MAHONING COUNTY Meeting will target rights of landowners

Some treat private land as if it were a public recreation area, one official said.
CANFIELD -- Although the region's rural landscape is an enticing setting for recreational activities, it isn't always an appropriate one, Mahoning County Farm Bureau officials said.
That's why the farm bureau is sponsoring a meeting on landowners' rights and responsibilities. The meeting will be 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Canfield Methodist Church, 27 S. Broad St.
"Landowner's Liability and Criminal Trespassing: What are my Rights?" will feature speakers Nan Still, Ohio Farm Bureau director of law information, and a representative from the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. Both will provide information on the property owners' legal rights.
One problem
Pearle Burlingame, Mahoning County Farm Bureau organization director, said private land is often used and abused by people who ride all-terrain vehicles snowmobiles, or dirt bikes, hunt, fish or hike without permission. Some farmers have even found people camping on their property.
Just because there are acres of rolling meadows or woods and there is no one in the area, people should not use private land as if it were a recreational area, Burlingame said.
Although the terrain might be ideal for a particular activity, people should not enter it without permission, she added.
Many of the recreational activities can cause property damage, destroy crops, wetland or woodland areas, or tear up soil in areas of farm fields left undisturbed as a conservation measure, she said.
For more information, call the farm bureau at (330) 533-5553.