Caught this in the local newspaper and tracked it down on the Internet. This regards a newly formed group of retired Rangers and Land Use managers who are seeking to regulate and reduce OHV access. I thought it was interesting enough to share.
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2007
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
RANGERS CALL OFF-ROAD VEHICLES BIGGEST THREAT TO PUBLIC LANDS — “Rangers for Responsible Recreation” Launched to Combat “Wreck-reation”
Tucson, AZ — Reckless off-roading has become an acute law enforcement problem and is now the single greatest threat to American landscapes, according to a new coalition of rangers and public land managers assembled by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Rangers say tough new policies, such as suspending hunting and fishing licenses and, in extreme cases, confiscating vehicles, are needed to stem irresponsible off-road vehicle use.
The coalition, called Rangers for Responsible Recreation, consists of more than a dozen of America’s most seasoned law enforcement and natural resource management specialists from every major public lands agency covering several different administrations. The coalition contends off-road abuse is creating chaos on our public lands and ruining the outdoors for everyone while overburdening an already strapped ranger force. As Don Hoffman, a retired Forest Service wilderness ranger in Arizona states:
“Rapid population growth, accelerating off-road vehicle sales and ineffectual regulation have combined to make the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles the greatest threat to Arizona's quiet, wild places.”
Ron Kearns, a retired biologist and law enforcement officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona, adds:
“I have observed a dramatic increase in the use and misuse of off-road vehicles on the Kofa since I began my law enforcement duties there in 1982. The abuse involves driving off the 300 miles of designated roads on Kofa resulting in irreparable damage to desert pavement and pristine lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service must increase law enforcement efforts.”
From a national perspective, Jim Baca, former Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management now serving as New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee, contends:
“There is no greater threat to our country's public land treasure than off-road vehicles. Additionally, they are killing and injuring too many young people because of improper training, operation and inherent safety deficiencies.”
The Rangers for Responsible Recreation are also urging a congressional inquiry that accounts for the real costs to taxpayers from off-road abuses on our public lands, as well as augmented law enforcement funding dedicated to coping with the avalanche of problems occasioned by reckless off-roading.
“Off-roading is becoming the most widely destructive, problematic and demanding use of public lands,” states Southwest PEER Director Daniel Patterson, an ecologist who formerly worked with the Bureau of Land Management, noting that off-road abuse has morphed motorized access into a destructive “wreck-reation.” “America needs a new national approach to what has become a plague on our legacy of conservation. No one has a right to abuse our public lands.”
Off-Road Wreckreation - Rangers for Responsible Recreation
More than a dozen of our country’s most seasoned law enforcement and resource management specialists from every major public lands agency and several administrations are taking a stand to end irresponsible off-road vehicle use on our public lands.
Meet the Rangers for Responsible Recreation
Jeff Aardahl, retired Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS) Manager/Biologist, California
Bob Abbey, retired BLM Nevada State Director
Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico
Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona
Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona
Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada
Tom Egan, former BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Wildlife Biologist, California
Kevin Emmerich, former NPS Ranger, Nevada
Jim Furnish, former USFS Deputy Chief, Washington, DC
Dan Heinz, retired USFS Ranger, Nevada
Don Hoffman, retired USFS Ranger, Arizona
Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona
Ed Patrovsky, retired BLM and NPS Law Enforcement Ranger, California
Here's What They Say
Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona
Ron Kearns is a wildlife biologist specializing in desert bighorn sheep management and Arizona Sonoran desert ecology and flora. He worked for 25 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge as a biologist and law enforcement officer for 18 of those years. Mr. Kearns is also an Army veteran.
I have observed a dramatic increase in the use and misuse of off-road vehicles on the Kofa since I began my law enforcement duties there in 1982. The abuse involves driving off the 300 miles of designated roads on Kofa resulting in irreparable damage to desert pavement and pristine lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service must increase law enforcement efforts.
