New Mexico

Susan Montoya Bryan

Official views ORV impacts in NM mountain

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The head of the New Mexico Environment Department has joined the debate over whether dozens of miles of routes in northern New Mexico's Jemez Mountains should be closed to vehicles.

A group of environmentalists and landowners has petitioned the U.S. Forest Service to close 27 routes, saying they are concerned that continued use by off-roaders would cause more erosion and have negative effects on wildlife.

The recent conflicts between all-terrain vehicles and mountain bikers at the Glade Run Recreation Area aren't new or isolated phenomenon.

In fact, so many of these incidents are happening across the nation that a few years ago officials coined the phrase "off-road rage" to describe the conflicts between ATVs and mountain bikers and hikers.

April Reese

SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST, N.M. -- Kevin Stillman idles his pickup along the edge of Forest Road 268, surveying a tangle of single-track branching out in three directions, loosely resembling a chicken's foot.

"This is part of the problem," said Stillman, who lives just around the bend on private land within the forest. "There's a trail there, and a trail there, and another over there."

Steve Lynn

Changes made to a 2005 law will allow federal and local officials to better enforce laws governing use of off-highway vehicles, said the bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Dede Feldman.

The new law will shift dollars from the New Mexico Tourism Department to the state Department of Game and Fish, said Feldman, D-Albuquerque. Game and Fish must use the money to enforce laws and distribute funding to county sheriffs and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Governor Richardson has signed legislation shifting oversight of all-terrain and off-road vehicles from the Tourism Department to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.

The new law also establishes a penalty structure for violations, with fees from those penalties going toward education and enforcement activities.

David Ehrman

It used to be that one could venture into New Mexico's national forests to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, watch wildlife, hike and reconnect with the beauty and solace of nature. But the days of quiet recreation and inner reflection are being undermined by the roaring engines and maiming tires of off-road vehicles (all-terrain vehicles/quads, jeeps, dirt bikes).

Rachel Abell

A family outing on an ATV gets an El Paso father in trouble with the law.

The El Paso Sheriff's Office says 36-year old Jaime Diaz Trejo has been charged with 2 counts of Abandoning or Endangering a child.

Steve Lynn

FARMINGTON — All-terrain vehicle riders blasted gravel at Keith Ashmore and rode dangerously close to him as they broke rules by racing on a mountain biking trail.

"They had total disregard for the safety of others," said Ashmore, a mountain biker. "They did not care, so it's infuriating."

Steve Lynn

SAN JUAN COUNTY — The Bureau of Land Management will investigate whether all-terrain vehicle riders broke rules when they raced at Glade Run Recreation Area last weekend.

Between 30 and 40 ATV riders held an organized race on trails designated for mountain bikes Sunday, said San Juan County Undersheriff Mark McCloskey.