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Conference seeks to break ORV 'siege'
By Mark Wheeler / Hi-Desert Star
MORONGO BASIN - Last weekend's conference on off-road vehicle use and abuse in the Morongo Basin took a hard look at an increasingly conspicuous problem for many here.
Through a schedule of panel discussions, and through open exchange between residents, policy makers and law enforcers, practical solutions were identified for this problem and, in some cases, framed for implementation.
Sponsored by the Alliance for Responsible Recreation, the conference, "Desert Communities Under Siege," welcomed about 165 local and SoCal residents for an all-day program Saturday and a half-day overview and planning session Sunday.
Although the necessity for such a gathering was stated in the conference introduction as an escalation of assaults by off-roaders against private and public property interests, the conference purpose was stated to be strictly solution oriented.
Moderator Phil Klasky made it clear in the beginning that the conference was a forum for action, not complaint.
A keynote speaker was Paul Spitler, chairman of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission. This is the state agency which manages money collected as off-road vehicle registration fees for distribution among land-use and enforcement agencies for off-road related purposes.
"Build partnerships, organize, identify goals and stand up to be counted," he advised, speaking on how to address the impacts of 3.5 million ORV users in California alone.
Explaining that his commission has no regulatory authority, he enumerated a list of challenges ORV use has raised for the state in the last few years.
He also cautioned those present not to demonize ORV use in general, but to work with legislators, public land use and enforcement authorities to craft strategies to manage the activity, not unfairly suppress its pursuit.
"We can take an opportunity here," he said, "to improve our land-use management practices for the benefit of ORV and non-ORV users alike."
Solutions which are in the process of being implemented locally include installation of large-format signs on major thoroughfares alerting visitors the nearby land is an ORV enforcement area.
Local route guide brochures have been designed and will soon be printed for distribution in locations frequented by ORV users.
New chapters of Community ORV Watch have formed Basin-wide and trespass and abuse incident reporting will increase in volume and detail.
At the policy level, efforts are gaining variable momentum to either introduce legislative solutions or encourage further discussion of already introduced legislation.
Riverside County, for instance, in response to overwhelming citizen complaint, is writing an ordinance which will regulate ORV use on private property.
Some way to improve vehicle identification at a distance - as in larger registration stickers - is also being considered, as is a suggestion to attach ORV infractions to drivers' DMV records.
Stiffer penalties for violations are also on the table for discussion, including the reclassification of ORV trespass onto private property as a liability crime. Some are asking for a liability insurance condition to be added as a requirement for the privilege to operate an ORV in the public domain.
Less than a handful of people at the conference expressed any desire to see ORV activity abolished altogether. Most seemed far more in agreement with an audience member who was overheard to say: "If only the ORV community would hold itself to a higher standard of common courtesy and self discipline, maybe we wouldn't have to put up signs and try to pass laws."
Through a schedule of panel discussions, and through open exchange between residents, policy makers and law enforcers, practical solutions were identified for this problem and, in some cases, framed for implementation.
Sponsored by the Alliance for Responsible Recreation, the conference, "Desert Communities Under Siege," welcomed about 165 local and SoCal residents for an all-day program Saturday and a half-day overview and planning session Sunday.
Although the necessity for such a gathering was stated in the conference introduction as an escalation of assaults by off-roaders against private and public property interests, the conference purpose was stated to be strictly solution oriented.
Moderator Phil Klasky made it clear in the beginning that the conference was a forum for action, not complaint.
A keynote speaker was Paul Spitler, chairman of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission. This is the state agency which manages money collected as off-road vehicle registration fees for distribution among land-use and enforcement agencies for off-road related purposes.
"Build partnerships, organize, identify goals and stand up to be counted," he advised, speaking on how to address the impacts of 3.5 million ORV users in California alone.
Explaining that his commission has no regulatory authority, he enumerated a list of challenges ORV use has raised for the state in the last few years.
He also cautioned those present not to demonize ORV use in general, but to work with legislators, public land use and enforcement authorities to craft strategies to manage the activity, not unfairly suppress its pursuit.
"We can take an opportunity here," he said, "to improve our land-use management practices for the benefit of ORV and non-ORV users alike."
Solutions which are in the process of being implemented locally include installation of large-format signs on major thoroughfares alerting visitors the nearby land is an ORV enforcement area.
Local route guide brochures have been designed and will soon be printed for distribution in locations frequented by ORV users.
New chapters of Community ORV Watch have formed Basin-wide and trespass and abuse incident reporting will increase in volume and detail.
At the policy level, efforts are gaining variable momentum to either introduce legislative solutions or encourage further discussion of already introduced legislation.
Riverside County, for instance, in response to overwhelming citizen complaint, is writing an ordinance which will regulate ORV use on private property.
Some way to improve vehicle identification at a distance - as in larger registration stickers - is also being considered, as is a suggestion to attach ORV infractions to drivers' DMV records.
Stiffer penalties for violations are also on the table for discussion, including the reclassification of ORV trespass onto private property as a liability crime. Some are asking for a liability insurance condition to be added as a requirement for the privilege to operate an ORV in the public domain.
Less than a handful of people at the conference expressed any desire to see ORV activity abolished altogether. Most seemed far more in agreement with an audience member who was overheard to say: "If only the ORV community would hold itself to a higher standard of common courtesy and self discipline, maybe we wouldn't have to put up signs and try to pass laws."
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