http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/71256.php Off-road vehicles out of control, federal rangers say
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — Dirt bikes, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles are
wreaking havoc on public lands, posing significant law enforcement
problems for federal rangers throughout the Southwest, according to a
survey released Tuesday.
The survey, conducted by Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility, comes as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land
Management are working on plans to set aside certain roads, trails and
tracks that can be used for off-road vehicles.
The agencies want to ban the vehicles anywhere else on the 705,000
square miles of federal land they manage. The two agencies manage about
a fifth of the land in the country.
Environmental advocates worry the agencies won\'t be able to enforce the
rules they come up with because they don\'t have enough rangers to
adequately patrol the public lands in their jurisdiction.
\"The situation is out of control,\" said Daniel Patterson, of the
nonprofit public employees group. \"We believe it\'s the number one threat
to Western public lands.\"
Off-road vehicle users are destroying wildlife habitats, contributing to
noise and air pollution on public lands and driving away families who
want to hike or camp in peace and quiet, experts say.
Federal land managers say they are working to ensure that off-road
vehicles don\'t pose hazards to public safety or natural resources.
\"We work continuously to ensure appropriate use of (off highway
vehicles) on public land,\" said Matt Spangler, a spokesman at the Bureau
of Land Management.
The two agencies are working hard on plans that will balance the
environment with popular recreational activities, says Larry Smith,
executive director at Americans for Responsible Recreational Access.
\"You\'ve got to give them credit for taking this issue on,\" he said.
Off-road vehicle users made about 12 million visits a year to the 155
national forests and 20 national grasslands across the country,
according to the Forest Service.
On federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, off-road
vehicle users accounted for about 10 percent of all visitors but about
50 percent of all law enforcement incidents in 2006, according to agency
statistics.
The survey of rangers underscores the frustration by law enforcement
officials in the agencies who argue they need tougher enforcement
penalties to help them take control of the situation, Patterson said.
About nine in 10 said off-road vehicles present a significant law
enforcement problem. About two out of three say penalties are not tough
enough.
Currently, off-road vehicle users who destroy habitats or wetlands can
receive fines for as little as $100, according to Ed Patrovsky, a
retired law enforcement ranger at the Bureau of Land Management.
The survey was mailed out to about 300 federal rangers and supervisors
with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in Arizona,
Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and the southern desert area of California.
About a quarter responded.
