Recreational users and property owners try to find middle ground

Doug Verleot moved to the Hatcher Pass area two years ago, leaving the headache known as Anchorage in search of quieter surroundings and a more "peaceful" way of life, he said.

Renting a two-bedroom cabin sitting on five acres in the spring of 2002, Verleot thought he had found paradise. He would bump into a hiker once in a while, but that was about it. Then the snow hit.

"Now, we've got snowmachines cruising through here at all hours of the night, right through the backyard and everything," Verleot said. "It's just getting worse. I'm renting, so it's not my property, but I still can't believe the lack of respect some people have for other people's property."

Respect. That's the buzzword people on both sides of the argument mention when talking about the issue.

"We respond to a lot of calls when recreational users just don't know they're on private property," said Alaska State Trooper Jim Jones, who is based in Talkeetna. "Most of the time, when you tell a recreational user they are on private property, they respect it and leave."

Snowmachine enthusiasts are also tired of one big aspect in the whole issue, which seems to be brought up every winter.

"There is a very small minority, and I mean a very small minority, of riders who are ignorant and cast a bad light on every snowmachiner, and I don't think that's fair at all," Wasilla snowmachiner Jared Boice said. "We never hear the thousands of stories about snowmachiners who stay on established trails, ride considerately and have fun. But the minute someone does something stupid, it's all over the place."

Last Sunday, there was an incident in the Caswell Lakes area when a snowmachiner hit a dog on a roadway, and then fled the scene without stopping.

The dog had to be euthanized as a result. Jones said that is the first time troopers have had to respond to such an incident, and there hasn't been an increase or decrease in the number of calls involving recreational users, but that doesn't soothe residents.

"It's just getting ridiculous," said Nancy Crowden, a Caswell Lakes resident and friend of the dog's owners. "They were just out walking their dogs."

Wasilla resident Bryan Hudson said he understands why, after hearing about such incidents, people get upset at snowmachiners.

"I'd be [upset] too if someone hit my dog, and they have every right to be upset," Hudson said. "All that I can say is that everyone I know obeys the law, and rides with respect. If you take any group of people, there's going to be one person who does something they're not supposed to, but you can't blame everyone in that group because of that one person. That's like saying all kids are thiefs just because they caught some kid stealing from Fred Meyer once. It's not right."

Hudson said he thinks a lot of the problem lies with people who aren't from the area.

"There's no way to tell, but I bet a lot of the people who cause the problems are from Anchorage because they aren't that familiar with where they are riding," Hudson said. "I'm not saying every bad apple is from Anchorage, but I think a lot of people who live out here understand the issue more."

Verleot thanks the riders who are considerate and don't come through the property he rents. But he said the problem still exists.

"As more and more people move out here -- and I'm one of the people who have moved out here recently -- it's going to continue," Verleot said. "I've pretty much realized that."

Verleot said this winter has been a lot better than his first winter, and he attributes it to the weather.

"Last winter there weren't a whole lot of places that had snow, and people didn't have a lot of options," Verleot said. "This winter there are a lot more places to go riding, so we haven't had the pressure we had last winter."