A Hudson man was arrested Friday evening in the North Country after he was found operating an off-highway recreational vehicle in a wetland, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer Christopher Egan.
The man, Jeffrey Rogers, 48, of Hudson was charged after his vehicle was found stuck in the mud on a snowmobile trail that is not open to all-terrain vehicles “in part because of environmental sensitivity to wetland soils and vegetation.” The trail was on snowmobile corridor 5 in the Coleman State Park in Stewartstown.
He was charged with operating an off-highway recreational vehicle in a wetland, not having the written permission of the landowner and operating the vehicle “in a manner causing damage to property,” according to Egan. He is required to appear in Colebrook District Court next month.
In a news release Egan said alcohol was not a factor and “both the operator of the machine and his passenger were very cooperative and apologetic.”
Many new trails have been opened – or linked – in the North Country as part of an effort to boost tourism called Ride the Wilds. Concerns about Ride the Wilds have included noise issues and damage to the environment.
Egan said law enforcement officials have been focusing on illegal operation of the vehicles because Ride the Wilds “hinges largely upon the support of landowners; and that support can only be maintained through responsible use of both private and public lands.”
