Conference noted::equitation

    This is very interesting.  Where are these power lines?  I live in
    Chelmsford, MA, and own 11.9 acres of land, most of which is under
    power lines.  I use most of this as hayfields, but also for riding. 
    Across the street from me is a riding academy, and they have maybe 20
    acres of pasture under the poer lines.  And there's a farm further
    "down the lines" in one direction and another pasture in another.  The
    power company has not approached me about buying the land.  Yet. 
    Hmmmm....

    Legally, nobody has any right to trespass on the property over which the
    power company has an easement to string their lines. The land under
    power lines generally does not belong to the power company. The power
    companies have paid the property owner for the right to build and
    maintain their transmission lines. Nobody else has any "right" to be on
    that land.
    
    This has not stopped many different people using the land under power
    lines as recreational public land for dirt bikes, off road vehicles,
    riding, hiking etc:. They are all trespassing. Property owners blame
    the power companies for creating access and probably can take them to
    court for consequential damage in these litigous days.
    
    The power company is probably fed up with the whole situation as well.
    It's the abuse of these de-facto trails by everybody that causes the
    problem. Owning a hose does not give you the right to ride it over
    anybody else's property. Most property owners do not mind you doing so
    so long as you cause no damage and are circumspect as to where you
    ride. Unfortunately ORV owners seem far worse at believing they have
    the constitutional right to drive on any trail and into any swamp from
    what I have seen along the power lines near me. 

    Gosh, I seem to remember having read somewhere that the power companies
    specifically allowed walking and riding along the lines -- as a public
    service/good neighbor sort of thing.
    
    Maybe abuse of the lines has lead to this change in policy.
    
    Mary

    
    	This is in Millbury that we had this happen.
    
    	As for .3 - I have NEVER seen a no trespassing sign and
    	never had a problem before. In fact, I was riding on the	
    	power lines in Upton when they were putting the new pylons
    	up and I used to stop and chat with the guys every afternoon.
    	Not once was I told I was trespassing.
    
    	I understand that someone owns the land and they don't want
    	to be held liable for injuries or damage, but why didn't they
    	give some kind of public notice? And the first `guard' I ran 
    	into, if I didn't know better (as I didn't at the time since
    	he never once identified himself to us) I would have thought 
    	he was `up to something'. 
    
    	Okay, maybe I do remember seeing a few signs nailed to the 
    	pylons...but they're definitely not on the gates and the pylons
    	are out of reading distance. I always assumed the gates were
    	there to keep actual car and truck-type vehicles out, not to
    	keep walkers and riders out...
    
    	I'm just sad to think that so much freedom has been yanked
    	right out of our hands...We could go through three or four 
    	towns for hours at a time...
    
    	Sherry
    

    I know a lot of my friends use the power lines through Billerica as a
    popular riding place...wonder if they're enforcing this over in that
    neck of the woods?!?

    As .2 points out, but some reply-ers seem to have missed, the land
    under the power lines is owned by *people* not the power company.  Some
    of these people let you ride on their land, some do not.  I own land
    under the power lines.  I let people ride horses across it, as long as
    they do not tear up my hay crop.  I do not let RV's on it, because they
    *do* tear up my hay crop.  But I could also put up "No Trespassing"
    signs, or fence it off to outsiders, just as with land that is not under 
    the power lines.  The power company has only as easement over this land. 
    This means that they may come onto the owner's land for the purpose of
    maintaining the power lines, which typically also includes clearing
    brush etc.  
    
    -ellie

    Before we've ridden over any power lines, we've asked permission
    from the owners.  .2 and .6 are correct that most of the land that the
    power lines go thru are owned by people.  The land can be owned by the
    power company (and if you ask them, they'll probably let you use it
    too), I know of several instances.  
    
    There was one section in Grafton that the owner didn't want
    anyone to use because of misuse.  It took alot of carful negotiations
    to be able to cross this land.  More and more people are not allowing
    access because of the misuse of the land.  I actually don't blame the
    people.  We find all sorts of litter and the trails get ruined.   
    
    This is the big reason as to why we were so fussy about selecting land to 
    buy....for the most part we won't have to rely on someone else to give us 
    permission to use of their land.  We may have people crossing our land to 
    get to the forest, but as long as they respect our property, we won't have
    any problems.

  What do the power companies use to keep the land under the lines clear?

   Do the simply mow?

   Or do they spray some sort of weed killer?

   /Simone

    The power company I deal with does two things.  (At least...)  They
    cut down brush -- not completely, just sort of trim it.  They also
    spray a weed killer selectively on brush that's getting too vigorous.
    Last time they did this, there was a team of 4-5 workers with hand
    sprayers, and they were spraying each bush individually with something
    like Roundup.  There was no broadcast spraying.
    
    But note that this was on my property.  If they are apraying on their
    own land, thay might just spray anything and everything.  I guess the
    bottom line is not to let your horse nibble on any foliage under the
    power lines.  Could be poisonous.
    
    -ellie

    
    	Just to update you all, we spoke to someone at the power 
    	company and it turns out they are doing some sort of 
    	construction over there for the next three weeks and they
    	just don't want anybody down there. After that we are welcome.
    
    	I don't know if the guard we spoke to before was given 
    	wrong information or making it up as he went along....
    
    	Sherry
    

A few years ago my husband did a story on the defoliant used by power
companies to clear areas for towers and lines.

It seem that, at the time, they were using something akin to Agent Orange.
I don't know if this defoliant is used across the industry, but I would be
very careful about touching/nibbling anywhere *near* the lines ( I don't even
ride on them anymore, which I know is mildly fanatical ;-)). 

	-JoAnne_who's_husband_is_a_reporter_and_comes_home_with_all_
		_kinds_of_scary_stories_*8+#