We depend upon the long-term health of the land - our mountains, rivers, forests and canyons - for our quality of life. They give us game to hunt, fish to catch, firewood to burn, lumber to build our fences and houses and barns, and water to irrigate our fields.

Many small Utah towns also have a significant income from non-motorized tourism, which requires undamaged scenery to stay viable.

The population of Utah is growing. New buildings go up, new roads are cut and paved, and there are more people in campsites and on trails. It is becoming even more important that everyone here, residents and visitors alike, be respectful to our neighbors and good stewards of the land.

This caution, is not, however, reflected in the increasing level of off-road vehicle abuse on public lands. That abuse damages the landscapes that we hold so dear and that provide so many of us with our livelihoods.

Gov. Jon Huntsman recently told The Salt Lake Tribune that off-road vehicle abuse is “an abomination, an embarrassment.” His words, which came after a visit to the Moab area, struck a chord with many people in rural Utah. The governor investigated the situation, he said, “because I wanted to get a sense of what the concern was, and it became a concern to me."

We applaud the governor for speaking out on this issue because we, too, are among the concerned. All over Utah, off-road vehicle damage has become more visible and troubling. It is becoming harder to find peace and quiet, and ranchers and private landowners are having more trouble with trespass and harassment. The forests and canyons are degraded by the irresponsible use of motor sports vehicles.

The governor's plan to tackle off-road vehicle abuse is a good beginning, but it is only a beginning. Local, state and federal governments must all make better laws guiding off-road vehicle recreation, and then actually enforce those laws. The rules in place now aren't working.

All land agencies, from federal to local, must stop legitimizing user-created off-road vehicle route networks, because doing so only encourages those networks to expand indefinitely. If this trend continues, many areas will become unsuitable for other activities.

Utah's decision makers must recognize the need for separating motor sports from traditional and low-impact land uses.

No one is calling for a ban on off-road vehicles. They are useful and necessary tools for living in rural areas. We simply need a more effective set of policies for reining in recreational abuse.

We suggest the governor and the state Legislature continue this progress by requiring all off-road vehicles to have standard, readable license plates (they currently don't).

Ensuring accountability and responsibility among off-road vehicle users will be a big step toward protecting Utah's quality of life and our incomparable landscapes.

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* LISA VARGA is a small-business owner in southern Utah.