Off-Road Bill Aims to Protect Land and Riders

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

Off-Road Bill Aims to Protect Land and Riders

Posted: March 17, 2008 02:30 AM
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Off-Highway Vehicle Bill

By J.D. Wallace, KOLD News 13 Reporter

Proposed new rules for off-road vehicles on state lands would make some places off limits to dirt bikes and ATV's, and would keep others open for riders.

Unloading his dirtbike for a spin on Sunday helped Ryan Merritt unload a week of cares.

"This is stress relief," said Ryan Merritt, just before he fired up his dirt bike and rode across the state trust land on Wilmot Road, south of Interstate 10.

But finding out where to ride has created a stress of its own.

"Places got smaller where... you couldn't ride as much," Merritt said.

"Having some sort of accountability for natural resource destruction, especially like this, is going to make things a lot easier to enforce," said Game and Fish spokeswoman Aninna Thornburg, as she looked over the state trust land where Merritt said.

The Off Highway Vehicle Bill would require a yearly fee for those riding their dirt bikes and ATV's on state land, like on south Wilmot. The money would pay for more enforcement of the law and reconstruction of damaged lands.

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Here is a copy of the new bill <>