Open Space & Park Management Committee
Reports from the Ground by BAM
Entry #1
Date: June 29, 2006
Attended: Vaughn Dumas, Irwin Langewisch , Mary Ludwig, police intern, Barbara Bell, Barbara Milton
Purpose: Police - to find the points of entry of ATV’s and mud bikes; Public Works - to analyze the erosion and potential impact of ATV’s on root systems and trees.
Findings:
Main entrance off West River Street. extremely eroded—more of a gulley than a path. Shows recent evidence of ATV use.
Right turn toward Dedonato property. That entry point is now overgrown.
Trail off trail off main path towards Dedonato property has ATV tracks leading to the stream. The stream bed has widened considerably and is now approached by multiple paths. Lots of ponding dug out by ATV’s.
Analysis:
Vaughn says that the police department’s ATV will visit site when patrol cars are available to tow the ATV trailer. Park patrol is not a police priority.
Irwin says that there is a lot of damage to the trees through their root systems. This damage provides entries for pathogens which could spread quickly through the forest, particularly among the birch and beech species. He said the paths need mulching, particularly around the trees. That the cost of restoration juft of the sites we visited would be in the neighborhood of $30,000.
Irwin said that putting up cement blocks would only cause the ATV users to go around them, creating new paths and new erosion and new root damage.
Vaughn said there would have to be signs put up to give police the legal means to arrest ATV users. We discussed how difficult it is to keep signs in place but even the indication that a sign had been posted would provide police the legal means to make an arrest.
Chief Imbro, of Stratford, said that his city sent letters to Roosevelt Park neighbors, after concern was raised about similar ATV intrusions, threatening to fine and confiscate ATV’s if found in the park. He said that pretty much stopped the problem.
Vaughn said that such a letter would have to go through the city attorney.
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