Rail Trails to Block Traditional Hunting Access

[GOAL]

Rail Trails to Block Traditional Hunting Access

Gun Owners’ Action League has been alerted to imminent conflicts that are arising as a result of the rail to trail projects pending within the Commonwealth. As our members may be aware, there are numerous coordinated efforts throughout the state to convert abandoned rail lines to improved bike trails. According to the implementation plans found on http://www.bordertoboston.org these trails would consist of a 12’ wide paved path at a cost of $1,000,000 per mile. While the concept of getting more citizens outdoors is a sensible idea, the rail to trail plans are of great concern to sportsmen and gun owners.

The immediate threat arising from these trail programs is currently in the northeast. Several local members and the League of Essex County Sportsmen’s Clubs have alerted GOAL to this matter. One of the purposed trail systems called “Border to Boston” seeks to impact two wildlife management areas.

The first affected area would be a trail that is intended to border the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area in Georgetown and Newbury.

The second affected area is the Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management area. The implementation plan, for this portion of the trail, calls for a paved trail to bisect the management area. In both cases the right of way is mainly controlled by the National Grid Company.

These proposed trails are of great concern to gun owners and sportsmen due to the impact restrictions that will be placed on traditional hunting lands.

According to Chapter 131, Section 58 of the Massachusetts General Laws: “A person shall not discharge any firearm or release any arrow upon or across any state or hard surfaced highway, or within one hundred and fifty feet…” (GOAL has been made aware that the Department of Conservation and Recreation may have plans to increase this distance to 500 feet on DCR property!)

Further Chapter 269, Section 12D: (a) Except as exempted or provided by law, no person shall carry on his person on any public way a loaded rifle or shotgun (b) Except as exempted or provided by law, no person shall carry on his person on any public way an unloaded rifle or shotgun, unless such rifle or shotgun is enclosed in a case.

With the laws currently in place, these trails would create a large No Hunting corridor through traditional hunting lands that are managed through the funds provided by sporting licenses.

Another key issue of concern is the potential environmental impact of sensitive wildlife habitat. The plan to pave trails and build bridges through wetlands and certain habitats must be carefully reviewed. Imagine the outcry if sportsmen began paving parking areas in wildlife management areas. The same outcry should be coming at the groups proposing these trails.

GOAL is urging all of our members to do the following:

1. Find out if there are any plans for rail to trail projects in your area and how they will impact sportsmen.
2. Contact your local Board of Selectman/City Council and express your concerns over the impact to gun owners, sportsmen and the environment.
3. Contact your local legislators to express your concerns.
4. Contact Secretary Ian Bowles of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114 (617-626-1018).

GOAL will continue to update our members as more information becomes available.

 

[Admin]

12 foot wide paved road through the woods at $1,000,000 a mile. Am I the only one in here that thinks this is a horrible idea?

 

[Sprocket]

And defeats the purpose of having a WMA...

 

[lord1234]

a million a mile? who got that sweetheart deal?

 

[HTRN]

How can this be considered a "Highway?" that is BOGUS!!
No motor vehicles are allowed.


1M / Mile is the cost of a full primary/secondary road way. That too is disgusting.

 

[lord1234]

isn't the whole point of NATURE to be kept NATURAL? that means, don't put a road. if you want to be in nature, bring soem boots.

 

[lord1234]

also: can you define what a "state or hard surfaced highway". I have never thought of a trail as a highway of any sort.

per wiki: "A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as cities."

This is not going to be a main road.

 

[dixidawg]

It is the suburban version of the Big Dig:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/08/state_eyes_extensive_bike_trail_expansion/




http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27710&highlight=rail+trail

 

[economist]

12 foot wide paved road through the woods at $1,000,000 a mile. Am I the only one in here that thinks this is a horrible idea?

So that's about $190 per linear foot. At 12 feet wide, it's $15.78 per square foot. This seems like an in-the-ballpark price for what is essentially a slab on unimproved ground.

However, paying for this with taxpayer's money is appalling. If a private group wants to buy up the land and pay for the improvement, fine. Government shouldn't be involved at all.

 

[dbhn]

If I am not mistaken, asphalt is about $2 a square foot, not $15. Get a quote for your driveway. Paving over one of these rail trails is not any harder than preping a new driveway....

 

[economist]

If I am not mistaken, asphalt is about $2 a square foot, not $15. Get a quote for your driveway. Paving over one of these rail trails is not any harder than preping a new driveway....

I am assuming a decent amount of improvement cost before paving, but you may be right.

 

[umd0808]

also: can you define what a "state or hard surfaced highway". I have never thought of a trail as a highway of any sort.

per wiki: "A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as cities."

This is not going to be a main road.

Just finished my hunter safety class last week so I can go up to Martin Burns in the fall with some friends that have been hounding me for years...great news!

That said, according to the EPOs that came in one night, you can't hunt within 150 feet of any road (paved or not) that is maintained by any government entity that is intended for use by the public. According to them there were a few paved access paths for Masswildlife that were closed to the general public and did not fall under this.

 

[trophygrl]

i was told by an epo that it meant a paved surface

 

[dixidawg]

Regardless of everything else, the idea of intentionaally sending Susie Soccermom "hiking" or biking in a WMA is a flat out BAD idea.

I can see it now:

"Hello Officer? HELP! I can see a man with a gun! Save me!"

