Off-roaders convicted, ordered to pay fines

Written by The Roanoke Times

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Laurence Hammack

Five more people were convicted this week in the U.S. Forest Service's ongoing battle with mud-boggers.

The men pleaded guilty to driving their four-wheel-drive trucks off a closed road in the Poor Valley area of Tazewell County, spinning through a mudhole and up a creekbed.

Mud-bogging, a form of recreation among some four-wheelers, becomes a federal crime when they go cross-country in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.

Dozens of people have been charged so far this year, and the Forest Service was forced to close two roads after finding more than $30,000 in damage to the environment.

As part of plea agreements reached this week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, each of the five men was fined $135 for driving off-road in April. They were ordered to collectively pay $3,200 to help restore the area.

"This is just another example of people disregarding the rules and tearing up barricades designed to prevent access to an area just so they can have a good time," forest service Capt. Woody Lipps said in a statement. "A few hours of fun in a truck can cause months or years worth of damage to the forest."

Source: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/208322

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

State by State Momentum

Community Voices

“During the past decade, I have personally had six out of seven elk hunts ruined by the careless intrusions of ATV operators. This epidemic has forced me to abandon one prime hunting area after another, only to encounter the same situation elsewhere. The shameful part of this picture is that the overwhelming majority of these ATV’ers are young and healthy, not decrepit or physically challenged. Maybe these riders would be more respectful of other people's outdoor experience if they knew we could ID them."

- Bill Sustrich, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers