Legislators take on public land abuse

Colorado legislators are taking a hard line against damage to public lands. Last week, Sen. Mark Udall and Rep. John Salazar introduced federal legislation to clamp down on illegal and reckless activities on public lands.

Public lands recreation has exploded throughout the West, and especially in Colorado. Along with increased visitation, there has been an accompanying rise in damage caused by careless or reckless uses. However, agencies have had their hands tied when it comes to off highway vehicle abuse, vandalism, arson and other misuses of public lands. For example, federal law prevents the BLM from assessing a fine greater than $1,000 – even if the damage from violations costs thousands more to repair. Udall and Salazar’s bill seeks to modernize the law, which has remained unchanged for a quarter of a century. It would increase fines and penalties to as much as $100,000 and 12 months in jail for violations. 

“The public shouldn’t have to pay for damage caused by a few careless visitors,” Udall said. “Increasing the penalties for people who knowingly or recklessly damage public lands would help restore dam
age and just as importantly, prevent harm in the first place.”

A local incident provided some of the inspiration for Udall and Salazar’s bill. In the summer of 2000, two off-road vehicles ignored closure signs while four-wheel driving on BLM land high above Silverton. The drivers eventually got stuck for five days on a 70 percent slope at 12,500 feet along the flanks of Houghton Mountain. The incident caused significant damage to the high alpine tundra, and yet the violators were fined only $600 apiece.

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Source: http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/10-02-18/quick.htm

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