Followed by petitions banning hunting etc, etc, etc, etc....

 

[dixidawg]

i was told by an epo that it meant a paved surface

I believe it is a gray area not clearly defined. IIRC it mentions "hard surface" surface, with no definition of "hard".

 

[cekim]

Wait a minute, can't we just settle on a reasonable bag limit for yuppy hunting?

We've been down this road before - too much hunting is bad, but so is too little - must keep the populations in check

p.s. I like rail-trails, but the way they are round around here is absurd...

 

[doobie]

This is highway robbery at it's finest!

 

[trophygrl]

This is highway robbery at it's finest!

ba-dump-bum

 

[SemiAutoSam]

If these Rail Trails are the old railway (ROW = right of way) the railway (Most) signed a clause that if they ever stopped using that ROW the land that the ROW in-compassed should by contract in most cases back ot the original owner of the land before the Rail company took the land over.

SO in essence the Rails Trails people should have nothing to do with the ROW.

 

[Blitz1]

12 foot wide paved road through the woods at $1,000,000 a mile. Am I the only one in here that thinks this is a horrible idea?

No, you're not.

This has to rank up there with one of the stupidest ideas I've heard. Nothing like paving over nature to make a nature trail.

 

[dixidawg]

No, you're not.

This has to rank up there with one of the stupidest ideas I've heard. Nothing like paving over nature to make a nature trail.

"They've paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

 

[Carguy]

The city of Peabody is completing one right now...it has taken years to get it approved via city and state funds. I can think of about 7,000 other items to spend this money on!

Basically they have taken an old trail/bike path...I don't know if it consisted of any old rail paths...possibly it is a straight shot from route 1 to route 128. Spent lots on improvement (clearing, drainage, site work for paving) then they've been paving it beautifully! Now they encourage everyone to allow their children to bike, seniors to walk, teens to jog along it. Wait no lighting so this is a crime scene waiting to happen or better yet a new spot for gangs to congregate and do what they do, since it has foilage on most of both sides along it path (it isn't abutting the roadway, it's in the woods, behind homes etc). Then what about upkeep? They rarely ever cut back any over growth before now are they going to maintain it with city funds...in lieu of what?? Not to mention that you are encouraging people to walk, jog, bike, lurk along the path and almost in some backyards depending on which section of the path you're on!

 

[terraformer]

So that's about $190 per linear foot. At 12 feet wide, it's $15.78 per square foot. This seems like an in-the-ballpark price for what is essentially a slab on unimproved ground.

However, paying for this with taxpayer's money is appalling. If a private group wants to buy up the land and pay for the improvement, fine. Government shouldn't be involved at all.

The whole point of these trails is they are going on top of already stabilized rail bed and should be a quick, cheap repaving. I can't imagine $1mil per mile fits that bill. I wonder if these sections are not on existing rail bed.

 

[dixidawg]

All of those same questions came up at the public meeting in Georgetown. there were NO answers, yet they are still forging ahead.

 

[cekim]

All of those same questions came up at the public meeting in Georgetown. there were NO answers, yet they are still forging ahead.

Dems just taser people who ask questions they don't like... You can't really expect them to say outloud that they are corrupt, evil, somanabatches can you?

 

[K-DUB]

If I am not mistaken, asphalt is about $2 a square foot, not $15. Get a quote for your driveway. Paving over one of these rail trails is not any harder than preping a new driveway....

You haven't factored in the unions, inpectors, details (yes, there will probably be a detail officer in the woods for this job), & all the other unnecessary costs that are involved in these large scale paving projects.

Don't get me wrong, I love paving. It's my favorite assignment as a truck driver. However, having seen how they operate, I can understand why the cost per square on a public job is SO much more than a private road/driveway.

As a tax payer, it offends me that they pay me so much money to drive asphalt around.

 

[PaulD]

With regards to reusing a railroad ROW for this purpose, there is a federal statute that enforces "railbanking". This is meant to preserve the corridors created for railroad transportation for future use since encroachment on any part of these corridors would make the whole corridor useless. Also, a lot of the original easements stated the easement had to be used for transportation.

As far as this use encroaching on hunting grounds, what would hunters do if a railroad decided to reopen using one of these easements?

 

[PaulD]

The whole point of these trails is they are going on top of already stabilized rail bed and should be a quick, cheap repaving. I can't imagine $1mil per mile fits that bill. I wonder if these sections are not on existing rail bed.

Every rail trail I know of in MA is built on a railroad ROW. Simply looking at the trail makes this obvious.

 

[appraiser]

Oh and it gets even better... I was invited to sit on one of the local rail to trail boards by the Chairman od the Board of Selectmen where I used to live.... I declined after learning among other things that the MBTA would not allow any sort of soil testing before the sale of the rail bed, and as part of the sale the Town of Wakefield would be on the hook for any contamination found on the tracks, and the removal and disposal of the rail road ties, which are coated with all sorts of nasty chemicals. Last I heard they were going to just pave over them if they could.

 

[freedom2012]

This is as nutty as the Libs who wanted the old abandoned Boston and Maine Bridge in Newburyport to continue a rail trail into Salisbury. It would have been permanently closed with about 7 feet of clearance at high tide, wiping out most boating west of Rt 1.

Rail trails are for urbanites and perverts with nowhere else to go. We don't need them out here.