Utah

Tom Patton

I attended the recent Take Back Utah rally at the Utah Capitol, not so much to support the idea but to see what other off-road-vehicle users meant with this movement and to see if any concerns of mine might be addressed.

If ever there was a category of people who fit the remark "we have met the enemy and he is us," it is the ORV riders of Utah. The continued widespread abuse of public lands by ORV users could result in further restrictions unless immediate and firm measures of self control are put in place.

David Sumner

Saturday night a week ago, I returned from hiking the length of the Highline Trail in the Uinta wilderness. It was 90 or so miles of unbelievable views, spectacular wildlife, bad food, tough weather and sore feet; it was all I had hoped for.

When I opened the paper Sunday morning, however, I read about the off-road vehicle rally in Salt Lake City ("Thousands ride to the state Capitol to 'Take Back Utah'," Tribune, Aug. 9) and discovered that, as a lover of wilderness, I apparently hated guns, hated people and was just plain un-American. I was a little surprised and, frankly, a little hurt.

Sarah Dallof

SALT LAKE CITY -- A crowd of frustrated Utahans took to the roads of downtown Salt Lake City to protest access to backcountry roads. They worry the federal government has too much say when it comes to the state's public lands.

On four-wheelers and dirt bikes, hundreds trekked from the City County Building to the state Capitol Saturday afternoon during the "Take Back Utah" rally. They hoped to send a message to those in high levels of government: keep public lands public, open to everyone and every vehicle.

Rally participant Matt Estrich said, "We're out here today showing government we want to keep public lands public."

Managers at the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest want people to remember that all-terrain doesn't mean all-access when it comes to off-road vehicles.

Forest supervisor Brian Ferebee says people on dirt bikes, ATVs and other motorized vehicles can damage the forest when taken out of the designated areas and trails.

It’s no secret Tooele County is a playground for off-highway vehicle enthusiasts. But with that recreational opportunity comes the potential for problems: irresponsible riders tearing up pristine areas and creating unauthorized trails in the backcountry.

Despite a widespread perception that the proliferation of OHV use is scarring public lands, federal land management officials say they are actually making progress in efforts to manage this uniquely Western form of recreation locally. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service officials say they have stepped up enforcement of reckless off-road practices, protected areas using fencing to keep out motorized vehicles, and created a system for defining OHV use areas and designations.

April Reese

As the weather warms across the West, thousands of off-highway vehicles are warming up as well, preparing for another season of riding the vast web of roads and trails traversing federal lands.

But as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management begin placing restrictions on off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, such motorized travel will become more restricted just as the popularity of the sport skyrockets.

Conor Murphy

The Pariah River's box canyon is the now infamous site of Utah's very own brand of civil disobedience, after 300 off-highway vehicles were driven up the stream.

Not allowing mere facts to diminish their moral outrage, my fellow Utahns can almost be heard shouting their defiance over the noise pollution, and they can almost be seen celebrating in the cloud of emissions and riverbed dust. And those in charge of their punishment can almost be seen doing their jobs.

Laura Welp

On May 9, more than 100 off-road vehicles roared up the bed of the Paria River in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The river canyon has been judged wilderness-quality in more than one different government process, and has been closed to motor vehicles by the monument management plan for nearly 10 years, though that rule has rarely been enforced.

Another group came to the Paria River that day, and stood by the river asking people to respect the laws that protect the river. Bureau of Land Management and county law enforcement stood aside to let the vehicles pass, though driving in the Paria was clearly illegal.

Linda Marion

I wish all-terrain vehicles had never been invented.

My family has a cabin in the mountains north of Park City. My brothers built it, and it has been a family refuge from the noise and pollution of the city for more than a decade. During the summer, we go to the cabin almost every weekend to enjoy the quiet and fresh air.