New trail lauded in Rangeley

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined, from left, Maine Department of Conservation Commissioner William Beardsley, Appalachian Trail Chief Ranger Todd Remaley and Northeast Region Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Hawk Metheny, in a celebration and dedication of the West Saddleback Connector Trail. The section near the Saddleback Mountain ski resort had been owned by the National Park Service. The transfer six months ago to Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands connects ATV trails in Western Maine in what is called the Moose Loop. 

RANGELEY — ATV riders, hikers, snowmobilers and bird-watchers on Saturday celebrated their shared respect for the Western Maine outdoors.

The National Park Service in December 2010 transferred ownership of a small parcel to the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. That land had been barred from ATV use, which prevented riders from connecting to the trail systems in the area.

The transfer allowed the state to give riders access around Eddy Pond, near the Saddleback Mountain ski resort. The formal dedication of the West Saddleback Connector celebrated the work of community groups, government representatives, private landowners and volunteers.

As keynote speaker at the Rangeley Country Club event, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the tireless efforts of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the High Peaks Alliance and other groups made the celebration possible.

“Maine’s heritage is to share the outdoors and to respect others' uses, not to pit the environment against the economy,” Collins said. “Here in Maine, the environment is the economy, and they are inextricably linked.”

Maine Department of Conservation Commissioner William Beardsley noted that although arthritis prevented him from skiing, an ATV ride would bring him closer to what he loves.

“This little 2-mile-long and hundred-foot-wide West Saddleback Connector is a magnificent thing,” he said.

State Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, facilitated many of the complex state requirements to record the land transfer at the Registry of Deeds in Farmington on December 30, 2010.

ATVs and snowmobilers must police themselves to maintain access to the newly mapped Western Maine Moose Loop ATV trail. The corridor on the Old Hudson Road near Eddy Pond in Sandy River Plantation has been restored through weekends of volunteer hours to clear and smooth the trail. More ATVs in rural areas could mean more money for local economies.

"Years ago, snowmobilers organized into clubs and began working with private property owners, and they’ve all benefited," said Brian Bronson, the Department of Conservation’s ATV coordinator. "We believe that's also a possibility for ATV clubs and riders."

He said Maine now has the largest connected ATV trail system in the United States, with approximately 2,300 miles of interconnected ATV trail. Snowmobiles have generated money for the local economies, with well-attended events such as the Rangeley Snodeo filling hotels and restaurants.

“The people who come to Maine with their ATVs spend money, and they buy or build homes and camps, and I think if we added up all that revenue, we’d be somewhere around a billion dollars,” he said.

Mike Ferguson, owner of Rev It Up Sports Shop in Rangeley, is president of the Moose Loop ATV system and the Camp-2 Riders ATV Club. He started 20 years ago, he said, trying to get the Bureau of Parks and Lands to take ownership of the piece of land that would connect all of the multiuse trails.

“I’m just the guy who wouldn’t give up,” he told the audience.