State wants compliance with OHV regs

Steve Ayers

VERDE VALLEY - It took a coalition of off road riders and state and federal agencies six years to develop a program to regulate off-highway vehicles.

It has taken just one year to realize that the public doesn't seem to care.

Faced with a dismal 23-percent compliance of Arizona's OHV Decal program, administered by Arizona Game and Fish, the state is putting riders throughout the state on notice -- get a decal of get a fine.

In January 2009, the state initiated the decal program, which requires any owner of an off highway vehicle, weighing under 1,800 pounds, to purchase and display an annual decal issued by Arizona Game and Fish.

The decal cost $25.

For most of 2009, officers from state and federal agencies, including Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Game and Fish have had the discretion to issue a warning instead of a citation.

"We started enforcing the law in July last year, mostly by issuing warnings," says Game and Fish spokesperson Jim Harken, "But as of Jan. 1, 2010, it is going to be all citations."

Riders caught without an OHV decal face a mandatory is $250 fine.

Game and Fish Director Larry Voyles has likened the decal program to anyone of the state's wildlife conservation programs, which are based on the idea that "those who play, pay."

"Rates for hunting and fishing license compliance exceed 95 percent," said Voyles, "Game and Fish officers have unequivocally demonstrated their ability to achieve compliance through aggressive law enforcement.

"All OHV users should expect more special OHV law enforcement operations throughout the state, beginning in January and going on through this spring, until compliance numbers show a dramatic increase."

According to Harken, only 92,000 of the estimated 400,000 off highway vehicles in the state had decals in 2009.

The majority of the $25 decal fee, 60 percent, goes to Arizona State Parks to provide grants to clean up and restore OHV use area, trails and damage to habitat caused by irresponsible OHV usage.

Of the remainder, 35 percent goes to hire seven officers to enforce the new OHV regulations and five percent goes to the Arizona State Land Department so riders will not need one of their recreational use permits.

New state laws also provide for fines to OHV users who operate vehicles on non-designated trails or for those who cause habitat destruction.

The annual decal is available from any Motor Vehicle Department office in the state, any third party MVD provider or by going online to www.servicearizona.com.

If you purchased a decal last year, you will not receive a renewal notice this year, unless your vehicle was also licensed for on road use.

If you have never had your OHV licensed or had a decal, you need to go to an MVD office for an initial inspection and issuance of a license.

For more information on the state's OHV Decal program go to www.azgfd.gov/ohv.

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Source: http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=34258&TM=42147.73

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