Pinelands group pushes laws for ATVs

Written by Gloucester County Times

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Christina Paciolla

MONROE TWP. The Pinelands Municipal Council, a group of officials representing Pinelands' communities that work with the Pinelands Commission regarding legislature, have again approved a resolution calling for off-road vehicle laws.

"There is no legislation out there controlling ATV (all-terrain vehicle) use and as a result, we've got open space and public lands getting torn up by local ATV riders," said Anthony Mazzella, secretary of the council.

Monroe Township Councilman Frank Caligiuri said that talks with the township regarding land for an ATV park aren't dead, but some deals would need to be made in order for all parties to be satisfied. Caligiuri said that in order for the Pinelands Commission to use Monroe's land for a park, they would need to give the township some commercial area along the Black Horse Pike.

The Pinelands Municipal Council's recent call for off-road vehicle legislation also included a resolution for the enforcement of illegal off-road vehicle riding. The former had been introduced to state legislature last year. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Washington Township, is one of the sponsors of the bill and said that action will not be taken during summer session.

"We will try to get more action in Trenton on ATV legislation," said Mazzella, "both for establishing some law that forbids their use on pubic properties and registration issues."

Mazzella went on to say that "these things can't go riding through our front yards."

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection agrees.

Darlene Yuhas, a spokesperson for the DEP said that the department's conservation officers in the southern region, which Monroe Township is a part of, are conscientious about illegal ATV driving and are scouting locations for a park.

"We are currently involved in looking for a suitable location and the Monroe site is still under consideration," Yuhas said. "We do recognize an interest to have such a site."

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Source:http://www.nj.com/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1249197018189360.xml&coll=8

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Community Voices

“As a rancher who leases public lands for cattle, I’ve seen my share of cut fences and rangeland damaged by ORV use. I’ve also experienced ORV trespass onto my private lands. But I’ve had no way to identify the culprits when reporting trespass or illegal ORV use to local law enforcement. Congress should require that ORVs used on public lands have visible identification plates or decals. Doing so would remove the anonymity enjoyed by ORV riders who are bent on breaking the rules.”

- Ambers Thornburgh, second-generation rancher from Oregon who grazes cattle on his private land and adjacent lands leased from the Bureau of Land Management