ATVs - Problems And Solutions

Ponderosa branches rattled and shook, their needles sprayed violently into the air. A low grunt escalated into a wheezing scream and more branches were shredded and tossed skyward, as though possessed by some diabolical forest goblin. The hunter soundlessly nocked an arrow on the bowstring. The bull elk paused at the edge of the forest, then stepped into the clearing as the hunter slowly brought the sight up to view, vainly try-ing to quiet her sprinting heart.

A distant echo, a whining buzz, broke her fo-cus and grew in intensity. The elk stood motionless, intent on the sound, broad-side before the hunter as if on a dare. As she drew back the bowstring, the buzz ex-ploded into a scream. The elk erupted, evaporating like breath into the sky. Stunned, the hunter gaped as two riders on ATVs tore through the clearing, weav-ing in and out across the meadow and gouging deep ruts through the damp soil. The riders gunned their throttles in protest against the wet earth, their wheels spinning deeper into the slick mud. The machines raced into the creek, raising a roostertail of water that doused engines, riders and whining buzz all at once. A momentary silence resounded before the riders dismounted and wrestled with their unwieldy ma-chines, cursing and floundering in the muddied water to drag them ashore.

“Good!” muttered the hunter. “I hope they have to walk back to civilization!”

Deer are susceptible

This account of a hunter’s encounter with those who use all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, although fictional, was reconstructed from actual incidents. It illustrates a growing concern among resource managers and others about their use, sometimes abuse, in the backcountry. ATVs are viewed as anything from an outdoor necessity to an obnoxious public nuisance. ATV riders are joining a growing list of recre-ational users — skiers, hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and a host of others — who righteously claim access to the backcountry by their chosen means of transportation. As recreational users increase and public land areas dwindle, conflicts among user groups seem inevitable. Any backcountry travel can be damaging, but the heavy, powerful and maneu- verable ATVs have more destructive potential than most other means. Their impact can be lessened by using common sense and respect toward all who enjoy wild country, including the wildlife that depend on it for survival.

“Wildlife disturbance is the first of the ATVs’ im-pacts,” says Clint Henson, Habitat Specialist for the Northeast Area. “Deer are especially susceptible.”

Is road rage next?

The ATV riders at the beginning of this story could have improved their scenario by staying on established roads and trails, avoiding the chance of ruining someone’s hunt or property. Driving off established roads on public land is also illegal in many states, including New Mexico. The riders could have avoided the meadows and marshy areas altogether to prevent their destruction. Using a slow throttle and smooth weight shifts on turns, they could have pre-vented the gouged ruts and spinning wheels. Had they crossed the stream slowly at an es-tablished ford, they might not have swamped their engines and damaged the fish habitat there.

If recreational lands are to be managed for the public, it will demand increasing public awareness and cooperation with conservation efforts. There is also an escalating concern over the lack of ethics that links trashed public lands, poaching, vandalism, trespassing and other acts of disrespect to the irresponsible use of ATVs and other backcountry transporta-tion. Without common courtesy and mutual respect, it is only a matter of time before the irrational road rage of our urban highways finds its way to the serene byways of the backcountry.

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