Jodi Gilbert | Support HB127

This just makes sense to have a more cohesive closing date for the Northern trails in Coos County. I attended the Headwaters public meeting this past fall in regard to if they thought there was a need to make a recommendation to the full Committee. Unfortunately, it was as if the group already their minds made up to not recommend it. ATVing is the number one tourism activity in Northern Coos County. It shows with the number of registrations that are done annually in the state. There was concern about hunting interfering with the ATVs and vice versa. There was also concern about overextending our Fish and Game officers. To my knowledge, there were no issues that came about with Pittsburg choosing to stay open this past fall. The section of trails they are looking to keep open is just under 13 miles. There is no reason this should be denied. Having connection with the other club trails is what the trails are all about. Being able to ride from town to town and enjoy the scenery. I hope this committee fully looks into the economic impact on the state that ATVing has and makes the wise decision to approve this bill.