Responsible trail use imperative to future

Harrison Schmitt

The citizens of South Dakota deserve credit for working towards effective off-road vehicle (ORV) management by advancing a license and registration system ahead of the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) Black Hills plan. As the Rapid City Journal correctly noted, a minority of riders are generating complaints and causing serious habitat damage to the Hills by riding irresponsibly. South Dakota isn't alone. Nationally, states are taking several approaches that are worth consideration here. However, reckless riding on federal lands demands additional action from Congress to ensure the new Black Hills trails system is sustainable.

We have followed this rising national problem for years and a minority of reckless riders are trespassing on private property, damaging wildlife habitats and creating conflicts with other trail users. Moreover, when areas are destroyed, riding areas close. Recently, a popular riding area in the East, the Upper Tellico, was closed indefinitely due to habitat damage. These trends will continue without action.

State legislatures are starting to act. Since January 2007, nearly half the states in the nation passed a law to address ORV-related enforcement, safety, private property or habitat protection. In 2009 alone, 84 measures were introduced in 36 states.

For example, a 2008 Arizona law increased funding for local law enforcement, damaged habitat restoration and ORV trail maintenance. A diverse coalition including sportmen, power sports dealers, local ORV clubs, the NRA and the Sierra Club supported the effort and received the Arizona Fish and Game's 2008 "Award of Excellence" for their collaboration.

In New Mexico, a broad coalition including farmers, ranchers, sportsmen, and conservationists supported a 2009 bill that increased user registration and penalty fees primarily for law enforcement and responsible use education. Most importantly, the law created a balanced citizen's advisory board of riders, ranchers, conservationists, property owners, sportsmen and others to work with state agencies overseeing the program.

Finally, the Rural Nevada Alliance worked with ranchers, sheriffs, woolgrowers, power sports dealers, sportsmen, local ORV clubs and conservationists to create a new ORV fund this year to pay for enforcement, education, trail maintenance and habitat protection. It also required license plates on all ORVs to hold irresponsible users accountable.

These laws are a step in the right direction, but the challenge is still growing. Since 1993, the number of ORVs increased by 230 percent nationally to nearly 10 million vehicles today. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), off-roading represented almost 24 percent of all visits to the lands they manage, but amounted to almost half the law enforcement incidents.

In July, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found widespread damage from reckless riding, mounting enforcement challenges and evidence of conflict with other users. A majority of land managers interviewed felt current ORV management practices were unsustainable. The GAO recommended better planning, enhanced communications with the public through user-friendly maps and trail signs, and an examination of current penalty structures.

Responsible South Dakotans shouldn't be denied access because of the irresponsibility of a few. Local groups have taken a big step in the right direction by creating a coalition of both concerned citizens and riders to combat the problem.

Congress must get involved too, because the federal government manages massive tracts of land. The new Black Hills trails system won't work if the irresponsible minority rides off the trails. Commonsense ORV management practices like minimum penalties, more education, and better trail management will help preserve access for responsible riders.

We hope Congress will follow the lead of South Dakota and many other states by working directly with local communities and providing the funding necessary to ensure the Black Hills trails system is sustainable and can be enjoyed by future generations.

Harrison Schmitt is executive director of Responsible Trails America, an independent research and advocacy project that supports common-sense off-road vehicle law enforcement and management practices.

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Source: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_4fef7a16-cd5a-11de-a7d9-001cc4c03286.html