Black Hills OHV Fees Discussed

Karla Ramaekers

You may soon have to pay a fee to drive an off-highway vehicle in the Black Hills.
The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board met today in Rapid City to take public comment on how license fees should be imposed.

It's currently free to ride an ATV or a dirtbike on designated trails in the Black Hills.
But due to rising costs of maintenance on the trails, The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board met today to discuss licensing fees with the public.

The proposed fees are a $20 weekly permit, $40 for a yearly permit, and $100 for a commercial permit for off-highway rental vehicles.

Some people at Wednesday's meeting oppose the fees completely. But most argued that all off-road vehicles are different... And they don't deserve a one-size-fits-all fee.

"I strongly believe that we ought to consider not just the types of motor vehicles but the environmental impact of the vehicles such as size, weight, contact patch, emissions, and noise," Jim Hansen says.

And people who own more than one recreational vehicle questioned whether or not each vehicle should be charged equally or if there should be a graduated system.

"Instead of paying the full fee for two different motorcycles because you can't ride both at the same time anyway.

But most were concerned with the price... And losing riders in the hills if costs are too high," Bob King says.

"Having a lower $25 or $30 sticker fee would both bring in more revenue I believe than having a $40 sticker fee because I believe we would have more users that would be willing to pay it," Ross Brown says.

Officials say the money would go back into the trail system to expand and improve the quality of off-road riding in the Black Hills... But first, they hope to come up with a fee system most can agree on.

Source: http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=0,75085

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