Parks board eyes moving more off-road funds to enforcement

Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The Colorado State Parks board will meet today in Frisco to consider steering more off-highway vehicle funds away from trail building and toward enforcement and restoration of damaged areas.

Colorado's off-highway vehicle program is funded by a $25.25 registration fee on vehicles. The fund has grown from $300,000 in 1997 to about $3.2 million in 2009. The bulk of the money currently goes toward trail maintenance, but a broad coalition of conservation groups wants the board to change that focus.

One option would be to shift 40 percent of the fund toward law enforcement, 30 percent to restoration of damage caused by illegal off-road use, with the remaining 30 percent for trail planning, design, building and maintenance.

The allocation of off-highway vehicle funds was in the spotlight last year when the Summit County Off-Road Riders were seeking a grant to plan a trail system on public lands along the slopes of Tenderfoot Mountain, between Summit Cove and Keystone.

At the time, Summit County's representatives in the State Legislature wrote a letter to the State Parks board, asking it deny the grant. That letter also called for shifting the emphasis to include more enforcement and restoration.

Local off-roaders say the effort to change the funding is led by out-of-state interests.

“What's happening, in our viewpoint, is an East Coast, out-of-state, anti-OHV group is coming and trying to change the allocation of our funds,” said Chuck Ginsburg, of the Summit County Off-Road Riders. “Law enforcement is an important aspect, but it depends on what each area needs.” Local groups should be able to request grants based on local conditions, he added.

The groups asking for the changes include the Colorado Wildlife Federation, the Colorado Backcountry Anglers, the Colorado Bow Hunters and the American Hiking Society.

Rob Firth, the recently retired chief law enforcement officer for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and federal land managers will also push for reform at the meeting.

“I think there are about 40 groups now, most of them Colorado-based, backing this resolution,” said Scott Chase, representing a group called Responsible Trails.

“I haven't seen anyone from out-of-state involved in this,” said John Silence, recently retired from his post as special agent in charge of law enforcement for the federal Bureau of Land Management in Colorado.

Silence said Colorado State Parks has not been able to keep up on compliance of off-highway vehicle registration requirements. He'd like to see more funding allocated toward compliance, but also said the distribution of money should remain under local control.

“We need to get some more boots on the ground,” said Firth, adding that the enforcement component hasn't kept pace with the rapid growth of off-road use.

Irresponsible use has, in some cases, resulted in habitat destruction and displacement of wildlife, he said.

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Source: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20091120/NEWS/911199979/1078&ParentProfile=1055

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