Ed Patrovsky, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger, California
Ed Patrovsky served for 25 years as a National Park Service and BLM Law Enforcement Ranger. BLM duties included intensive patrol work enforcing rules and regulations in off-road vehicle open areas. Ranger Patrovsky coordinated a ground-helicopter patrol operation which substantially reduced illegal off-road vehicle use in the Rand Mountains Special Management Area, which contains prime Desert Tortoise habitat near Ridgecrest, California.
Lawless and inappropriate off-roading causes significant environmental damage, as well as reducing recreational opportunities.
Dan Heinz, retired U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Nevada
Dan Heinz had a 25-year career with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado as a District Ranger and in Montana as a range and wildlife management staff officer, implementing many tough off-road vehicle management projects. He has followed that with a 24-year career working with conservation organizations, pressing for responsible off-road vehicle management.
Motorized touring of our wildlands to enjoy nature is a long established part of the public lands recreation, but 'challenging, thrilling, exciting and entertaining' off-roading is not, and is destructive by its very nature. It must not be permitted anywhere on public lands.
Don Hoffman, former U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Arizona
Don Hoffman served with the U.S. Forest Service as Wilderness Program Manager for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. During his career he served as Special Use Officer, Developed Recreation Field Supervisor, Wilderness Ranger and Trail Crew Foreman.
Rapid population growth, accelerating off-road vehicle sales and ineffectual regulation have combined to make the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles the greatest threat to Arizona's quiet, wild places.
Kevin Emmerich, former National Park Service Ranger, Nevada
Kevin Emmerich served for 16 years with the National Park Service in environmental education and resource management. Mr. Emmerich is now self employed and restoring wetlands in the Mojave Desert of Southern Nevada.
In two decades of living in the Mojave Desert, I have witnessed harm to fragile desert ecosystems by increasing off-road vehicle use. I have recently seen a desert stream lose eighty percent of its vegetation and have seen the air quality of the desert in Amargosa Valley, Nevada be polluted because off-road vehicles have removed large tracts of vegetation and soil crusts. Clearly, off-roading on public lands needs more regulation.
Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico
Jim Baca has served as Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico State Land Commissioner, National Director of the Bureau of Land Management and is now serving as New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee.
There is no greater threat to our country's public land treasure than Off-Road Vehicles. Additionally, they are killing and injuring too many young people because of improper training, operation and inherent safety deficiencies.
Jim Furnish, former U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief, Washington, DC
Jim Furnish served as Deputy Chief of the Forest Service under Chief Mike Dombeck, and was regarded as one of its most pro-environment senior officials. He also served as Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor in Oregon, and District Ranger at Bighorn NF in Wyoming.
What has been lacking is the assurance of tough enforcement and the backbone needed to bring the runaway problem under control. Folks visiting our public lands expect enforcement that protects natural resources, ensures visitor safety, and reclaims a family-friendly atmosphere.
Bob Abbey, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director, Nevada
Bob Abbey worked for more than 32 years with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July, 2005. He served eight years as the Nevada State Director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. As the BLM Nevada State Director, Mr. Abbey provided direction and oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the BLM. He managed a staff of 700 employees in eight field offices and the state office and an operating budget of $51 million.
The irresponsible use of off-road vehicles on our public lands is one of the greatest challenges facing land managers today. There appears to be a total disregard by many off-roaders of the impacts from their actions. The public land managers have no other option than to close more of these lands to off-road vehicle use unless off-roaders begin exercising responsibility and better judgment.
Jeff Aardahl, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Wildlife Biologist and Natural Resources Manager, California
Jeff Aardahl served for over 30 years as a biologist and manager with BLM in the Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin Deserts of California, and in Washington DC. He also served as a biologist with the NPS at Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada. Mr. Aardahl is also an Army veteran.
Opportunities for diverse and quality recreation experiences on public lands are increasingly threatened by excessive and illegal off-road vehicle use. Federal agencies, particularly the BLM, provide for inappropriately high amounts of off-road vehicle use of our public lands to the detriment of landscapes with significant scenic, biological, physical and cultural values. Of particular concern is the inability of the BLM to properly manage off-road vehicle use, stem the tide of increasing illegal off-road vehicle use, and manage our public lands for the benefit of current and future generations.
Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona
Matt Chew is an ecologist who formerly served as Natural Resources Planner for Arizona State Parks. He now writes about the history and philosophy of conservation and teaches the history of biology at Arizona State University. He has driven off-road vehicles at work and play for over 30 years.
Some off-roaders are responsible stewards, but far too many are weekend wild men who mistake our public lands for a Mad Max theme park. Far too few of our politicians and public officials have the courage to stand in their way.
Tom Egan, former US Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist, California
Tom Egan is a Wildlife Biologist who served an 18-year civil service career with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Veterans Administration. As a BLM Wildlife Biologist, Mr. Egan assisted in preparing several off-road vehicle area plans, developed biological screening criteria for use in vehicle route designation, and participated in designing the West Mojave Vehicle Use Network, the largest effort of its kind conducted to date in the United States.
Uncontrolled off-road vehicle use is without a doubt, the single greatest threat to natural resource sustainability on our public lands and in our national forests.
Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada
Laura Cunningham has served as a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, the California Department of Fish and Game, and as a Ranger for the National Park Service in the California/Nevada Death Valley region.
I've seen numerous instances of damage to sensitive habitats from uncontrolled off-roading, including direct tire trampling of Pacific tree frog eggs in Surprise Canyon, as off-road vehicles drove up the desert stream. I have been threatened by dangerous off-roading behavior while hiking. I have also had trespassing off-roaders on my land in the Mojave Desert, who acted rudely when I told them that they were off-roading on private property, crushing native shrubs and scarring the desert with long-lasting tracks.
Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona
Kim Crumbo served for 20 years with the National Park Service in Grand Canyon National Park as a Ranger and later as Wilderness Coordinator. Mr. Crumbo is a Navy SEAL veteran, and as a result of his military service, he earned several combat decorations, including a Bronze Star.
AGENDA:
America needs a strategy to cope with the burgeoning safety and eco havoc wreaked by an explosion in off-road vehicle use and abuse on our public lands. PEER and Rangers for Responsible Recreation propose that we begin with three simple steps:
1. Penalties that Deter: Today’s infraction fines for off-road abuse are inadequate. Reckless off-roading should be punished by loss of hunting and fishing licenses as well as confiscation of vehicles when off-roaders are caught destroying property or ignoring the law, just as we confiscate weapons when people are caught poaching. Repeat offenders should face suspension of riding privileges, fishing and hunting licenses and, where appropriate, jail time.
2. Tough Enforcement: Enforcement against off-road abuse is taking an ever larger toll on over-stretched rangers. Off-roading is fast becoming the number one law enforcement problem on our public lands. Congress and state legislatures need to immediately augment their affected public lands law enforcement budgets. In addition, they should also empower other public lands agency officials to issue citations.
3. End Hidden Costs to Taxpayers: Taxpayers are footing the bill for the damage and havoc caused by reckless off-roaders. As yet, we do not know the full extent of these costs. Congress needs to conduct a thorough investigation and enact common sense solutions to the growing off-road problem.
