Get off-road vehicles back on track

RELEASE: May 2, 2008 – Volume XL, No. 18

The recent tragic deaths of several young people riding off-road vehicles (ORVs) in New Jersey have focused much-needed attention on public safety problems associated with these powerful machines. It is clearly time to address this issue to prevent future heartaches.

Largely missing from news coverage on ORV safety, however, is ecological damage caused by rampant illegal riding on conservation lands. Go for a hike at most of New Jersey’s large parks, preserves and wildlife management areas, and chances are you’ll encounter deep, muddy ruts and tire tracks, remnants of ORVs tearing up the earth.

Off-road vehicle use is generally not permitted in parks and on other conservation lands in New Jersey, and illegal ORVs pose a major environmental threat. They’re a danger, too, both for riders on trails not designed or maintained for safe ORV use and for hikers who might suddenly come face-to-face with a roaring vehicle.

This is not only a New Jersey problem. In a survey by Rangers for Responsible Recreation, federal law enforcement rangers said ORV riders’ abuse of public lands is out of control. One Bureau of Land Management ranger wrote, "They are the single biggest (cause of) destruction on public lands these days, far worse than grazing or energy development."

So what can New Jersey do about it? One way is to pass Assembly Bill 823 (A-823) - sponsored by Assemblymen Reed Gusciora (D-16), John S. Wisniewski (D-19) and Paul D. Moriarty (D-4) - to better regulate the use of all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, snowmobiles and other ORVs.

The bill would require all ORVs to be registered and tagged. This would help enforcement officials identify illegal riders without having to chase them. The law would impose stiff penalties for illegal riding on public lands, including fines and confiscating vehicles from repeat offenders. Revenue generated by fines would be used for educational programs and training on the operation of ORVs, and to restore damaged lands. All riders under the age of 18 would have to get safety training certification.

“The impact of ORVs is far more widespread than the physical damage of a tire track,” explained Emile DeVito, manager of science & stewardship for New Jersey Conservation Foundation. “To some rare wildlife species, an ORV track is much more than a narrow path in the forest; it can be a physical barrier that traps them, cutting them off from feeding or breeding grounds, or water supplies.”

In addition, ORVs destroy vegetation, kill and injure wildlife, erode soil, cause sediment to wash into waterways, degrade air quality, produce noise pollution (harmful to wildlife and a nuisance to humans), and exacerbate the problem of invasive species. You would be hard-pressed to find an open space in New Jersey that hasn’t been damaged in some way by illegal ORV use. “The scale of the problem is immense,” DeVito observed.

Our hats are off to the many responsible ORV owners who ride safely and respect the outdoors and the animals and plants that live there. Unfortunately, they seem to be in the minority. There are far too many riders who are willing to break the law and damage public lands, all while putting themselves and others at risk. The Assembly bill, A-823, is a solid first step toward improving public safety and getting the protection of conservation lands back on track.

I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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