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Date published: 7/28/2006

I'D LIKE TO RESPOND to your recent editorial ["Hitting the trail"] and accompanying cartoon of July 14 in favor of the so-called Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail and to rebut the letters of other proponents of the trail in general, and, in particular, Dave Fedorchak's op-ed commentary ["Critics of the King George rail-trail have offered no real evidence"] of July 6.

Contrary to the cartoon, there are good reasons for not opening the trail to the public, and I have not seen credible counter-arguments in these pages or elsewhere. Mr. Fedorchak concedes the potential for crime along the trail but says we shouldn't be deterred, because some selected studies reassure us that the crime rate on the trail may not be any higher than the rate prevalent in the neighborhood already. Doesn't he realize how silly this argument sounds?

I already have my hands full in dealing with the general public at my King George property, mainly in the form of bags of litter that I pick up along the road frontage, but also including cases of trespassing. The trail would only open a new front in this ongoing but one-sided battle.

If any advocate of the trail thinks that exceptional and increasingly rare surroundings will somehow instill a heightened sense of responsibility, I'd be happy to give him a tour of campsites along the Rappahannock River, where the amount and variety of litter might be a revelation. Too many individuals feel they have a God-given right to dispose of their trash wherever and whenever they please.

Also, it is only after owning property for many years, in King George and elsewhere, that I am no longer surprised that so many have such little respect for private property. To cite a recent example at another location, someone ignored a closed gate and other obvious signs of private ownership in order to gain access to the river. Does this make him a "serious criminal" in your book? Perhaps not, but it may be of interest that the trespasser turned out to be a teacher in the schools of Spotsylvania!

Adjoining my property there is a large pond, which sits just below the railbed. This will prove to be an irresistible magnet. (If I were my neighbor, I'd be loading up with lots of liability insurance.) Even the conscientious few, willing to observe boundaries, will have a hard time. When the railroad was constructed in the 1940s, the right-of-way was demarcated by concrete monuments that have long since become obscured by vegetation.

Date published: 7/28/2006