by Ryan Dull
Corbet Hoover
One of the best things about living in Colorado is access to our public lands. This is the place to be if you are an outdoor nature lover or if you use motorized recreational vehicles. There are endless opportunities to get out and explore. However, Colorado has recorded a 400 percent increase in motorized recreation last year, which correlates to more users
in a shrinking space, ultimately leading to a downward spiral of increased land-abuse prompting additional land closures. Motorized trails have become places of recklessness and overcrowding, littered with trash, and unwelcoming for those looking for a peaceful mountain adventure. COVID-19 has increased motorized recreation as well, leading new first-time and out-of-state off-highway vehicle users to indulge in the outdoor lifestyle with little education or knowledge of their impact to the land, environment, and fellow users. Stay The Trail is a nonprofit 501(c)3 whose mission is to reinforce and highlight responsible OHV use, and to modify and mitigate irresponsible use in an effort to minimize damage to public lands, with the ultimate goal of keeping trails open and welcoming for all. Stay The Trail accomplishes this through its “on the ground” campaign, with improved signage (route/ trail numbers), trail and volunteer projects (fencing, rehabilitation of wildfire and Jim Bommarito
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off-trail damage, and trash cleanups), and on-the-trail face-to-face user interaction in the form of informational handouts. They also focus their efforts on keeping OHV users informed by distributing printed materials, including their new area-specific maps complete with ethics messaging Many small mountain towns appreciate the influx of summer tourists who keep stores and local businesses open. They try to accommodate the OHV crowd by opening certain county roads to unlicensed off-highway vehicles. However, drivers must comply with local, state, and county regulations regarding speed, noise, and common courtesy. All OHVs owned and operated in Colorado (including motor vehicles and motorcycles that are not licensed for public-road access) must display current Colorado OHV registration stickers when in a person’s possession in an OHV staging area or operated on any designated OHV trails or routes in Colorado. Even with these regulations in place, many riders fail to comply, and they create a negative impression of the motorized recreational vehicle community. These effects can cause the loss of current designated routes and even jeopardize permitted offroad events in the future, overall harming the region’s economy and limiting legal enjoyment of the sport.
