Warner commission reviews citizen petition urging delay of proposed Kearsarge downhill trail until inventories and safety plan are completed

Nancy told the commission that a citizen petition urging the Statewide Trails Advisory Committee (STAC) to delay further consideration of a proposed downhill mountain‑bike trail in Rollins Park and state forest on Mount Kearsarge has been submitted for the warrant.

The petition language asks Warner residents to "respectfully urge the responsible state entities to deny further consideration of the current proposal until the above concerns and deficiencies have been met," citing: an absence of botanical or biological inventory along the proposed route; no safety plan for a steep enduro‑style trail; and neighbor concerns about subsequent unauthorized 'spider' trails and state resources to address trespass.

Commissioners discussed whether STAC members or local reviewers would recuse for conflicts of interest if local applicants had served on review committees. A representative of the newly formed Kearsarge chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) was referenced during the discussion; commission members said they would seek more details about other candidate trail sites in the region and the scheduling of the next STAC meeting (members noted it as March 25 at DNCR headquarters in Concord).

Nancy said the petition will appear as a warrant article at Warner’s March town meeting and suggested the commission may want to gather additional information about proposed trail routes and environmental inventories before town meeting debate. No formal commission position on the petition was recorded at the meeting.