HOULTON, Maine — For more than 13 years, the Aroostook Riders ATV Club has maintained 300 miles of trails that snake from Weston to Monticello, allowing riders to soak in the beauty of The County.
Now, however, the number of volunteers willing to help with the upkeep and repair of the trails is dwindling, and it is becoming a dire problem, club president Robert Kervin said Friday. He added that the club, which has approximately 168 members, now has only three people who are actively maintaining the network of trails.
If they don’t find more people to help, Kervin said the club will be forced to start shutting down trails. He added that they need volunteers to help with installation/removal of signage, clearing of brush and general maintenance of the trails.
Kervin said he is not sure why more volunteers do not want to assist with the chore.
“I don’t know the answer,” he said. “I don’t know if it is an issue of age or if people just want to ride and not do the work.”
He said that it has been this way since he took over as president in 2011 or 2012, when there were “six or seven people” maintaining the trails.
“It has gone downhill ever since,” said Kervin.
He said that the remaining volunteers who are working the trails will not be able to keep doing it for long due to age and health issues.
“We need to do something to figure this out,” he said. “We need members to step up. Riding is not a right, it is a privilege. A privilege that all ATV Clubs provide through hard work and dedication. A lot of clubs in Maine are shutting down for this very reason.”
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Kervin at 532-2091 or email president@aroostookridersatvclub.com. The first meeting of the Aroostook Riders ATV Club is slated for Thursday, April 7, at 6 p.m. at Wilderness Pines Campground in Monticello.
