Agencies team up to enforce ordinance at Nature Center

Heather Smathers

Officials from the Arizona Game & Fish Department, Bureau of Land Management, Bullhead City Police Department and Fort Mojave Indian Tribe participated in a sting operation to try and catch violators of off-highway vehicle ordinances at the Colorado River Nature Center on Saturday.

The targeted patrol was the first of its kind, said Zen Mocarski, program manager with the AZGF.

“We want to make sure people are aware that it is not legal to ride any OHV in the nature center,” he said.

The enforcement was to let people know of the laws surrounding OHV operations in the state and in the city. Just because the land is owned by Game & Fish, Mocarski said, does not give people the right to take OHVs into the nature center.

“We can close properties we own if we feel there is a detriment to the environment and the habitats who live there,” he said.

The main goal of Game & Fish is to preserve wildlife and their habitats and the second priority is to allow humans access to those lands, Mocarski said.

Velma Holt, a Game & Fish ranger, said the law enforcement agencies have taken steps to notify residents of the increased crackdowns on OHV riders in areas where they are not permitted. She said fliers were distributed to residents near the nature center, announcements went out in utility bills in Bullhead City and the city has promoted the laws on its website.

Bullhead City is the only municipality in the state that permits police officers to impound OHVs as well as issue citations to the rider, Mocarski said.

Holt said the agencies will plan to do more targeted enforcements of OHV riders in the nature center in the future. Like Saturday’s event, the dates and times will not be posted because officials don’t want to forewarn riders of the possibility of police presence.

The Colorado River Nature Center is a 500-acre preserve at the southern end of the city, at the end of Richardo Avenue. OHV riding is not permitted anywhere in the nature center and is only permitted on approved trails and roads statewide.

Figures for how many OHV riders were cited was not available Saturday evening, as the operation was an all-day event.

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Source: http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/10/17/news/local/doc4cbaa1b272770596422479.txt

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