"There have been some reports of private citizens run over by ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) or law enforcement officials run over or kind of aimed at" by vehicles.

"There seems to be an entrenched renegade element within the off-highway vehicle community," he said. "I would characterize the attitude as 'we're going to go where we want, we're going to do what we want, we don't care."'

Furnish added that most ORV users are not in that category, but enough are that it is causing serious problems.

Meanwhile, federal managers think penalties are often too light for ORV infractions. Someone with a $5,000 vehicle, who paid $200 for gas to get to the recreation area and back, is not going to be badly fazed by a $50 fine, he said.

Furnish said his experience is with the Forest Service, but the BLM is "dealing with a lot of the same issues. It's a very big issue there in Utah and Nevada, because there's so much BLM land."

One suggestion many federal land managers think may help is to "beef up the penalties associated with infractions." For example, vehicles could be confiscated. The report also suggests taking away hunting and fishing privileges as possible deterrents.

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com