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Grassroots effort to control ORV violations gains ground
By Mark Wheeler / Hi-Desert Star
MORONGO BASIN - "It's more effective and cheaper to prevent a disease than it is to treat it," is a common wisdom, only in the case of this repetition of the old adage, the disease wasn't medical. The disease Philip Klasky had in mind was strictly social, one a lot of people and communities know as "off-road vehicle abuse."
Klasky's group, Community ORV Watch, has joined forces with other private and public agencies to mobilize a powerful offensive against off-road impacts on private property and the natural environment.
Identified as the Alliance for Responsible Recreation (ARR), the umbrella association is moving an agenda forward which is organized, aggressive and strategically diverse in its proposals for a solution.
Strong ordinances, increased law enforcement and public education are three categories of focus for the ARR group as it works to unite diverse agencies in a common cause.
Chief on the priority list of solutions, for instance, is large-format signs identifying "off-limits" and "off-road enforcement" areas. For this solution to be realized, local municipalities, law enforcement and public land-use agencies will all have to participate.
Speaking to the value of large signs, Klasky said such structures, strategically placed, would broadcast the local land-use restrictions in a way that is hard to miss.
Supporting them, he said, would be brochures readily available at numerous locations guiding the off-roader to areas permitted for the recreational activity.
Other solutions pursued by ARR include frequent public service announcements, standardized private property signs and a reporting guide for violations and trespass.
Still more, the group is pursuing solutions at the legislative level, calling for stiffer penalties, larger vehicle license plates and changes in land-use permission requirements.
"ORV riders, with their noise, dust, disruption and destruction, make bad neighbors," he states emphatically.
Klasky recognizes this is a generality and is quick to note that some riders do observe the letter of the law and the spirit of civil consideration in their recreation.
However, he is also adamant that by their nature, off-road vehicles are enormously impactful, and "are not appropriate for either residential areas, or for public areas that are environmentally sensitive."
This weekend at the Joshua Tree Community Center, ARR and affiliates are sponsoring what will be the first and most ambitious public forum on this issue ever seen in the Morongo Basin.
"We mean business with this conference," Klasky said. "It's time for solutions to become a reality."
Klasky's group, Community ORV Watch, has joined forces with other private and public agencies to mobilize a powerful offensive against off-road impacts on private property and the natural environment.
Identified as the Alliance for Responsible Recreation (ARR), the umbrella association is moving an agenda forward which is organized, aggressive and strategically diverse in its proposals for a solution.
Strong ordinances, increased law enforcement and public education are three categories of focus for the ARR group as it works to unite diverse agencies in a common cause.
Chief on the priority list of solutions, for instance, is large-format signs identifying "off-limits" and "off-road enforcement" areas. For this solution to be realized, local municipalities, law enforcement and public land-use agencies will all have to participate.
Speaking to the value of large signs, Klasky said such structures, strategically placed, would broadcast the local land-use restrictions in a way that is hard to miss.
Supporting them, he said, would be brochures readily available at numerous locations guiding the off-roader to areas permitted for the recreational activity.
Other solutions pursued by ARR include frequent public service announcements, standardized private property signs and a reporting guide for violations and trespass.
Still more, the group is pursuing solutions at the legislative level, calling for stiffer penalties, larger vehicle license plates and changes in land-use permission requirements.
"ORV riders, with their noise, dust, disruption and destruction, make bad neighbors," he states emphatically.
Klasky recognizes this is a generality and is quick to note that some riders do observe the letter of the law and the spirit of civil consideration in their recreation.
However, he is also adamant that by their nature, off-road vehicles are enormously impactful, and "are not appropriate for either residential areas, or for public areas that are environmentally sensitive."
This weekend at the Joshua Tree Community Center, ARR and affiliates are sponsoring what will be the first and most ambitious public forum on this issue ever seen in the Morongo Basin.
"We mean business with this conference," Klasky said. "It's time for solutions to become a reality."
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GGWebGrrl wrote on Jan 17, 2009 1:59 PM: