b'TRAILS REPORTBy Matt Tetreault, VAST Trails AdministratorThis is a difficult time to think aboutbecause we had easements on at least a snowmobiling, but thoughts of sausagesportion of our trails? I believe that the on the grill and fireworks are on myrelocations would be far less frequent mind. Despite the warm weatherand, obviously, a lot less funding would happenings, snowmobiling is a year- be spent on relocating trails.round passion, obsession, love, disease,With this in mind, and if you are reading or whatever it is you would like to call it!this and have family or friends, folks I am sure the significant others of thoseyou know very well that host a VAST involved in some of our clubs wouldtrail and enjoy the idea of opening and have a few choice words they wouldsharing their land with riders, ask them substitute for snowmobiling, butmiles around to get past a few hundredabout the possibility of an easement. for now we will stick with the positivefeet that someone closed.This is not aI am not a psychologist, so I cannot words used to describe it. jab at any landowners who have closedinform you how to broach this subject I stare at the stack of construction grantthe trails. It happens. Things changebut can only suggest that you have this in aid applications that is staring backlike usage of the land, the owners kidsconversation with someone you know at me wondering when will you lookwanting to build a house where thewell and are certain will not be upset at me and send me back to the clubs? trail used to go, new fences installed toby the question or conversation. It can and the little landowner permissioncordon off cattle, a solar farm constructedbe a difficult discussion to have with forms fluttering in the breeze from theto help pay the taxes. The one that getsanyone. An easement is a permanent fan because its 90 in the shade rightme the most is when closure is due to acovenant on their property. Property now. This is one of the annual traditionsdisrespectful snowmobiler riding off thethat may have been in their family for around the 4th of July for the steadfasttrail, causing a landowner anguish andmany generations, property they may volunteers and the Trails Administrator.frustration. The rider who caused thehave worked half their life to purchase. Nothing says summer like stressingissue should be the one footing the bill orProperty that is emotionally meaningful, out over landowner permission forms,relocating the trail, not the rest of us. that the owner may be passionate about. bridge agreements, quotes from lumberAnything under the sun can create aBe careful how and when this discussion stores and contractors, and paperwork.trail relocation. Sometimes they aretakes place. It may be important to have The deadline for all applications is Junevery simple, but usually not. The trailthe conversation more than once as well 30th. It is the right of passage for someis moved to the less than desirable partand involve other family members and into the 4th of July weekend. We all soof the land, where no one would eversiblings/children in the conversation enjoy running around like a chickenbuild a house or put an animalandas well. It has to be a family discussion with no head (dont look that one upfor good reason. It is costly to constructand decision. The local snowmobile club to see where that saying came from),a trail through these areas, but if thewould need to be part of the discussion figuring out what their projects may cost,landowner is agreeable and it is withinas well. The discussion would take time.camping out in the contractors drivewaythe basic management practices of trailVAST has the Vermont Snow Trails so you can ask him for the third time forconstruction, it is what we do to maintainConservancy & Charitable Trust, which that estimate, chasing the lumber storetrail continuity. I sometimes plot on ais available to help with potential for an accurate price on PT lumber thismap where these trail relocations are,easements. This is a volunteer group year (too bad most of that PT lumberor I simply recognize the name on athat meets regularly to work with clubs is sitting in someones bathroom closetlandowner permission form or am calledand clients on potential easements.about to be used for something besidesto the same trail by the club to review yetThey discuss the sensibility of the decking a bridge), and eventually stayinganother relocation of it. Having workedeasement, how it interconnects with the up until 11:59 PM on the 30th so you canat VAST for 19 years now, there are somesurrounding trails, etc. There is a lot of hit SEND on the keyboard real quick totrails I have seen relocated 3 to 4 times.thought and preparation that goes into get the applications submitted on time.When will it stop? Keep in mind, all ofit as overall easements can be tricky. They are all in and compiled togetherthese relocations are in addition to theThe wording contained in the deed now, ready for my review. Now you clubregular maintenance on all of the otherdescribing the easement can be daunting volunteers can sit back, relax, and waittrails that club volunteers partake into figure out, and legal fees to draft for the Trails Administrator to get back toannually. language and file all proper paperwork you on the status of all those projects. can be costly. The Vermont Snow Trails Each year, the annual tradition aboveAll of the discussion and randomConservancy and Charitable Trust can leads me to the same thoughts, which Ithoughts above lead to one question:help with this, however, and take this am going to put to paper this time.Eachwhat would the construction grantburden off the landowner. For further season, VAST spends upwards of $75,000in aid program look like if there wereinformation on the Vermont Snow Trails on relocation projects: projects thateasements on our trail system? MaybeConservancy and Charitable Trust, relocate trails from one landowner to thetwo questions. What would the VASTplease check them out on Facebook at next, from here to over there, sometimesbudget look like if we only had towww.facebook.com/VermontSTC.complete 50% of these projects annually 14 | Snowmobile VERMONT'