Editorial: Peer pressure, ATVers must police one another

Can an honor system work to keep all-terrain-vehicle riders on established trails? We hope so, because relying on the honor of ATV users — and peer pressure to do the right thing — is the only possible way of protecting thousands of state-owned acres in remote areas of the Beehive State.

The state School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration has adopted a model of give-and-take on a 27,500-acre parcel of land it owns in the La Sal Mountains in an effort to gain the cooperation of ATV users. SITLA has identified 134 miles of approved ATV trails through the scenic property and is asking ATVers to stick to those trails.

The state agency that manages the SITLA lands, which are scattered throughout the state to produce money for education, has spent $241,000 on information kiosks and signs to educate ATV riders on how to use the land properly. It has also put off-limits 36 miles of rogue trails cut by ATVs through land where there were no designated trails. While SITLA makes money from the land primarily by selling timber and grazing permits, it has to deal with the burgeoning number of off-roaders who are endangering its scenic and recreational value.

That kind of irresponsible off-roading has caused degradation of the slopes and valleys that has led to erosion. SITLA crews will spend years trying to rehabilitate the areas damaged by a minority of ATVers who have no sense of how fragile these open spaces are, or if they do, don’t care.

Information pamphlets and trail maps in 10 kiosks throughout the La Sal state-owned property will help guide responsible riders to designated trails and explain the importance of keeping their vehicles from straying onto open spaces or onto single tracks meant for bicycles, motorcycles and horses.

The success of the campaign will depend on voluntary adherence to the rules and restrictions. Since state and federal land managers do not have the funds for thorough enforcement, ATV organizations and individual riders will have to police the area themselves. And some have stepped up.

Members of one such group, San Juan Public Entry & Access Rights, explain that open-space protection is a two-way street. If access is provided, then users have a responsibility to protect the landscape. In this case, SITLA is offering many miles of approved trails in exchange for a pledge that responsible riders will help police the area and enforce the rules.

Much depends on the success of this experiment. Without cooperation among land managers and users, many of Utah’s outdoor treasures will be ruined.

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/50418316-82/state-trails-atv-riders.html.csp

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