New rules will apply to OHV riders

Phoenix — "I told you to get outta here," the ATV rider says, flinging his helmet to the ground and storming toward two men handing out maps of official off-roading trails.
 
"I come out for a ride and you guys are out here closing the place down."
 
"Whoa, whoa," one of the men replies, holding his ground. "We're just here trying to talk to people about responsible riding."
 
A state law taking effect Jan. 1 will require off-highway vehicle (OHV) owners to a pay a registration fee that will fund more law enforcement and allow officials to mark legal trails, among other provisions. The National Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), meanwhile, are coordinating on rules to force riders to stick to designated trails on federal land.
 
In the end, however, saving Arizona's 50 open spaces from improper OHV use could come down to encounters such as the one above, a role-playing exercise for volunteers who will counsel riders as part of the OHV Ambassadors program.
 
"I believe the onus is on the people that are out there and the people that are riding," said Jim Harken, an Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman who played the angry rider in the exercise. "They're the ones that are ultimately going to make it happen."
 
The use of all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and other vehicles has soared along with Arizona's population. A 2002 Arizona State University study found that roughly one-fifth of Arizonans considered themselves OHV enthusiasts, spending an average of 25.4 days per year using their vehicles.
 
"It's important to have some sort of management of off-road vehicles because they're devastating the environment," said Sandy Bahr, a community outreach coordinator with the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club.
 
OHV riders will see a big change come Jan. 1, when a state law shepherded by Rep. Jerry P. Weiers, R-Glendale, will require them to purchase a decal to register their vehicles. The cost has yet to be set, but it's been estimated at around $23 annually and is expected to raise around $7 million a year to help manage OHV use.
 
Weiers said the legislation likely will be the most important of his career because of the need to control damage caused by irresponsible OHV riders. Even with the law's provisions, he said, it will take decades - if not centuries - for the desert to recover, if it ever does.
 
Supported by a broad coalition including environmental, OHV and hunting groups, the law will require riders to stick to designated trails and will make certain types of riding illegal, including damaging wildlife habitats, property or cultural or natural resources.

Weiers said educating riders is key to making the law work. "They have to understand where they can and can't ride."
 
While state officials get ready to enforce Arizona's law, the Forest Service and BLM are working with members of the public to develop travel-management rules governing OHV riding and other recreational uses. Those rules will lead to maps of where riders can and can't use OHVs on federal land.
 
The Forest Service's maps are due in December 2009; the BLM's are expected in 2012.


----

OHV RULES

These state and federal programs are in place or planned to regulate off-highway vehicle use to protect open spaces:

• New state law - Taking effect Jan. 1, it will require off-highway vehicle owners to a pay a registration fee, estimated at around $23 annually, that will fund more law enforcement and allow officials to mark legal trails. Among other provisions: a requirement that riders stay on designated trails and penalties for riders who damage the environment, cultural resources or natural resources.
 
• Federal Travel-Management Plan - The National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are coordinating on rules to force riders to stick to designated trails on federal land in Arizona. This will lead to maps determining which recreational activities are allowed in areas.
 
• OHV Ambassadors - Overseen by Arizona State Parks with support from federal and state agencies, this program trains volunteers to educate OHV users on responsible and safe riding.