Please Take Action: VTGC is urging you to email the Senate Transportation Committee to ask them to Support S.4, a bill that would clarify that municipalities have explicit authority, but not obligation, to maintain Legal Trails. The bill would also provide towns with the authority to regulate the use of Legal Trails within their municipality, including what types of vehicles have public access on these trails.
Email these lawmakers: rawestman@gmail.com; rwhite@leg.state.vt.us; wharrison@leg.state.vt.us;
aperchlik@leg.state.vt.us; pbrennan@leg.state.vt.us
Your email could go something like this:
Dear Chair Westman and Members of the Senate Transportation Committee,
My name is _ and my organization is a member of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council (VTGC),
I am writing to you today to urge you to take up and support S.4, a bill that would clarify that towns and municipalities have explicit authority, but not obligation, to maintain Legal Trails. This authority has been historically understood across Vermont, but a recent court case in Tunbridge, in which a private landowner is suing the municipality, could have significant impacts on all 500+ miles of Legal Trails and connectivity throughout the State of Vermont.
Over 70 percent of Vermont’s public access trails, which include Legal Trails, are on private land. While previously there has been an understanding that municipalities have the right to maintain and determine the use of Legal Trails the outcome of the Tunbridge case puts all use at risk.
This could significantly impact my organization because (insert personal story here)…
Please support S.4 and please reach out for information.
Thank you,
