Paying more for less

When Joe DeVoldre of Camillus takes his all-terrain vehicle for a spin, he usually takes it to Cayuga or Wayne counties.

A few months ago, DeVoldre hooked up with Montezuma's All-County ATV Club. While most club members come from the local area, there are many members like DeVoldre, who haul in their ATVs on trailers from the Syracuse area on weekends because there simply is nowhere else they can ride legally - without traveling to Lewis or St. Lawrence counties, which have extensive private trail systems.

That's why DeVoldre and other club members are disappointed that a new proposal from Gov. George Pataki to raise ATV registration fees uses none of the money for new public trail development. Pataki's 2005-2006 budget proposal increases the yearly fee from $10 to $45, with about a fifth of the money going to existing clubs.