Worcester considers harsher penalties for ATV use on trails

WORCESTER — A Vermont town is considering increased penalties and a greater law enforcement presence to protect two trails that have been damaged by the unauthorized use of motorized off-road vehicles.
Worcester officials are concerned about Eagle Ledge Trail, which runs over a ridge, connecting Eagle Ledge Road in Worcester with Eagle Ledge Road in Elmore. Shepherd’s Hill Trail intersects with Eagle’s Ledge on the Worcester side.
In recent years, trail damage complaints have been brought before both the towns of Worcester and Elmore and the Lamoille County Planning Commission.
The Worcester select board plans to re-examine an ordinance that prohibits unauthorized motorized travel on the trails, with the possibility of increasing penalties, Vermont Public Radio reports (http://bit.ly/12Hn8kC). It also wants to revisit a plan to create a concrete block barricade at the Elmore/Worcester town line and increase the presence of the town constable at the start of the trail.
In the past, efforts to block Eagle Ledge Trail on the Elmore side have spurred damage around the trail as unauthorized uses got around the barricades.