Controlling ORV abuse takes give and take

I received a report the other day from the Wildlands, CPR, a Montana conservation group. It listed six strategies directed at controlling off-road vehicle abuse.

What first caught my attention was six pictures on the cover showing cases of abuse. Three of the six were taken in Utah, two in California and one in Florida.

One picture was of Factory Butte northwest of Hanksville, the second a picture of a muddy road, captioned "Muddy Ruts," with no mention of the area, and the third was of a four-wheel vehicle climbing a rock ledge in southern Utah. The two California shots are of a snowmobile and snowmobile tracks in closed areas. The third shows tracks where a vehicle followed an unauthorized route in a Florida preserve.

Either Utah riders are the most abusive in the country, which is not true, or Wildlands has a pretty weak photo file.

What struck me, too, was the whole report focused on what it called "lawless" riders, yet its very likely at least two of the Utah photos were taken where off-road riding is legal.

What troubled me, too, were the disclaimers. That all of the information collected was by phone and that there was no on-the-ground follow-up, so some of the examples ... may not be exactly indicative of conditions on the ground.

It also seemed to place all off-road riders under the lawless heading ... stating there is an "attitude of lawlessness that is alarmingly common among off-road riders." And, that the "common perception among off-road riders is that breaking the rules some of the time is all right ... ."

Nowhere did I find a positive note with respect to the good work of off-road riders, like trail restoration, re-vegetation and self-policing.

I agree that off-road abuse is a problem. I do not, however, believe all riders are outlaws. I believe, as happens in so many cases, that a few spoil it for the many.

The six strategies include (1) Engage in serious enforcement efforts, (2) Create enforceable routes and regulations, (3) Engage in visible action and meaningful collaboration, (4) Make riders responsible, (5) Incorporate technologies that work and (6) Make penalties meaningful.

There are a couple of troubling points listed under the strategies ... not to tolerate damage from off-road vehicles; limit their numbers; limit their use to areas that can be monitored; toughen penalties; create citizen spies; link off-road violations to other recreational privileges and impound vehicles.

Other things I agree with ... increase enforcement, track repeat offenders and work with off-road community leadership.

I believe that while much of the strategies sound good, the only real solution is for the two sides — conservationists and off-road riders — to come together for a little give and take.

There is, in the report, a list of people to interview. There are 44 names. Not one appears to have any link to users other than, in some cases, those in charge of public lands, but I'll bet not one supports off-road use. Which means the report has a one-sided slant.

It's been proven time and again that solving issues like this requires give and take on both sides. The key word there is give.

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E-mail: grass@desnews.com