I live next to Beartown State Forest in Monterey, MA. I’m a trail runner, and I’ve run every trail in the forest, including those designated for motorized off-road vehicles (ORV’s). It’s difficult for me to understand the rationale behind permitting motorized ORV’s in a state park.

The noise and exhaust from ORVs can destroy the wilderness experience. People go to the forest to enjoy the beauty and the peace. I doubt many go to listen to the roar of internal combustion engines, but on a busy weekend it’s hard to escape the sound, which can travel for miles through the forest. Allowing ORV’s in the forest is akin to allowing smoking in a movie theater: it makes the experience unpleasant for the majority of people, just to accommodate the enjoyment of a small minority of visitors.

Off-road vehicles increase soil erosion, pollute streams with gas and oil, churn meadows and streams into mud bogs, spread invasive species, and disrupt wildlife. ORV trails that were originally 10-12 feet wide become 20-30 feet wide in low-lying areas because the center of the trail has been churned into a deep, muddy, gasoline-streaked puddle, as ORV’s circle around to avoid the mosquito-breeding lake in the center.

The sides of the trails are eroded, often to a depth of as much as two feet, making canyons that are difficult for a pedestrian to clamber out of when a pack of dirt bikes roars around a corner, particularly in steep areas, where ORV-caused erosion has turned trails into slippery fields of rocks and boulders.

We live in an era of impending climate disaster. We need to be doing everything we can to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. It’s a difficult but essential project to protect our future. Can we at least discourage the burning of fossil fuels for purely recreational purposes?

Please join me in demanding that the Massachusetts Department of Recreation and Conservation prohibits motorized ORV’s in Beartown State Forest.