EAST QUOGUE, N.Y. (AP) - Police say they've caught nearly a half-dozen dirt bikers and all-terrain vehicle riders cavorting in eastern Long Island's environmentally sensitive pine barrens.

Southampton Town police arrested five ATV riders Saturday in the barrens in East Quogue on charges including illegally operating an ATV or dirt bike on public property. It's a violation.

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.

Tiffany Revelle

LAKE COUNTY- Enforcement of a county ordinance aimed at curbing the problem of illegal motoring on private land is not simple, according to Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors responded in August 2006 to community outcry and concerns about soil erosion by adopting an ordinance that prohibits riding motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles (OHVs) on private property without the landowner's written permission. Mitchell cited a section of state law that says if certain conditions aren't in place, the ordinance doesn't apply.

April marks the opening of all-terrain-vehicle season in Ohio's forests, and as enthusiasts begin planning trips and loading up their gear, state and federal forest managers should consider how far to go in expanding this activity.

ATV riding is extremely popular in the Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio and in four stateforests, and demand is high for more trails. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources plans to add to its 40 miles of motorized-vehicle trails. In the Wayne, the National Forest Service has expanded the ATV-trail system to 121 miles in recent years, and just announced that it will allow a popular new ATV model on it.

With a 50-inch wheelbase, the Polaris RZR is slightly wider than standard ATVs and barely fits on the Forest Service's 50-inch trails.

OTTOVILLE - A 19-year-old woman remained hospitalized with serious injuries Wednesday, four days after being struck by an all-terrain vehicle in Putnam County, Putnam County Sheriff Jim Beutler said.

Beutler said the teen's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

A nursing supervisor at St. Rita's Medical Center said Kasey Brooks was listed in serious condition Wednesday night. It was not clear where Brooks is from and the Sheriff's Office would not release the incident report.

The Franklin Clark

Kentucky State Police are currently investigating an attempted shooting that took place at about 10:30 p.m. on the night of Friday, March 27, at the intersection of Siloam Road and Alexander Road in the county.

The Trigg County Sheriff’s Department contacted the KSP and requested an investigation into a shooting incident that involved an unknown attacker and TCSD Deputy Jimmy Godair, according to a report by KSP Trooper Dean Patterson.

Godair had responded to a complaint of an all-terrain vehicle, or ATV traveling along the roadway, and when he responded to it, he saw an ATV with a camouflage coloring scheme in the road, said Patterson’s report.

The driver of the ATV fired two shots at the deputy, at which point Godair fired two shots at him, said Trigg County Sheriff Randy Clark, who added that Godair wasn’t injured and the assailant fled into a wooded area on the ATV.

The attacker, Patterson said, hasn’t been caught, and is being sought by the KSP, who is conducting an investigation into the matter, bus added that he couldn’t provide much more information without jeopardizing the investigation.

“We’re hoping we can catch him in good time,” Patterson said.

Patterson urged anyone that has any information pertaining to the investigation to contact Kentucky State Police, Post One, at 1-800-222-5555.

Source: http://www.cadizrecord.com/articles/stories/public/200904/01/4Lyy_news.html

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.

Catherine Kozak

Two more shorebird protection areas on beaches in Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been vandalized, the National Park Service Outer Banks Group reported today.

Seventeen bird closure signs were destroyed at a pre-nesting area at the northeast end of Hatteras Inlet spit by Pole Road, according to a news release. Also, two posts and a barrier rope at a pre-nesting area at the west end of South Beach in Buxton were removed, the statement said. The incidents were discovered over the weekend.

Under the terms of a court-sanctioned agreement that is managing off-road vehicle access, the buffers at both areas were required to be expanded 50 meters. The Pole Road remains open, and access has been reduced on the west side of the closure on South Beach.

Elena Cristiano

OCEANSIDE - For years, people have ridden motocross bikes and ATVs in a hilly, 80-acre open space area just east of Jeffries Ranch.

If some residents of the community in northeast Oceanside have their way, it will stop.

In a meeting held last month at the home of neighborhood activist Shelby Jacobs, a dozen homeowners called on Councilman Rocky Chavez and police Chief Frank McCoy to put an end to the off-road activity.