For Immediate Release: May 23, 2007
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
“NEAR RIOT CONDITIONS” IN UTAH OFF-ROAD GATHERING — Irresponsible ORV Use Becoming Major Law Enforcement Challenge
Washington, DC — An Easter weekend gathering of a thousand off-road vehicle enthusiasts degenerated into “near riot conditions” in a Utah recreational area, according to an incident summary released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). More than 37 injuries, including a state Highway Patrol officer, led to the issuance of 300 arrests or citations by the more than 50 officers who were called to the scene from state, federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Large assemblages of off-road vehicle (ORV) users are becoming an increasingly severe law enforcement problem on public lands, particularly over holiday weekends. In this incident, many of the 35,000 visitors to the Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah were terrorized by inebriated gangs of ORV riders during the weekend of April 6, 7 and 8. According to an official summary:
“Officers were faced with near riot conditions on two separate nights involving approximately 1,000 people which required all available officers and over 5 hours to mitigate the situation… Groups of partiers were blocking an area and forcing women to bare their breasts in order to leave, along with numerous incidents of unwanted fondling of women. When law enforcement officers took action, the crowd became unruly, throwing objects at the officers.”
“This sort of out-of-control behavior should not be tolerated anyplace, let alone on our public lands,” stated PEER Southwest Director Daniel R. Patterson, who formerly worked with the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency responsible for the Little Sahara Recreation Area. “Families should be able to visit national recreational areas without worrying about being subjected to sexual assault or confrontations with packs of drunken rowdies.”
Because of the vast desert acreages under BLM control, those lands have become the haunts for ever- larger convocations of ORV users. Pervasive alcohol and drug use contributes to growing injuries, not only to riders but to bystanders and to law enforcement officers responding to incidents. In addition to the public safety toll, these mega-gatherings wreak havoc on desert landscapes, with streams of riders often ignoring trail markers or other measures designed to keep ripping tires off of fragile wildlife habitats.
The problem is not confined to the BLM. The U.S. Forest Service also reports rising attacks on its rangers in connection with ORV encounters. ORVs allow deeper penetration into remote, formerly wild, areas by people seeking to escape social restrictions, often leading to destructive acts.
“Our rangers are not equipped to deal with hordes of mechanically mounted maniacs,” added Patterson, noting that while BLM has admitted the incident, it has tried to downplay it and has yet to change any area use policies or practices. “This destructive trend in off-roading blurs the line between recreation and riots –with visitors and rangers stuck in the middle.”
PEER is investigating the Little Sahara incident as part of a national probe into the public safety and law enforcement costs arising from reckless ORV use.
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2007
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
RANGERS CALL OFF-ROAD VEHICLES BIGGEST THREAT TO PUBLIC LANDS — “Rangers for Responsible Recreation” Launched to Combat “Wreck-reation”
Tucson, AZ — Reckless off-roading has become an acute law enforcement problem and is now the single greatest threat to American landscapes, according to a new coalition of rangers and public land managers assembled by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Rangers say tough new policies, such as suspending hunting and fishing licenses and, in extreme cases, confiscating vehicles, are needed to stem irresponsible off-road vehicle use.
The coalition, called Rangers for Responsible Recreation, consists of more than a dozen of America’s most seasoned law enforcement and natural resource management specialists from every major public lands agency covering several different administrations. The coalition contends off-road abuse is creating chaos on our public lands and ruining the outdoors for everyone while overburdening an already strapped ranger force. As Don Hoffman, a retired Forest Service wilderness ranger in Arizona states:
“Rapid population growth, accelerating off-road vehicle sales and ineffectual regulation have combined to make the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles the greatest threat to Arizona's quiet, wild places.”
Ron Kearns, a retired biologist and law enforcement officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona, adds:
“I have observed a dramatic increase in the use and misuse of off-road vehicles on the Kofa since I began my law enforcement duties there in 1982. The abuse involves driving off the 300 miles of designated roads on Kofa resulting in irreparable damage to desert pavement and pristine lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service must increase law enforcement efforts.”
From a national perspective, Jim Baca, former Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management now serving as New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee, contends:
“There is no greater threat to our country's public land treasure than off-road vehicles. Additionally, they are killing and injuring too many young people because of improper training, operation and inherent safety deficiencies.”
The Rangers for Responsible Recreation are also urging a congressional inquiry that accounts for the real costs to taxpayers from off-road abuses on our public lands, as well as augmented law enforcement funding dedicated to coping with the avalanche of problems occasioned by reckless off-roading.
