State Game and Fish steps up off-highway vehicle enforcement

Written by The Daily Times

Monday, July 06, 2009

Elizabeth Piazza

FARMINGTON — Enforcement will increase for off-highway vehicles, according to officials from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

During a recent meeting, Game and Fish officials went over the rules and regulations concerning OHVs.

"We went over the laws we will be enforcing and (Game and Fish) was asked to hit it full force," Game Warden Timothy Cimbal said.

An off-highway vehicle is any motorized vehicle designed specifically for off-highway travel and includes all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and go-carts.

"Basically, what's happened is that we have a whole bunch of folks using ATVs like a bicycle," said Kathy McKim, district wildlife supervisor for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Wardens are hoping to get the message out because people are not following the rules and regulations, McKim said.

Previously, most of the citations were given when wardens ran into ATVs during hunting season. Game and Fish specifically is patrolling for OHV violations, Cimbal said.

Most of the violations he enforces are in San Juan County.

Some of the biggest problems wardens see are kids riding unsupervised, without proper equipment or on vehicles that are too big.

The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Act prohibits riders younger than 6 from operating an ATV on public land. Riders younger than 18 must wear a helmet and protective eye equipment and cannot carry passengers.

They must complete a certified OHV course and obtain a safety permit, and riders younger than 13 must be supervised at all times.

Parents can be held accountable and cited if their children are not following the regulations, Cimbal said.

The laws for OHV do not apply on private land, unless a driver is trespassing, Cimbal said.

Any vehicle on public land needs to be registered, which costs $48 for a two years.

"(OHVs) are a lot of fun, you just have to be cognizant and careful," Cimbal said.

Source: http://www.daily-times.com/ci_12759646

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Community Voices

“During the past decade, I have personally had six out of seven elk hunts ruined by the careless intrusions of ATV operators. This epidemic has forced me to abandon one prime hunting area after another, only to encounter the same situation elsewhere. The shameful part of this picture is that the overwhelming majority of these ATV’ers are young and healthy, not decrepit or physically challenged. Maybe these riders would be more respectful of other people's outdoor experience if they knew we could ID them."

- Bill Sustrich, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers