have read through the many forums is the potential loss of public access to a certain well-traveled roadway in Florida and Adams Mass. Confrontations between 4-wheelers and the Massachusetts DEM are necessitating action on behalf of the 4-wheeling community.

The Association, leveraging the diverse backgrounds of its membership and peers in the four-wheel-drive community, has spearheaded a volunteer-led effort to uncover and resolve legal right-of-way issues, as well as potential environmental issues related to the continued operation of motorized vehicles along this public, town-owned roadway.

Your help is needed! A fund for the explicit purpose of supporting these efforts on this roadway has been established by the Association. Donations to this fund will be used exclusively to pay for legal efforts, surveys, research and should the time come, any signs and/or improvements to this valuable recreational resource. Your assistance in this matter is crucial to the continuation of open, public access and as well, to establish and secure credibility and public awareness of the 4-wheeling community.

Prime trails are closing in New England and many of the small towns connected to them benefit from our use. It is important and no less, imperative that a consideration of donation is forwarded on to help ensure that stewardship of our sporting grounds be maintained.

Please write Checks or Money Orders to the Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs and send to:

NEA4WDC
C/O Save Florida RD Fund
8 Derry Way, Apt. 7
Derry, NH 03038

[Lyle]

By way of explanation, the above message was forwarded by Chris this past week, so many of you have seen it. I've spent a little time looking into the situation, and thought you might be interested in some of the background.

Some of you may have read about "Old Florida Road" in a past issue of 4WD magazine. It is a trail on the "Mohawk Trail Jeep Jamboree". It is also the only remaining public land in Massachusetts accessible to traditional four wheel drive vehicles. Yes, you read that right, the ONLY remaining one. The DEM (state agency) in Massachusetts limits ORV access to state controlled public lands to vehicles weighing less than 1000 lbs. Old Florida Road is a former county road that has been discontinued (not "abandoned", but discontinued). Since the abolishment of the county government in the area, control of the road has reverted to the towns of Adams and Florida. Should the towns involved decide to "abandon" the road, the right of way would revert to the adjacent property owners. That would mean the loss of this access, end of story.

While we are blessed with access to public lands on the Outer Banks of NC, and the mountains of Virginia and western Maryland, we must remain vigilant to protect that access. While I hope it will never be the case, there may be a time when we need the help and support of fellow clubs and associations. Just something to think about.

If you'd like to read about the efforts of the local clubs and the NorthEast Association of 4WD clubs to keep this trail open, see the following links:
www.baystatejeepers.com/landuse/floridaroadcleanup7-01.htm

www.nea4wd.org/nea4wd/index.cfm

A few bucks, and or a note of support might be helpful, and I'm sure it would be appreciated.

Lyle