From the LA Times, June 29, 2007:

Riders who stray from legal trails damage watersheds, help spread invasive species and contribute to fire hazards, a group says.
By Alison Williams, Times Staff Writer
June 29, 2007

A new group of retired land managers and forest rangers said Thursday that reckless off-road vehicle recreation was the No. 1 threat to public lands in the West.

The 13-member Rangers for Responsible Recreation said it was voicing the concerns of many federal land management employees in the West, including in California, who report that an increasing number of riders and the growing power of the vehicles are endangering natural resources and public safety.

Spokesmen for the group were participating in a teleconference from Tucson that was arranged by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. PEER, which describes itself as an "alliance of local, state and federal resource professionals," helped found the new organization.

Damage from off-road vehicles is worst when riders leave designated routes and head into sensitive areas such as fragile desert and riparian zones, members of the new group said.

Read the whole story here.

Goto the PEER site and send a message to your representative.

Read an editorial from the Salt Lake Tribune supporting the PEER efforts, that concludes:

"ATV groups rightly say peer enforcement is key, but obviously that isn't enough. Only tough laws that are enforced can keep ATV scofflaws on the straight and narrow."

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to will meet on Tuesday, July 24 August 21 to consider changes that would weaken the county ORV ordinance

Rider's groups successfully lobbied the board to take up the matter and have recommended changes that will allow for large, uncontrolled stagings of ORVs in residential areas

IF YOU VALUE YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY, QUALITY OF LIFE AND PUBLIC LANDS YOU MUST COME TO THE MEETING AND DEFEND THE ORDINANCE.

TUESDAY, JULY 24th August 21 at the Board of Supervisors Chambers
385 North Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino

ORV riders have threatened to bring busloads of supporters asking to weaken and repeal the ordinance. They have sent hundreds of letters to the supervisors. We must show up in large numbers to protect our private and public lands and contact our supervisors to defend the law.

Call and write your supervisor TODAY and demand that the ordinance stay strong:

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt (District 1) -- (909) 387-4830
Supervisor Dennis Hansberger (District 3) -- (909) 387-4833

San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
385 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, California 92415-0181

Here is a report from COW member Mark Heuston on his and member Paul Pierson's documentation of abuse and damage caused during the last President's Day weekend.

You can view selected photos from their ground truthing here.

This community resident has to keep putting up new "No Tresspasing" signs on their private property and riders repeatedly and illegally ignore it.

For your information and distribution in the fight against ORV abuse, we are providing access to the following fact sheets about how Unmanaged Off-Roading Threatens California's Natural Heritage and Rural Communities, how California's OHV Program Promotes Mainly ATVs, Dirt Bikes and Repairing California’s Public Lands for Future Generations. (Adobe Reader or other PDF program required to view.)

From an editorial letter published on 12/13/06 on the Hi-Desert Star website:

By Phillip Klasky / Wonder Valley

We received this message from an ORV rider:

Correct me if I am wrong but in your invitation to attend a meeting to complain about "Trespassing on Public Land" - isn't that a giant oxymoron. How can anyone be accused of trespassing on PUBLIC land.

On the right side or our home page you will see a link to our new ORV Abuse Incident Report form.

Use this form as a guide to report ORV abuse to the Sheriffs Department and Code Enforcement and for our own records. MAKE SURE YOU SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE PROPER AGENCY in addition to filling out this form. When you submit this form via the COW web site, COW WILL NOT make a report to law enforcement agencies; that is your responsibility. We will use the information you submit via our form to gather information for an annual report.