Trails association gives Utah 'average' grade

[ret32]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15149336

April 14th, 2011 @ 8:16pm
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue

ARLINGTON, Va. — Utah received an average grade from a national trails association that assessed all 50 states on what laws or policies are in place to promote responsible OHV riding habits.

Although Utah is among 37 states in the country that require some sort of visible identification on ATVs and other off-highway vehicles, it was dinged for not requiring large decals or plates with letters 3-inches tall.

The Visible ID Report released by Responsible Trails America, a non-profit organization based in Arlington, said such identifiers reduces the veil of anonymity that can come with back-country OHV use in remote areas.
"Visible identification solves one of the biggest obstacles to stopping illegal riding -- identifying the rider. Many people we've heard from, especially law enforcement and private property owners, believe that the sense of anonymity on the trails fosters illegal riding." -Trails association report

"Visible identification solves one of the biggest obstacles to stopping illegal riding — identifying the rider," the report said. "Many people we've heard from, especially law enforcement and private property owners, believe that the sense of anonymity on the trails fosters illegal riding."

Overall, Utah received a score of 75 out of a possible 100, along with 16 other states. Five states, including Arizona and Nevada, received perfect scores. Thirteen states received a zero for lacking any of the five possible programs, such as having an OHV oversight board or provisions in which riders pay registration fees to help with trails management.

The group said it issued the report in response to what it says is a growing problem of OHV abuses among a minority of riders. Increasingly, there have been confrontations with law enforcement officers or private property owners who have reported livestock being hassled, fences destroyed or other property damaged.

Bob Turri, an ATV rider and former Bureau of Land Management employee, rejected the notion that larger identifying tags on vehicles will curb abuses.

"I think there are land users in many groups who violate the principles of taking care of the lands," said Turri, who is on the board of directors for San Juan Public Entry and Access Rights (SPEAR).
"I firmly believe the users across the state do a good job of policing themselves. They know before they go, what's closed and what's open." -Chris Haller

SPEAR, Turri said, promotes responsible ridership, which includes staying on trails and respecting the rights of others. The decals now are the same size as those required on boats and are adequate, he added.

"They work well for us."

Chris Haller, the state's OHV program coordinator, said Utah had a law in place requiring identifying tags with 1-inch letters and numbers, but it was deemed more problematic than useful and was rescinded after just a short time on the books.

To issue citations, law enforcement officers in general have to either personally witness the violation, or have a victim that is aggressively willing to pursue the case, Haller said. An ID tag, simply identifies the owner of the machine, not necessarily the operator, which can impede effective identification of abusers, he added.

"I firmly believe the users across the state do a good job of policing themselves. They know before they go, what's closed and what's open," Haller said.

Mike Swenson, executive director of Utah Shared Access Alliance, said the bigger problem is lack of access.

"People are just looking for places to enjoy the outdoors and ride their machines. The ID plate is like giving a person an aspirin for a headache caused by a bigger medical condition."

Swenson added it is a mistaken assumption that better identification on ATVs will deter reckless riders.

"The type of person that will willfully break laws, such as those that recklessly drive their OHVs off legal trails or trespass on private property, are not going to be deterred by an ID plate or decal," he said. "It's like assuming people won't drive their cars while under the influence of drugs or alcohol because they have a license plate."

Email:aodonoghue@ksl.com

 

[Caleb]

Just read that. IMO, I think having a clearly identifiable unique number (i.e. a license plate of sort) would do wonders for helping to keep people honest and on the trail. It wouldn't solve all the problems, but it wouldn't hurt. If someone knew their machine could be easily identified and turned in for going off the trail or going where they are not supposed to be it may make them think twice before doing it.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Just read that. IMO, I think having a clearly identifiable unique number (i.e. a license plate of sort) would do wonders for helping to keep people honest and on the trail. It wouldn't solve all the problems, but it wouldn't hurt. If someone knew their machine could be easily identified and turned in for going off the trail or going where they are not supposed to be it may make them think twice before doing it.

We had that... the same lawmaker that put it into law repealed it. I too thought it would have worked in the long run.

 

[o313]

Number's

Seems like a good idea until you find out they will charge you twice as much to register the vehicle, I naturally distrust the government after working for them for 8 + years.

 

[Herzog]

I had the identification numbers on my old buggy and left them on there after it was repealed... but I still think they would be abused for falsified documentation or data collection by certain money & land grabbing organizations. Maybe not.

 

[anderson750]

Identifiable numbers would keep a certain percentage of riders from doing things they should not do, but there is always going to be the idiots who will do what they want when they wat without any regard to what harm or damage they cause.

but I still think they would be abused for falsified documentation or data collection by certain money & land grabbing organizations. Maybe not.

This is a good point and there are people out there who would do this.

 

[Caleb]

I had the identification numbers on my old buggy and left them on there after it was repealed... but I still think they would be abused for falsified documentation or data collection by certain money & land grabbing organizations. Maybe not.

Hmmm, I think this is more of a knee-jerk reaction. How many of you with street-legal jeeps/rigs have been turned in falsely? I can think of several cases where real offenders were turned in, rightly so (Forest Lake comes to mind several times, the snakes come to mind).

I do agree that this is not the nail in the coffin, as I said, it will keep the honest people honest. Without change to our current "plan", we are going to continue to lose public lands. It may only be a few acres or a few hundred acres at a time, but the fact remains that what our current "plan" is, is not working.

 

[anderson750]

Hmmm, I think this is more of a knee-jerk reaction. How many of you with street-legal jeeps/rigs have been turned in falsely?

I know of some instances of "reports" of off route travel in the SR that when investigated did not turn up any evidence. Does it happen very often......no.......but I have seen it before.

This is not to say there is not off route travel, because there is. This was specifically travel into a WSA that when investigated on the ground, no one could even find tracks in the reported location.

 

[Herzog]

Hmmm, I think this is more of a knee-jerk reaction. How many of you with street-legal jeeps/rigs have been turned in falsely? I can think of several cases where real offenders were turned in, rightly so (Forest Lake comes to mind several times, the snakes come to mind).

I agree that it is a knee jerk reaction but I also think it's worth mentioning. I'm not saying it would or could result in false reports directly to blm, sheriffs or anybody... but more of a way to try to pad false evidence into reports by a certain $pecial intere$t group. Example: group heading up trail staying on route would be ripe for number harvesting for documentation and out of context reporting.

But the same thing is done just with photographs. I wouldn't be suprised if they alter their photos to push their agendas. Just like the photos of power-plants polluting on other unmentioned websites that used photos of the cooling towers which are letting off steam that has been "photoshoped" to look like green/brown gasses.

But I'm sure they are capable of pulling off their propaganda in many other ways.

 

[Caleb]

I agree that it is a knee jerk reaction but I also think it's worth mentioning. I'm not saying it would or could result in false reports directly to blm, sheriffs or anybody... but more of a way to try to pad false evidence into reports by a certain $pecial intere$t group. Example: group heading up trail staying on route would be ripe for number harvesting for documentation and out of context reporting.

But the same thing is done just with photographs. I wouldn't be suprised if they alter their photos to push their agendas. Just like the photos of power-plants polluting on other unmentioned websites that used photos of the cooling towers which are letting off steam that has been "photoshoped" to look like green/brown gasses.

But I'm sure they are capable of pulling off their propaganda in many other ways.

You think they need numbers on the vehicles to pad their reports?

 

[Herzog]

You think they need numbers on the vehicles to pad their reports?

Yeah I guess I am going off the deep end a little. Time to step away from the computer I guess.