Keep your ATV off our running trails

Frontiersman editorial board

Alaska has long been a place steeped in the tradition of personal freedoms, where people take their privacy and their right to live their lives unencumbered seriously. One of the basic philosophies here is, "you should be able to do as you please as long as it's legal, and as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's right to personal liberty."

With that in mind, it seems very un-Alaskan, and very presumptuous, that people insist upon riding their ATVs on posted nonmotorized trails. Recently a fair amount of money was spent to place barriers at the Michael Janecek Running Trail near Palmer High School. The track was severely damaged by people riding ATVs where they weren't supposed to. One young rider burst through the trail system while the state cross-country championships were being run.

Other trails have also been damaged. A paved trail in Palmer that is groomed for cross-country skiers is damaged by snow machines and four-wheelers every year, and once the damage is done it can't be repaired -- rendering the trail useless to skiers.

Severe damage was also done to the soccer complex near Larson Elementary School. The damage, which cost $11,000 to repair, was caused by -- you guessed it -- ATVs. Not only do we all have to pay for the selfish behavior of a few people, but much of the damage, like that at Larson, will never be completely repaired. Those soccer fields will always have ruts, which is dangerous for soccer players and diminishes the usefulness of the fields.

There's no polite way to talk to selfish people who ignore laws at everyone's expense. If you own an ATV, we support your right to enjoy it. We also insist that you enjoy it in the places designated for its use. There is simply no reasonable argument for damaging trail systems intended for other uses. If you believe there is a valid argument, we challenge you to submit it in the form of a letter to the editor. We're sure your friends and neighbors would like to hear it.

There's no easy way to stop people from abusing our community trails. The system is too vast to be adequately patrolled, and it's too difficult to catch a determined scofflaw riding an ATV. Like many things in civilized society, we must rely on the honor system. This appeal goes out to those few ATV riders who have yet to display anything like honor. Grow up. Stay off nonmotorized trails. We want you to enjoy your preferred form of recreation, but we demand you don't do it at everyone else's expense.

In the meantime, we support any effort to protect nonmotorized trails from ATV use. If that means installing fences and guard rails or laying boulders across the trails, let's do it. Everyone in the Valley has the right to recreate the way they choose.