New billboards will publicize off-highway vehicle ban on des

[Crowdog]

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081202/NEWS01/81202010/-1/newsfront

December 2, 2008


New billboards will publicize off-highway vehicle ban on desert lands

Desert Sun staff reports

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments Off-Highway Vehicle Task Force has announced the unveiling of billboards along the I-10 and Expressway 86 corridors designed to raise awareness of illegal off-highway vehicle use on desert lands.

The billboard unveiling will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, Dec. 15, at Expressway 86 between Avenues 50 and 52 in Coachella.

With support from Lamar Outdoor Advertising, three billboards will remind owners of Off-Highway Vehicles—quads, dirt bikes and other sand toys—that using them in the open desert of Riverside County is not legal. Riding on approved trails on public lands is lawful, but riding through the open desert is not legal unless it is on private property with written permission from the property owner in the rider’s possession.

For the past two years, the CVAG OHV Task Force has provided enforcement in problem areas throughout the Coachella Valley. This collaborative effort includes the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Palm Springs Police Department, Desert Hot Springs Police Department, Cathedral City Police Department, Indio Police Department and the Bureau of Land Management. Residents in the affected areas have reported a decrease in activity with the enforcement efforts and have thanked the Task Force for its work.

“OHV use in open desert areas has caused severe damage to sensitive habitat,” said 4th District Supervisor Roy Wilson. “The County does recognize the need for a legal riding area, and has been working toward that goal for more than a year. It is possible that the desert could have an OHV park established in the next four years.”

The County Planning Department, with the guidance of a citizen task force, has been researching locations for such a park and will be presenting their findings to the Board of Supervisors late this year.

The posting of the three new billboards will help advise the public that OHV open riding is not allowed, and the Task Force members hope that it will help curb the use of local desert lands for this activity. Whether it is residents who ride their ATVs out of their garage and into the wash, or visitors from other areas of the county who trailer their off-road vehicles in, these billboards should serve as a strong enforcement message.