NEWRY – Three panelists at this week’s outdoor recreation and tourism conference painted a bright future for all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile tourism in Maine and New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Bureau of Trails chief Chris Gamache said ATV and snowmobile recreation are important to both states, especially in the Androscoggin River Valley.

Gamache said that ATV registrations increased by 150 percent from 1995 through 2003 in New Hampshire, and national sales of ATVs were five times higher than that of snowmobiles.

“Whether people like it or not, they are here to stay and need to be managed professionally,” Gamache said.

Gamache presented a history of Berlin’s new Jericho Mountain State Park, which caters to ATV tourists. The 7,500-acre park, which is located a few miles west of the Androscoggin River off Route 110, features 6 miles of ATV trails.

Gamache said that this year, the bureau will work with the towns of Gorham and Berlin to link ATV trails to both communities.

“The master plan is for a 200-site campground, 136 to 140 miles of ATV trails, nine miles of mountain bike trails, and a 4-by-4 Jeep area. We have a five-year construction plan for full build-out. It will provide an economic impact of $1 million annually,” Gamache said.

He said that within the next few months, New Hampshire will issue a nationwide request for proposals on the estimated $2 million campground project. He said he hopes that will be completed by next year.

“The project has received national and international attention. New England is becoming a hot destination location for European tourists,” Gamache said.

Infrastructure, however, is missing.

Panelist Dan Mitchell, executive director of ATV Maine, echoed Gamache’s figures, saying that ATV use jumped 136 percent in the past 10 years. Three years ago, the economic impact was $220 million annually.

Maine has more than 5,000 miles of ATV trails, with more than 90 percent of it on private land. That’s why, Mitchell said, it’s important to establish incentives for landowners to work with ATV clubs.

“Our goal is to have a statewide interconnected trail section, and right now we’re close to having 7,000 miles,” Mitchell said. “What we need are more clubs. Each club manages 200 miles of trail. We’d like to get to the point where landowners come to us and ask when we can come in.”

He mentioned three businesses in the River Valley that have experienced boosts in sales specifically from ATV tourism. Additionally, ATV registrations in Maine bring in $52,000 to $66,000.

Mitchell also said ATV Maine has 21,000 members and that there are 140 ATV clubs in the state.

Regarding snowmobiles in Maine, former Maine Snowmobile Association president Aleta Rioux said Maine has 286 clubs whose members groom more than 13,500 miles of trail.

“Volunteers are the backbone of the system,” she said. “Maine trails literally go from one end of the state to the other. You can literally go anywhere.”

According to most recent figures, Rioux said snowmobile tourism brings in $350 million annually and provides 2,300 full-time job statewide.