Stuart Burr This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. All Terrain in Maine - Bangor Daily News Special Section, Online

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   Published on: 6/12/2002   Last Visited: 6/12/2002

   According to Stuart Burr, the Acadia Area ATVs' president, that Hancock County club formed in 1995 to help riders ‘‘find places to ride and people to ride with." Burr, a Northeast Harbor resident, started riding about 1987, traveling on his Honda 250 three-wheeler with two friends who, along with him, had purchased ‘‘out in back of Milford and Bradley." One friend had previously purchased an ATV; intrigued by testing the machine, Burr opted for his own, and riding eventually supplanted hunting from the rural camp.
   
   ‘‘Once we spent most of our time hunting," Burr explained. ‘‘Now we're primarily riding.
   
   ‘‘Out on my own machine for the first time, I had a great time," he said. ‘‘I could see a lot more places than I could if I was walking."
   
   Today, Burr rides a Honda 300 or a Rancher 350. Employed by the Mt. Desert Water District, he works alternate weekends, so he currently rides only ‘‘about every two weeks." He hopes to ride more this summer as the trails dry and riding conditions improve.
   
   Acadia Area ATV members - Burr estimated their numbers at ‘‘about 100 plus" - live primarily in Hancock County, but many live elsewhere. Members work vigorously at developing and maintaining trails, Burr indicated; he thinks ‘‘about 25 percent" of the club's members volunteer their time to this effort.
   
   ‘‘Used to be, we would ride on old woods roads...would take us into a pond or would just continue through the woods," he said. ‘‘That's all changing now. The paper companies are designating certain trails for riding. We just can't go where we want - and we shouldn't."
   
   According to Burr, landowners (primarily paper companies) have let ATV'ers develop ‘‘some 300 miles of trails to ride on in Hancock County and Washington County." These trails often follow snowmobile trails; in winter, ‘‘we keep off those trails," Burr said.
   
   Club members install directional signs and build bridges to span brooks, he indicated. ‘‘We want to stay only on the designated trails to avoid damaging soil or waterways," he said.
   
   Acadia Area ATVs meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Trenton Town Hall and fire station. ATV clubs ‘‘are more than just riding; there's a lot of socializing," Burr said.
   
   He explained the club combines ‘‘riding and socializing" by organizing monthly rides - weather permitting - and schedules specific events annually. Each September, Acadia Area ATVs organizes a Christmas for Kids ride, a 50-60-mile ride beginning and ending at the Airline Snack Bar on Route 9. About 150 ‘‘machines" (three- and four-wheelers and dirt bikes) participated in the 2001 ride, which saw riders enjoying a club-provided lunch at Deer Lake prior to returning to the Airline Snack Bar. The ride raised more than $5,000 to provide Christmas presents for children.
   
   On Saturday, April 13, Acadia Area ATVs will sponsor a free safety course from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Somesville Fire Station in Mount Desert. Harland Hitchings of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife will teach the course, which will target young people ages 10-16.
   ...
   Burr encouraged fledgling ATV'ers to sign up for the safety course by contacting him at 276-3927, David Preble at 422-8213, or Bill Kinter at 288-4743.
   ...
   ‘‘Join a club," Burr recommended. ‘‘The clubs give us more voice when people want to know how many people we represent. Club members can participate as much or as little as they want to, but they should join a club."