This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Most of those who enjoy Utah's gorgeous outdoors on foot or on horseback have seen the damage done by the all-terrain vehicles whose riders ignore signs and refuse to stay on trails.
Even ATV advocate groups don't dispute the sad and sickening evidence. Renegade ATVs have torn up hillsides, damaged streambeds, destroyed wildlife habitat and threatened watersheds. Although the abusers are a minority of ATV users, they should be caught and punished. Those who value the solitude and beauty of forests, deserts and meadows are demanding just that.
The latest protest comes from a knowledgable group - more than a dozen former public-land managers calling themselves Rangers for Responsible Recreation. Congress and federal agencies should heed their plea for tougher penalties, more enforcement funding and a congressional study of the problem.
They say there is no greater threat to public lands than unregulated ATV use. Plain and simple. Their experience shows ATVs are doing more damage than drought, disease, fire, vandals, overgrazing or energy development.
There are somewhere around 50 million of the vehicles nationwide with more heading for the hills daily. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have been overwhelmed by the exploding numbers. Both are working to designate ATV trails and publish maps so riders know where they can and can't go.
Some of the trail plans are complete, some aren't. More maps are available each year, but many areas are uncharted. Lack of money to designate trails and enforce rules compounds the problem for the federal agencies.
The Rangers are rightly asking for much higher fines that could eventually provide more revenue for meaningfully addressing the problem. In the meantime, user fees collected at trailheads could bolster agency enforcement budgets.
The Rangers also think violators' vehicles should be confiscated and their hunting and fishing licenses revoked. We reluctantly agree. The BLM reported more than 5,400 incidents involving officers and ATVs in 2005. If the worst offenders lost their vehicles and licenses and had to pay hefty fines, the word would get around.
ATV groups rightly say peer enforcement is key, but obviously that isn't enough. Only tough laws that are enforced can keep ATV scofflaws on the straight and narrow.