Montrose - Daily Press

DENVER — Beginning in July, those caught using motorized vehicles on prohibited, public lands will be handed fines and penalties.

Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday signed into law a bill to set these penalties, which include fines ranging from $100 to $200, and suspensions of hunting and fishing licenses for violators also engaging in these activities.

“This is an issue that has been percolating for a couple of years and it took that long for everybody to come together to meet consensus about how best to move forward,” said Evan Dreyer, Ritter’s spokesman. He said the governor praised the hard work of many groups in finding common ground.

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The legislation, which goes into effect July 1, puts in place an agreement that allows state peace officers to enforce federal regulations — a point some opponents of the measure have criticized. This agreement also initiates a unprecedented practice in land management.

“Because this is relatively new practice, we know that the eyes of the nation will be on Colorado to see how this unfolds,” said Dreyer.

House bill 1069 found broad support across a spectrum of groups, including off-road vehicle users, environmentalists and wildlife conservationists. But it was also sharply criticized by some Montrose residents and lawmakers.

The legislation grew from concerns that federal land agencies have limited resources to deal with the number of people going off-road or off-trail. Staffing shortages at federal agencies have resulted in a lack of law enforcement personnel to protect segments of the forest, the law’s supporters said.

“We all need access to our forests, but we all agree we need better controls to preserve the recreational heritage of our forests and canyon country,” said Bryan Martin, assistant director of Conservation for the Colorado Mountain Club, one of several supporters of the measure.

This law reverses the long-standing practice of allowing motor vehicle travel except where restricted, and instead adopts a policy to prohibit this kind of travel unless it is explicitly authorized, either by maps, signs or route markers.

The Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field Office is currently in the process of amending the area’s resource management plan, which includes changes to travel guidelines for roughly 463,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands located in Delta, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Mesa, and Gunnison counties.

Existing guidelines for travel in areas managed by field office will remain in place until amendments are adopted, said BLM spokesperson Mel Lloyd. Completion of the travel planning process is anticipated in late Fall.

House Bill 1069

•  Prohibits motor vehicle use on public areas unless the land is marked accessible by the controlling land management agency.

•  Makes violation of the law a misdemeanor and establishes a fine of $100, and a penalty of 10 hunting license suspension points to violators who were also hunting, fishing or trapping.

•  If violation occurs in federal wilderness areas, a penalty of 15 hunting license suspension points (where applicable) and a fine of $200 for violations is assessed.

•  The law expires in July 2013.

•  Peace officers must exercise “substantial discretion” in carrying out enforcement until land management agencies identify permitted routes.

•  Makes unauthorized removal, defacing or destruction of road signs a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $100 and 5 hunting license points, when applicable.

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com

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