Arizona

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments Off-Highway Vehicle Task Force has announced the unveiling of billboards along the I-10 and Expressway 86 corridors designed to raise awareness of illegal off-highway vehicle use on desert lands.

The billboard unveiling will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, Dec. 15, at Expressway 86 between Avenues 50 and 52 in Coachella.

With support from Lamar Outdoor Advertising, three billboards will remind owners of Off-Highway Vehicles—quads, dirt bikes and other sand toys—that using them in the open desert of Riverside County is not legal. Riding on approved trails on public lands is lawful, but riding through the open desert is not legal unless it is on private property with written permission from the property owner in the rider’s possession.

Peter Corbett

It was intended to clear the air, but it appears Scottsdale's dust ordinance has stirred up resentment among off-road vehicle enthusiasts.

They were kicked off popular trails in the Granite Mountain Multiuse Area this summer while other users - jeep tours, equestrians and mountain bikers - continue to kick up dust on the state land in north Scottsdale.

"It's just another ridiculous bureaucratic mess that the public gets caught in," said Jeff Gursh of the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition.

Ginger Richardson

When many people think of public lands, they think of enjoying nature while on a hike, a horse, or an off-highway vehicle.

But the proliferation in ATVs, dirt bikes and quads have conservationists up in arms and the federal government moving to limit where such motorized vehicles are allowed.

Jason Massad

Queen Creek is tightening its enforcement of dust pollution and has dropped plans to create an area for off-road vehicle enthusiasts to ride through the desert.

The council recently decided that pursuing a suitable recreation area for off-road vehicles within town limits doesn't make much sense when landscapers are not allowed to blow dust into a public street.

Queen Creek officials originally envisioned designating an area for ATV riders.

Deanna Dent

PHOENIX — "I told you to get outta here," the ATV rider says, flinging his helmet to the ground and storming toward two men handing out maps of official off-roading trails. "I come out for a ride and you guys are out here closing the place down."

"Whoa, whoa," one of the men replies, holding his ground. "We're just here trying to talk to people about responsible riding."

A state law taking effect Jan. 1 will require off-highway vehicle owners to a pay a registration fee that will fund more law enforcement and allow officials to mark legal trails, among other provisions. The National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, meanwhile, are coordinating on rules to force riders to stick to designated trails on federal land.

Pinal County rancher Craig Shelley says state land in his area has become a playground for Maricopa County residents unlawfully riding off-road vehicles. “If it wasn’t for the ranchers out here, this place would be totally gone,” said Shelley, who ranches on about 15 square miles northeast of Queen Creek.

“At least we’re out here and trying to keep some semblance of the desert out here. It’s getting harder to do it all the time.”

Shelley, along with neighboring ranchers Rolf and Keith Flake, have experienced a barrage of problems from off-road vehicle riders destroying their property and the property they’ve leased from the state. They are also spending thousands of dollars on fence and property repairs, litter cleanup and replacement of signs warning riders of trespassing and closed routes.