# ATV'ers This pertains to us



## Renegade (Sep 11, 2007)

Even though this has happened in Colorado, it won't be long before they come after Utah.
Edited to add: I don't advocate illegal use of ATV's, but this is going to create problems down the road. The deputies might not know what is & isn't illegal use of ATV's on fed land, and it can & will lead to more closures of legal trails.
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ATV riding on federal land is now a misdemeanor

March 21, 2008
By Joe Hanel | Herald Denver Bureau

DENVER - Illegal off-road riders will now have to watch out for sheriff's deputies and state wildlife officers.

Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday signed House Bill 1069, which allows state and county officers to write tickets to all-terrain-vehicle riders on federal land.

"There is growing concern about illegal off-road vehicle use," Ritter said. "While the numbers of those who violate the law are small, the impact can be quite large."

The bill creates a misdemeanor for riding illegally on federal land, with a $100 fine and a 10-point hit on hunting or fishing licenses if the violator was hunting or fishing at the time. In wilderness areas, the penalties go up to $200 and 15 points.

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management supported the bill. They don't have enough officers to police their vast lands, they said. Together, the agencies have just 26 officers to write tickets on their combined 22 million acres in Colorado, according to their testimony earlier this year.

By contrast, the state Department of Natural Resources has 250 law-enforcement officers, said Executive Director Harris Sherman.

The bill is the first of its kind in the country to use state officers to enforce the law on federal public lands, Ritter said.

It will take effect July 1.


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