“Off-roading is becoming the most widely destructive, problematic and demanding use of public lands,” states Southwest PEER Director Daniel Patterson, an ecologist who formerly worked with the Bureau of Land Management, noting that off-road abuse has morphed motorized access into a destructive “wreck-reation.” “America needs a new national approach to what has become a plague on our legacy of conservation. No one has a right to abuse our public lands.”
Off-Road Wreckreation - Rangers for Responsible Recreation
More than a dozen of our country’s most seasoned law enforcement and resource management specialists from every major public lands agency and several administrations are taking a stand to end irresponsible off-road vehicle use on our public lands.
Meet the Rangers for Responsible Recreation
Jeff Aardahl, retired Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS) Manager/Biologist, California
Bob Abbey, retired BLM Nevada State Director
Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico
Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona
Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona
Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada
Tom Egan, former BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Wildlife Biologist, California
Kevin Emmerich, former NPS Ranger, Nevada
Jim Furnish, former USFS Deputy Chief, Washington, DC
Dan Heinz, retired USFS Ranger, Nevada
Don Hoffman, retired USFS Ranger, Arizona
Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona
Ed Patrovsky, retired BLM and NPS Law Enforcement Ranger, California
Here's What They Say
Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona
Ron Kearns is a wildlife biologist specializing in desert bighorn sheep management and Arizona Sonoran desert ecology and flora. He worked for 25 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge as a biologist and law enforcement officer for 18 of those years. Mr. Kearns is also an Army veteran.
I have observed a dramatic increase in the use and misuse of off-road vehicles on the Kofa since I began my law enforcement duties there in 1982. The abuse involves driving off the 300 miles of designated roads on Kofa resulting in irreparable damage to desert pavement and pristine lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service must increase law enforcement efforts.
Ed Patrovsky, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger, California
Ed Patrovsky served for 25 years as a National Park Service and BLM Law Enforcement Ranger. BLM duties included intensive patrol work enforcing rules and regulations in off-road vehicle open areas. Ranger Patrovsky coordinated a ground-helicopter patrol operation which substantially reduced illegal off-road vehicle use in the Rand Mountains Special Management Area, which contains prime Desert Tortoise habitat near Ridgecrest, California.
Lawless and inappropriate off-roading causes significant environmental damage, as well as reducing recreational opportunities.
Dan Heinz, retired U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Nevada
Dan Heinz had a 25-year career with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado as a District Ranger and in Montana as a range and wildlife management staff officer, implementing many tough off-road vehicle management projects. He has followed that with a 24-year career working with conservation organizations, pressing for responsible off-road vehicle management.
Motorized touring of our wildlands to enjoy nature is a long established part of the public lands recreation, but 'challenging, thrilling, exciting and entertaining' off-roading is not, and is destructive by its very nature. It must not be permitted anywhere on public lands.
Don Hoffman, former U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Arizona
Don Hoffman served with the U.S. Forest Service as Wilderness Program Manager for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. During his career he served as Special Use Officer, Developed Recreation Field Supervisor, Wilderness Ranger and Trail Crew Foreman.
Rapid population growth, accelerating off-road vehicle sales and ineffectual regulation have combined to make the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles the greatest threat to Arizona's quiet, wild places.
Kevin Emmerich, former National Park Service Ranger, Nevada
Kevin Emmerich served for 16 years with the National Park Service in environmental education and resource management. Mr. Emmerich is now self employed and restoring wetlands in the Mojave Desert of Southern Nevada.
In two decades of living in the Mojave Desert, I have witnessed harm to fragile desert ecosystems by increasing off-road vehicle use. I have recently seen a desert stream lose eighty percent of its vegetation and have seen the air quality of the desert in Amargosa Valley, Nevada be polluted because off-road vehicles have removed large tracts of vegetation and soil crusts. Clearly, off-roading on public lands needs more regulation.
Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico
Jim Baca has served as Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico State Land Commissioner, National Director of the Bureau of Land Management and is now serving as New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee.
There is no greater threat to our country's public land treasure than Off-Road Vehicles. Additionally, they are killing and injuring too many young people because of improper training, operation and inherent safety deficiencies.
Jim Furnish, former U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief, Washington, DC
Jim Furnish served as Deputy Chief of the Forest Service under Chief Mike Dombeck, and was regarded as one of its most pro-environment senior officials. He also served as Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor in Oregon, and District Ranger at Bighorn NF in Wyoming.
What has been lacking is the assurance of tough enforcement and the backbone needed to bring the runaway problem under control. Folks visiting our public lands expect enforcement that protects natural resources, ensures visitor safety, and reclaims a family-friendly atmosphere.
Bob Abbey, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director, Nevada
Bob Abbey worked for more than 32 years with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July, 2005. He served eight years as the Nevada State Director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. As the BLM Nevada State Director, Mr. Abbey provided direction and oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the BLM. He managed a staff of 700 employees in eight field offices and the state office and an operating budget of $51 million.
The irresponsible use of off-road vehicles on our public lands is one of the greatest challenges facing land managers today. There appears to be a total disregard by many off-roaders of the impacts from their actions. The public land managers have no other option than to close more of these lands to off-road vehicle use unless off-roaders begin exercising responsibility and better judgment.
Jeff Aardahl, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Wildlife Biologist and Natural Resources Manager, California
Jeff Aardahl served for over 30 years as a biologist and manager with BLM in the Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin Deserts of California, and in Washington DC. He also served as a biologist with the NPS at Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada. Mr. Aardahl is also an Army veteran.
Opportunities for diverse and quality recreation experiences on public lands are increasingly threatened by excessive and illegal off-road vehicle use. Federal agencies, particularly the BLM, provide for inappropriately high amounts of off-road vehicle use of our public lands to the detriment of landscapes with significant scenic, biological, physical and cultural values. Of particular concern is the inability of the BLM to properly manage off-road vehicle use, stem the tide of increasing illegal off-road vehicle use, and manage our public lands for the benefit of current and future generations.
Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona
Matt Chew is an ecologist who formerly served as Natural Resources Planner for Arizona State Parks. He now writes about the history and philosophy of conservation and teaches the history of biology at Arizona State University. He has driven off-road vehicles at work and play for over 30 years.
Some off-roaders are responsible stewards, but far too many are weekend wild men who mistake our public lands for a Mad Max theme park. Far too few of our politicians and public officials have the courage to stand in their way.
Tom Egan, former US Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist, California
Tom Egan is a Wildlife Biologist who served an 18-year civil service career with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Veterans Administration. As a BLM Wildlife Biologist, Mr. Egan assisted in preparing several off-road vehicle area plans, developed biological screening criteria for use in vehicle route designation, and participated in designing the West Mojave Vehicle Use Network, the largest effort of its kind conducted to date in the United States.
Uncontrolled off-road vehicle use is without a doubt, the single greatest threat to natural resource sustainability on our public lands and in our national forests.
Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada
Laura Cunningham has served as a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, the California Department of Fish and Game, and as a Ranger for the National Park Service in the California/Nevada Death Valley region.
I've seen numerous instances of damage to sensitive habitats from uncontrolled off-roading, including direct tire trampling of Pacific tree frog eggs in Surprise Canyon, as off-road vehicles drove up the desert stream. I have been threatened by dangerous off-roading behavior while hiking. I have also had trespassing off-roaders on my land in the Mojave Desert, who acted rudely when I told them that they were off-roading on private property, crushing native shrubs and scarring the desert with long-lasting tracks.
Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona
Kim Crumbo served for 20 years with the National Park Service in Grand Canyon National Park as a Ranger and later as Wilderness Coordinator. Mr. Crumbo is a Navy SEAL veteran, and as a result of his military service, he earned several combat decorations, including a Bronze Star.
