Survey shines light on ORV unruliness

Rangers say Little Sahara is one of the problem areas

Over this year's Easter break, a survey released Tuesday says, partiers at the off-road vehicle haven, Little Sahara Recreation Area in Juab County, blocked a section and forced women to bare their breasts before they were allowed to leave.

There were "numerous incidents of unwanted fondling of women," adds the survey, released by the group Rangers for Responsible Recreation, based in Washington, D.C. The narrative supports the survey, which was carried out among U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management rangers in a five-state area that included Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and the southern desert portion of California.

The group believes stronger enforcement actions are needed to deal with ORV abuse that includes damage to public land, assault and other violations.

Nearly 300 BLM and Forest Service rangers and supervisors in the five states were contacted. About 23 percent of agency employees responded to the questionnaire. Their conclusions were:

• 91 percent of BLM and Forest Service rangers responding think ORVs pose "a significant law enforcement problem" in their areas.

• 53 percent said off-road vehicle problems in their jurisdictions are "out of control."

• 74 percent said ORV problems are worse than five years ago.

• Only 15 percent said ORV problems are "turning around for the better."

The narrative portion of the material describes incidents in nearly every state. In the Little Sahara area, it notes that during that Easter break, more than 50 law enforcement officers from several agencies were assigned to the region. About 35,000 visitors were present from April 29 through May 5.

"Officers were faced with near-riot conditions on two separate nights involving approximately 200 people, which required all available officers and over five hours to mitigate the situation," it reports. About 200 people were ejected from the main hill area, and several were arrested when they returned.

After groups forced women to bare their breasts and submitted some to unwanted fondling, the report adds, officers took action. "The crowd became unruly, throwing objects at the officers.

"A Utah HP (Highway Patrol) was struck in the head and sustained minor injuries. Medical assistance was rendered on 37 incidents. Over 300 incidents resulted in arrests and/or citations."

Jim Furnish, former deputy chief of the U.S. Forest Service, told the Deseret Morning News that this type of survey had not been carried out before. It showed that agency officers in the field think the problem with ORV users is getting worse and is difficult to deal with. Rangers feel understaffed and overwhelmed, he said.

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