Every time I pick up a paper, I cant help but read another unfounded complaint against ATVs. How ATVs are ruining people's lives. How ATVs are noisy, smelly, dirty and dangerous. How every ATV rider is rude and were destroying the environment. That is clearly a naysayer perception of what is a great family activity.

The overall complaints of unruly ATV behavior stem from southern New Hampshire towns. Why such an isolated area of the state, you may ask? The answer is overdevelopment.

The people who are complaining the most about ATVs and their environmental effects are the same people who are buying up 2-acre lots, building their cookie cutter three-car garage homes, with covenants that restrict basketball hoops in their own driveway. How un-American is that?

These are the same people who fill those three-car garages with oversized gas guzzling SUVs. Not to mention their new "neighborhood" used to have 300-year-old trees and open fields that deer, birds and other animals called their home.

And they have the nerve to say ATVs are an environmental detriment? They should take a long look in a mirror.

I just read that Atkinson will be faced with the same ATV banning issue, much like other southern New Hampshire towns. Being originally from Atkinson and growing up on Pine Knoll Drive, a street with an alleged ATV problem, I am flustered.

There is an old trail system that has run from Plaistow, Atkinson and into Hampstead for 30-plus years. My sisters used to ride our horse on these trails.

We used to bike, walk, hike, motorcycle, snowmobile and ATV on this trail system.

Once again, overdevelopment and those uneducated about trail systems will come in and ruin New Hampshire. And as always, the selectmen and state representatives will jump on the "blame ATV bandwagon" while our family recreation will take another unjust low blow.

ATVs pay hundreds of thousands in state dues each year. There are many ATV organizations that are helping to rebuild, maintain and help the existing state trail systems.

The ATV community is made up of family and friends. When we ride, we yield to walkers, bikers and horseback riders. We clean trails and help the environment.

Once again, a few bad apples are hurting the integrity of our recreation by riding illegally. Do not let that one bad ATV rider cloud your judgment against thousands of ATV enthusiasts.

That's like banning all cars because someone cut you off. Or banning all bicycles because you got stuck behind 25 of them riding five deep and you couldn't pass them on a narrow back road.

We have all been there. Something has bothered us enough to say, thats it,without taking the time or full thought to see the bigger picture.

It's time to see the bigger picture. Take the time to work with ATV clubs and the people as we are willing to take the time to work and listen to you.