ATVs at preserve up in air

Jared Felkins

Four-wheelers and other all-terrain vehicles could be banned in Little River Canyon National Preserve, and Congress will ultimately make the decision.

Preserve Superintendent John Bundy said Tuesday the deciding factor will lie in federal and state laws that pertain to ATV use. He said Congress requires a general management plan for the preserve that would include rules for things like hunting, fishing, threatening endangered species and ATV use.

“If ATVs were to be found to be not allowed inside the preserve, we would be enforcing it based on what the law says not based on what we want or don’t want,” Bundy said. “It’s what the regulations require.

“There could be a ban or there could not be a ban. We are making sure with what we are doing now and what we will do in the future complies with federal and state law. We are looking at all the laws on hunting, fishing, threatening endangered species. It’s all part of the federal management process.”

Bundy said the canyon area became a federal preserve in 1992, and the legislation that set it up called for a general management plan after one year of its passage. But Bundy said it has taken since that time to gather the needed information and funding necessary to outline a future plan for the preserve.

Bundy said federal and state laws regarding the preserve have been submitted to attorneys with the Department of the Interior, and it could take two to three months before an interpretation of the laws are returned. He said he did not know when a decision on the general management plan would come since it has not been completed.

“We have already had public meetings about what people would like to see in the general management plan,” Bundy said. “We will be coming out with another series of public meetings to see how the final version will come out.”

Bundy said he did not know when more public meetings would be held.

Bundy said an ATV permit process was implemented about a week ago that requires all ATV users to renew their permits every six months. Bundy said previously issued permits without expiration dates will not be valid after April 1.

“The reason we made the change in the permitting process was because we don’t have a general database,” Bundy said. “We don’t know who our general users are. It will be a factor in the general management planning process.”

Bundy said a previous preserve superintendent allowed ATVs to be ridden on park roads on an experimental basis, and the rule was never changed. He said no ATVs are allowed on preserve trails.

“Whatever the laws end up being, that is what we are going to enforce,” Bundy said. “We won’t eliminate things that are legal or permit things that are illegal.”

A spokesperson with Congressman Robert Aderholt’s office said Tuesday staffers were not told ATVs would be banned, but the outlook was “gloomy.”

“It is my understanding that the Little River Canyon Preserve management will do a study over the next several months to determine whether they are in compliance with National Park Service federal regulations regarding ATV usage,” Aderholt said in a statement. “I have been informed that until further notice, continued ATV usage will be allowed in Little River Canyon Preserve as long as ATV operators have obtained a renewable six-month permit. I will continue to monitor this issue very closely as the situation develops.”

Bundy said an additional benefit of the new process would be having an up-to-date list of all ATV users on hand so park officials could “contact them quickly” should the preserve’s backcountry roads be closed for repair or due to inclement weather. 

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Source: http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=6bb42df0c885c9bb

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