New Report Available on New Mexico ORVs
A partnership of state agencies has released The Senate Joint Memorial 40 Report on off-road vehicle recreation in New Mexico. The report acknowledges a need for the state to “move toward better management of off-road vehicle recreation.” It also recognizes that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lack the resources and authority to manage off-road vehicle recreation for the entire state.
A few of the topics addressed in the report:
Among the report’s recommendations: a safety and responsibility media blitz; working with responsible ORV users to help solve problems; coordinating statewide enforcement; and managing off-road vehicle education and training.
The report was authored by New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and the Department of Game and Fish in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, The Range Improvement Task Force, and the Tourism Department.
For a copy, please visit: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/main/sjm40/SJM40report-01-07-09.pdf
A few of the topics addressed in the report:
- User conflicts. The report notes that user conflicts tend to be “one-sided, with motorized recreationists being less adversely affected and other public land users more adversely affected.” It also notes that user conflicts can “impact ranching as a traditional way of life as well as an economic aspect of New Mexico, and affect riparian areas, rangeland, and other natural resources.”
- Enforcement. The report acknowledges that roughly half of ATV and motorcycle riders prefer to ride off of designated routes, and that simply designating specific routes for off-road vehicles is not successful without adequate enforcement.
- Natural Resource Issues. The report discusses the impacts from ORV recreation on soils, vegetation, wildlife, habitat, riparian areas and hydrologic flows. It notes that “Properly sited and engineered trails reduce impacts and require little maintenance but such trails are almost non-existent.”
- Safety. The report reviews the dangers of off-road vehicle recreation, especially for children, and concludes “ATV riding is the most dangerous sport for children – 62% more dangerous than football and 110% more dangerous than snowboarding.”
Among the report’s recommendations: a safety and responsibility media blitz; working with responsible ORV users to help solve problems; coordinating statewide enforcement; and managing off-road vehicle education and training.
The report was authored by New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and the Department of Game and Fish in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, The Range Improvement Task Force, and the Tourism Department.
For a copy, please visit: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/main/sjm40/SJM40report-01-07-09.pdf