Off-roaders battle dust rules in Scottsdale

For years, Scottsdale's Granite Mountain area has been a playground for hikers, horse riders, mountain bikers, rock climbers, jeep tours and off-road vehicle enthusiasts.

Now, off-roaders and jeep-tour operators are on the outside looking in, as a city dust ordinance adopted more than a year ago effectively banned vehicles from operating on unstabilized trails.

Advocates for motorized uses are pushing to regain access to more than 16,000 acres of state trust land in the Granite Mountain area northeast of Dynamite Boulevard and Pima Road. OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1')

Scottsdale will review that issue as it considers an agreement with the Arizona State Land Department to take over management of the Granite Mountain recreation area.

The city's Parks and Recreation and McDowell Sonoran Preserve commissions heard arguments last week on what uses should be allowed on the land, which the city hopes to eventually add to its preserve.

People interested in preservation and equestrian activities argued that the city has an obligation to prohibit motorized uses in a future preserve area to protect it from environmental damage.

The motorized-recreation users argue that the area is big enough to accommodate all users and that most of the off-roaders are responsible riders who do not damage the land by going off the trails.

"This business is my life," jeep-tour operator Doreen O'Connell said. "My husband and I have put every dime we own into this."

She predicted several jeep-tour operators would go out of business if Scottsdale bans them because there are few other areas to operate.

Carla (her legal name), a preserve commissioner, said she hopes Scottsdale can find a way to allow a limited number of existing jeep companies to continue to offer tours of the Granite Mountain area under strict guidelines.

Jim Heitel, who lives near Granite Mountain, said he has enjoyed a respite from off-road vehicles since the dust ordinance blocked their use last year. He urged the city to continue to restrict the off-roaders.

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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/08/15/20090815nestateland0815.html