Granite Mountain still off-limits to off-roaders

Written by The Arizona Republic

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Peter Corbett

Off-road-vehicle riders are battling to regain access to trails in Scottsdale's Granite Mountain area as the city reviews managing the land.

Preservationists and equestrians are adamant that Scottsdale permanently ban motorized uses on 16,000 acres of state trust land northeast of Pima Road and Dynamite Boulevard. The city intends to add the area to its McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

"There is no logic to allowing motorized uses in a preserve," said Tracey House, a longtime Scottsdale horse rider.

Arguments over how to use the state land were offered Thursday at a joint meeting of Scottsdale's Parks and Recreation and McDowell Sonoran Preserve commissions.

Scottsdale is considering an agreement with the Arizona State Land Department to take over management of the Granite Mountain area and its network of trails.

Off-road vehicles had been allowed in the area until last summer, when Scottsdale adopted a strict dust-control ordinance that generally prohibits vehicles on unstable trails.

The two commissions will advise the Scottsdale City Council on managing the land.

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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/08/08/20090808negranitemtn0808.html

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Community Voices

“We’ve had success bringing illegal riders to justice by snapping photos of their ID stickers. The problem in California is that they’re too darn small to see from far away or at high speeds. While I’m normally not in favor of the government getting involved in things, requiring all ORVs to have a visible ID with a minimum size and standard location would make them an even better tool for property owners to identify trespassing riders. We should also look to Wyoming’s lead and make trespassing penalties clear so riders think twice before they head off designated trails and onto my land.”

- Mesonika Piecuch, private property owner, Kern County, CA