LOWVILLE — Lewis County has released its draft generic environmental impact statement for a countywide all-terrain vehicle system and is seeking public comment.
"In light of the significant growth in ATV sales nationwide and statewide over the last decade and the proliferation of ATV riders within the county during that same period, the county has identified a need — from an environmental and health and safety standpoint — to provide an organized, marked system of trails upon which ATV enthusiasts can legally ride," says the 63-page document, prepared by Syracuse engineering firm Barton & Loguidice.
County legislators have set a public hearing on the draft GEIS for 7 p.m. June 5 in the second-floor county courtroom. Written comments will be accepted through June 17 on the county's Web site or by mail to Trail Coordinator Robert C. Diehl at Lewis County Courthouse, 7660 N. State St., Lowville, N.Y. 13367.
Copies of the statement are available for review at the Board of Legislators' office on the courthouse's third floor. The document also will be posted soon on the county's Web site and distributed to the county's 12 public libraries, according to County Attorney Richard J. Graham.
Comments, after being categorized, will be included in the final impact statement, as will responses to them, Mr. Graham said. Changes also may be made, based on comments received.
Development of a GEIS is one of the final steps in the county's state Environmental Quality Review of a countywide ATV trail system. Upon completion of the year-old, $100,000 project, county officials plan to begin developing trails on county reforestation land.
The proposed system also would include trails on private land, along with connecting town and county roads. Future expansion is expected, with new trail development to be conducted within guidelines included in the GEIS.
"We would anticipate completing the SEQR process in mid to late July," Mr. Graham said.
If so, legislators likely would begin taking formal action on trail development in August.
The draft GEIS identifies numerous potential environmental impacts of an ATV system and provides ways those impacts could be mitigated.
"The most common and probably most discernible potential environmental impact of ATV use on vegetation within the trail system is destruction of vegetation," the document says.
To reduce that impact, it recommends that trails be kept as narrow as practical and clear of debris and that education be used to discourage off-trail riding.
"The county-wide trail system will include no wet crossings," the impact statement adds. "All water/wetland crossing will be made by bridges which completely span the resource."
Proper muffling of motors also would be required.
"Any machines found operating without proper exhaust systems will be banned from the system until repair is made and documented," the GEIS says.
The draft document includes the following other findings and recommendations:
■ Soil impact may be lessened by re-establishing removed vegetation as soon as possible and establishing trails on former roads or skidder trails when possible.
■ Potential air quality impacts are expected to be minor compared with vehicular traffic, since cars and trucks are more numerous than ATVs and have higher emissions.
■ Trailheads and parking areas should be in areas with vegetative buffers, if possible, to reduce dust. Gravel could be added in problem areas.
■ The county will work with towns to monitor impacts on roads and identify funding needs. Revenues from sales taxes and hotel occupancy taxes could be used for repairs.
■ To avoid conflicts with other forms of recreation, county officials should provide a trail system with a variety of difficulty levels, involve users in trail development, identify actual sources of conflict through user surveys and "aggressively promote trail etiquette."
■ Trail system enforcement will require additional resources from the sheriff's department.
