Introduction to Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs)

The explosion of off-road vehicles -- dirt bikes, ATVs, dune buggies, snowmobiles, jet skis, rock crawlers and new multi-purpose vehicles -- poses one of the fastest growing threats to our wildlands. Registrations grew from about 5 million machines in 1972 to more than 36 milion in 2002. Off-road vehicle use on most public lands is poorly managed, covering the landscape with a web of motorized paths and roads. The vehicles can cause severe damage to resources and wildlife habitat and they ruin the quiet natural experience for millions more who visit our public lands to experience. Off-road vehicles cause erosion, contaminate waters, spread noxious weeds, and kill, harass, and stress wildlife. Like cigarettes, the machines satisfy riders but cause damage when used as intended.

Lax management plans, irresponsible use and insufficient enforcement have resulted in hundreds of thousands of miles of unauthorized "renegade routes" across the lands owned by all Americans. Transportation planners, biologists, and law enforcement officers on public lands now recognize they are vastly outnumbered and badly under-funded to properly manage out of control recreational use. Public officials have largely neglected the explosion in off-road vehicle use, the damage they leave behind, and the conflicts they create with other recreational users of public pands, ranchers and private landowners. You can make a difference by getting involved early and often in local travel plan and resource management plan revisions. The quiet majority of users must speak out to ensure the enduring legacy of public lands can be sustained for future generations. Contact Wildlands CPR for more information on how to take action. Click here to learn more.

Deep ruts, Turkey Bay, KY. Note the person in far right rut. Photo by Howard Wilshire.