RIGHTS Roundup

BY NICK HARIS AND JOY BURGESS

Financed via the Nevada Off-Highway Vehicles Grant program, a new 5-acre OHV area has been completed in the town of Tonopah, Nev. The facility, located on U.S. 6, includes shade structures, information kiosk, all-weather vault toilet, and has been surrounded by newly compacted gravel that offers plenty of parking for off-roaders who plan to explore the area’s back country.

“This is [a] perfect example of how OHV registration dollars can be leveraged to improve the off-road experience,” said Nevada Offroad Association Executive Director Mathew Giltner. “The motorized off-road community adds more than $120 million a year to our state, and we are so very excited that this facility will add value to OHV riders visiting or from within Nevada.”

The American Motorcyclist Association supports responsible recreational access to public lands for the use of off-highway vehicles, including off-highway motorcycles, dual-sport motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. This access should be administered by professional land managers to meet the needs of participants, protect the land, and promote responsible use.

While the AMA recognizes that no single recreation type is appropriate for every setting, there are certainly many places where OHV use can exist in harmony with other uses, while preserving important natural and cultural resources.

BMotorcycles Banned from High Pyrenees Natural Park ased on a recently adopted measure to “limit noise pollution,” motorcycles are now banned from parts of one of the most picturesque spots in the European Alps — the Pyrenees, located on the border of France, Spain and Andorra.

A recently adopted measure would limit the use of motorcycles in parts of the High Pyrenees Natural Park (El Parque Natural de los Altos Pirineos). Electric vehicles and cars are not covered by the ban. The ban excludes motorcycles from local roads and trails but does not place similar restrictions on cars. The regulations described in the plan created a zone of special protection of acoustic quality and singles out motorcycles, mountain bikes, quads and buggies as ‘particularly noisy’ vehicles, without taking into account or measuring their actual sound levels. Visit femamotorcycling.eu/motorcycles-banned-from-pyrenees/ for more information.

Wonder what bills may impact your right to ride? Make sure you check out AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ bill-tracking regularly to review the good, bad, and the ugly by state and category. You can also get the latest AMA Action Alerts delivered to you via email by signing up at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ action-center.

AMA members in the Southeast and South-Central regions of the U.S. may apply to run in an election for the AMA Board of Directors. The Southeast seat is currently held by AMA Board member Brad Baumert. The South-Central seat is currently held by AMA Board member Faisel Zaman.

AMA members who live in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida are eligible to apply to run for the seat representing the Southeast region. Members who live in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are eligible to apply to run for the South-Central region.

Deadline for applications is Sept. 1, 2023. The election will be held Dec. 15 through Jan. 15. For application information, email elections@ama-cycle.org or call (614) 856-1900, ext. 1283.

The AMA Board of Directors includes 12 members — six elected by individual members, four elected by business members, and two at-large members appointed and ratified at the annual national AMA member meeting.