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By ALAN CROWELL
Staff Writer Sunday, July 22, 2007

enlarge Staff photo by Jim Evans

ANOTHER ATTRACTION: Jim Murton of North Country Rivers says the four-wheel drive vehicles offer guests another way to experience the outdoors, which compliments his established rafting business.

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After stopping to view the western mountains stretching out beyond a landscape almost untouched by development, Hontz, of Coopersburg, Pa., said his ride -- part of North Country Rivers' fleet of 18 all-terrain vehicles -- helps him experience scenery rather than just view it.

"You are driving down the highway and you say, 'Wouldn't it be neat to be up on top of that mountain?' And all of a sudden you are up on top of the mountain. It is a whole different experience," said Hontz.

That is exactly the kind of reaction Jim Murton, owner of North Country Rivers, is hoping for from his guests.

After getting into the river guiding business in 1983 with one raft, eight life jackets, eight paddles, an answering machine and an old Dodge van, Murton's business has expanded to include cabins, tent sites and a restaurant on 60 acres along the Kennebec River.

Last year, Murton took the plunge into all-terrain vehicles, buying six. This year he increased his fleet to 18. He estimates his total investment in the machines is more than $100,000.

The four-wheel drive vehicles offer people another way to experience the outdoors, Murton said, thanks to a trail network around Bingham that has grown from fewer than 10 miles to about 122 in just two years.

GROWING COLLABORATION

That trail network is a collaboration of all-terrain vehicle clubs, such as the Moose Alley Riders of Bingham, area landowners and the Department of Conservation, and it is still growing.

State officials say their goal is a trail system that stretches 1,000 miles through Somerset, Piscataquis, Franklin and Oxford counties in the next two years.

With the growth of that trail network, state and local people expect the economic impact of the motorized sport to grow as well.

As the popularity of the motorized sport grows, businesses are increasingly catering to all-terrain vehicle owners.

Outfitters like Murton see all-terrain vehicles as a expanding niche in the recreational industry and one with a season that extends for most of the year.

Murton offers 90-minute evening trips for guests who have just come back from rafting and want a short trip. There are also half-day and full-day trips and Murton said he has also had inquiries about overnight camping trips.

For vacationers like Hontz and the Norris family, making the most of their time is a priority.

"Time that guests spend with their family and friends is very valuable and they want to do as much as possible," said Murton.

Bruce Cates, trail master of the Moose Alley riders, said a wide variety of local businesses, from gas stations to motels, benefit from the influx of all-terrain vehicles, and he said those benefits will only increase as the trails expand.

"We are trying to get through the town right to the restaurants," said Cates.

The development of the trail system in the area is largely due to the cooperation of major landowners, like Plum Creek, which owns about 950,000 acres in Maine.

Mark Doty, of Plum Creek, said there are about 450 miles of approved all-terrain vehicle trails through his company's land.

Plum Creek has not only allowed the trails to go through their land, Doty said, they have committed $150,000 over three years to enhancing the trail system.

Doty said his company is willing to invest in the system because it will benefit local communities.

A SPORT WITH ROOM TO GROW

Already the trail system is getting rave reviews from riders.

Mike Poirier, 45, of North Waterboro, who has owned an all-terrain vehicle for about two years, said the trails in his town are actually pretty good for southern Maine, but they don't compare with those in Somerset County.

"We love riding down here but we ride the same trails over and over again ... you have to ride where there is a decent trail system," he said.

Poirier and about 27 other riders from southern Maine came to Solon in June for three days of riding and were impressed by what they found.

"The riding up there is phenomenal. We had a ball," he said.

They had such a good time, said Poirier, they are planning to return in September.

Edie Dunlap, who owns Breezy Acres of Solon and Eustis with her husband, Dale, said that before the creation of the organized trail system, all-terrain vehicles made up only about 5 percent of their business.

Now, she said they make up about 25 percent and growing.

"I would say it is one of the fastest growing parts of the business right now," said Dunlap. "We get more and more inquiries every day."

Some use the vehicles as a tool for another activity, like fishing, but she said most just want to get out on the trail system and ride.

When they get back, they want a few amenities such as a hot shower and a place to fix meals, said Dunlap.

Jim Lane, trail vice president of ATV Maine, said that after the passage of new laws governing the sport two years ago -- among other things that law required all-terrain vehicle riders to get the permission of property owners before riding on private property -- the industry has changed drastically.

The law, which strengthened protections for land owners, also helped encourage the formation of clubs that work with landowners to make sure trails are properly sited and maintained. That network has put Maine in a good position to attract riders from throughout the Northeast, believes Lane.

Lane said he believes the number of registered vehicles in the state -- now about 66,000 -- could easily grow to over 100,000 in five years.

And as the number of machines registered in the state increases, so will the economic impact.

A study released in 2005 found that the all-terrain vehicle industry had an economic impact of about $200 million and Lane said that number is probably closer to $400 million now.

As the economic benefits of the sport become clear, more and more towns have begun working closely with clubs to build trail systems, said Lane.

"It is a massive ripple effect," he said.

All that growth, however, is not without its conflicts.

"I think probably the biggest problem we have in our industry right now ... is we are growing faster than our ability to police our sport," Lane said.

Only a small minority of riders are irresponsible, he said, but that 8 percent or so can cause loss of access to land for everybody. Education, cutting down on the number of unregistered machines and encouraging more people to join clubs are the keys to the continued growth of the industry, he said.

RIDING NORTH

Brian Bronson, recreational safety and vehicle coordinator for the Department of Conservation, said that, in general, the further north riders go, the better the trail system.

He said clubs have made a lot of headway in eliminating conflict with landowners.

"A large part of the problem is people were going wherever they wanted whenever they wanted," Bronson said.

When landowners posted their lands to all-terrain vehicles, they also posted them to hunters and anglers and other recreational users.

The law changes in 2004 took the pressure off landowners and put the responsibility on the user group, said Bronson.

That in turn has encouraged the growth of clubs that work with landowners and the state to create an organized trail system -- now about 5,000 miles statewide. "You can now ride from trail to trail and from town to town," said Bronson.

Having a formalized trail system has also allowed business owners to locate along the trails and offer food or other services.

"Based on what we have seen, that is what people are looking for. They want to be able to come and enjoy their sport and they want to be able to do it in a place where the conveniences are there," he said.

Word of the trail system is spreading to riders from other states.

Bronson estimated that nonresident registrations will reach between 7,000 and 8,000 this year and he said they have been growing at a rate of at least 1,000 a year. Last year, people from as far away as Texas registered their vehicles in Maine, he said.

Department of Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan said he believes all-terrain vehicle use in Maine is only in the early stages. "All-terrain vehicles run all year round as opposed to snowmobiles, so I think there is great potential for them to develop into a significant piece of Maine's recreational economy," said McGowan.

The economic impact of all-terrain vehicles is particularly significant because the new trail systems are mostly in isolated rural areas such as Millinocket, Aroostook County, Bingham and Greenville, he said. "These are economies that need every boost that they can get and that includes motorized and nonmotorized uses," said McGowan.

Alan Crowell -- 474-9534, Ext. 342

acrowell@centralmaine.com

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