AGENDA:
America needs a strategy to cope with the burgeoning safety and eco havoc wreaked by an explosion in off-road vehicle use and abuse on our public lands. PEER and Rangers for Responsible Recreation propose that we begin with three simple steps:
1. Penalties that Deter: Today’s infraction fines for off-road abuse are inadequate. Reckless off-roading should be punished by loss of hunting and fishing licenses as well as confiscation of vehicles when off-roaders are caught destroying property or ignoring the law, just as we confiscate weapons when people are caught poaching. Repeat offenders should face suspension of riding privileges, fishing and hunting licenses and, where appropriate, jail time.
2. Tough Enforcement: Enforcement against off-road abuse is taking an ever larger toll on over-stretched rangers. Off-roading is fast becoming the number one law enforcement problem on our public lands. Congress and state legislatures need to immediately augment their affected public lands law enforcement budgets. In addition, they should also empower other public lands agency officials to issue citations.
3. End Hidden Costs to Taxpayers: Taxpayers are footing the bill for the damage and havoc caused by reckless off-roaders. As yet, we do not know the full extent of these costs. Congress needs to conduct a thorough investigation and enact common sense solutions to the growing off-road problem.
For Immediate Release: May 23, 2007
Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337
“NEAR RIOT CONDITIONS” IN UTAH OFF-ROAD GATHERING — Irresponsible ORV Use Becoming Major Law Enforcement Challenge
Washington, DC — An Easter weekend gathering of a thousand off-road vehicle enthusiasts degenerated into “near riot conditions” in a Utah recreational area, according to an incident summary released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). More than 37 injuries, including a state Highway Patrol officer, led to the issuance of 300 arrests or citations by the more than 50 officers who were called to the scene from state, federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Large assemblages of off-road vehicle (ORV) users are becoming an increasingly severe law enforcement problem on public lands, particularly over holiday weekends. In this incident, many of the 35,000 visitors to the Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah were terrorized by inebriated gangs of ORV riders during the weekend of April 6, 7 and 8. According to an official summary:
“Officers were faced with near riot conditions on two separate nights involving approximately 1,000 people which required all available officers and over 5 hours to mitigate the situation… Groups of partiers were blocking an area and forcing women to bare their breasts in order to leave, along with numerous incidents of unwanted fondling of women. When law enforcement officers took action, the crowd became unruly, throwing objects at the officers.”
“This sort of out-of-control behavior should not be tolerated anyplace, let alone on our public lands,” stated PEER Southwest Director Daniel R. Patterson, who formerly worked with the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency responsible for the Little Sahara Recreation Area. “Families should be able to visit national recreational areas without worrying about being subjected to sexual assault or confrontations with packs of drunken rowdies.”
Because of the vast desert acreages under BLM control, those lands have become the haunts for ever- larger convocations of ORV users. Pervasive alcohol and drug use contributes to growing injuries, not only to riders but to bystanders and to law enforcement officers responding to incidents. In addition to the public safety toll, these mega-gatherings wreak havoc on desert landscapes, with streams of riders often ignoring trail markers or other measures designed to keep ripping tires off of fragile wildlife habitats.
The problem is not confined to the BLM. The U.S. Forest Service also reports rising attacks on its rangers in connection with ORV encounters. ORVs allow deeper penetration into remote, formerly wild, areas by people seeking to escape social restrictions, often leading to destructive acts.
“Our rangers are not equipped to deal with hordes of mechanically mounted maniacs,” added Patterson, noting that while BLM has admitted the incident, it has tried to downplay it and has yet to change any area use policies or practices. “This destructive trend in off-roading blurs the line between recreation and riots –with visitors and rangers stuck in the middle.”
PEER is investigating the Little Sahara incident as part of a national probe into the public safety and law enforcement costs arising from reckless ORV use.
