[Chris72941]

The Arkansas Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Association (AOCA) represents off-highway vehicle (OHV) interests in Arkansas and works on recreation issues in cooperation with land managers, legislators and educators to conserve, expand, enhance and protect responsible OHV recreation opportunities.

Over the past few months a group of people all with common interest in the off-highway community met at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and also at Arkansas Tech University in Ozark. We met with senior members of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council and American Motorcyclist Association
Both meetings went extremely well and through the hard work of a awesome core group of people from all kinds of off-highway backgrounds including members of the Arkansas Trail Voyagers, Arkansas Dirt Riders, Rockcrawlers 4wd Club of NWA, Razorback Riders, and River Valley Dirt Riders we have officially conceived and Incorporation of the Arkansas OHV Conservation Association (AOCA)! We are all working together as a statewide to...

· Improve communication and cooperation within the OHV community;
· Establish professional working relationships with land managers;
· Build understanding of management issues;
· Learn how to improve and protect OHV recreation opportunities;
· Establish a statewide program to improve OHV recreation ethics; and
· Enable the OHV community to influence the political process.

arkansasohv.org
Guys this organization is not just for recreational users. I'm sure some of you have heard about the Forestry Service implementing their new OHV use maps. These maps have killed lots of trail(whether it be FS. Road or trails) or if they are open they do not link up to anything else. One killer at magazine is the Buzzard Rock overlook is closed actually every overlook for the magazine area is closed except for the small one east of Sorghum Hollow Camp. So for lots of hunters instead of taking off from deer camp on your ATV you will have to trailer out to an approved road just to get to your spot. You may be thinking to yourself "Why should I care they will not say anything". I hope you are right but now they are ticketing people for being off of the approved trails in the St. Francis forest(known $500 fines for crossing creeks at non-designated areas) and we have been told this.
1st offense - fine
2nd offense - fine and the ability to take your atv away from you

and since its federal offense the nearest federal court to appeal is in Georgia.
So far a lot of progress has been made with the Ouachita FS. They really seem to be willing to work with us and in a few days we will see if they approved miles of trail for their forest. The main closing date with the Ouachitas will be Sept. 08. St. Francis FS has not been as easy. They have not used the proper methods and because of this they are/possibly facing a legal battle with the Blue Ribbon Coalition. Sorry for bothering you but we need to stand together or lose the forest.:frown:

 

[fish]

I have an ATV ,but am for the restricted use of them on public lands. Here they ride them where ever they want and very little is done to slow it down. Even where roads are bermed and signs posted, there are still worn trails. You can't deer hunt for groups on them running all over the woods. Not to mention the damage to the land. The creeks all have washed out crossings every few hundred yards. Too many folks causing damage . :frown:

 

[Sylamore]

The reduction of ATV use on the Ozark National Forest was way past due in my opinion. The destruction caused by uncontrolled use is just not acceptable. This is the first deer season in many years that my hunting has not been continually interrupted by slobs on ATV's.

I am 100% in support of banning ATV's on public land. :thumb:

 

[soarkrebel]

The reduction of ATV use on the Ozark National Forest was way past due in my opinion. The destruction caused by uncontrolled use is just not acceptable. This is the first deer season in many years that my hunting has not been continually interrupted by slobs on ATV's.

I am 100% in support of banning ATV's on public land. :thumb:

Yeah and while we are at it let's ban hunting on public land. If one group of users gets banned lets ban the other users.
You see for me a landowner that has the National Forest as a neighbor will reap the benefit of both bans.
In a few years I will be able to sit on my back porch and kill state record bucks on my private land!


Be careful what you wish for the backlash might effect your own personal interests.:wink:

 

[Sylamore]

Be careful what you wish for the backlash might effect your own personal interests.:wink:

That certainly is possible..........but it does not change my opinion. :thumb:

 

[soarkrebel]

That certainly is possible..........but it does not change my opinion. :thumb:

Come on Sylamore you don't want a complete ban of atv's you just want enforcement of those that abuse the land.............admit it:thumb:

IMO if you let those that intend to ban atv's succeed then the next will be hunting .........open pandoras box and what will come out????:frown:

 

[HANDGUNNER]

Am not in favor of banning ATV's, on public land.........just taking action on the ones that abuse the privilege!!! I ride some of the National forest, but I will stay on a trail tht is open....1 time I didn't, first time riding this area, and we got lost.....GPS died....my spare batteries were even dead, the map we had was not good...we finally figured out where we were, and to go back the way we came, it was gonna be too dangerous, cause it was really close to dark, and the weather was turning bad quick....we found a closed trail on the map and it would get us back to some easy trails before it got way too late....I know it was wrong, and if caught, I was prepared to pay the fine!! It hasn't happened again!!

there are people who will abuse the right.....that's who needs banned!!!

IMHO...if one groups succeeds, it gives the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th group hope that they will succeed also......and then everybody suffers!!!

 

[Arkie_3_fan]

First they ban ATV's and off-roading and close down 90% of the trails. What happens when they close down 90% of the forest service roads and allow no overnight camping anywhere in the national forest?
Then the few open roads become so crowded during hunting season that it's too dangerous to even attempt to go hunting. That'll be plenty of ammo for the anti-hunters... next thing you know the only people allowed in the national forests will be the loggers and the gas well workers.

 

[ozarkhunter]

Fish, sylamore it is people like you who are getting the privliges of responsable users taken away. Put yourself in their shoes. For an example there are people wanting to take away your hunting privliges and you dont want that. Wanting to ban a form of outdoor recreation puts you in the same catagory in my opinion.

 

[odocoi]

Fish, sylamore it is people like you who are getting the privliges of responsable users taken away. Put yourself in their shoes. For an example there are people wanting to take away your hunting privliges and you dont want that. Wanting to ban a form of outdoor recreation puts you in the same catagory in my opinion.

I don't think Mr. Fish mentioned banning anything, just the resposible use of them. It's the folks who break the laws that are in place and disrespect our natural resources who are the problem.

 

[ozarkhunter]

After rereading the post made by fish I understand he wasnt for banning atv use but I guess I felt like he was attacking the use of atvs on public property. Sorry.

 

[Chris72941]

This organization is not about allowing unmanaged use of the woods but there is a big difference between closing the woods and managing the woods and what we want to do is work with the FS and with the riders. Go to the St. Francis site and look up the backpackers guide. It is horrible what they are they are leaving open(roads and trails not connected) and guess what a few years later they will determine there is not enough use of that road by OHV's and will close them(snowball effect). Sylamore it sounds to me like you have problems with your fellow hunters instead of recreational riders. Most rec. riders stay out of the forest during deer season due to the fact the woods are more dangerous and most understand the fact you only have a few weeks out of the year to hunt and give you the time. The ones you have trouble with sounds like the kids stuck at camp with a spare dirtbike/atv or two.

 

[Chris72941]

I don't think Mr. Fish mentioned banning anything, just the resposible use of them. It's the folks who break the laws that are in place and disrespect our natural resources who are the problem.

Yes but the funny thing is every type of interest has a few irresponsible users. This ranges from Horses, ATVs, OHMs, 4WDs, Hikers, Mt. Bikers, etc. The thing is there are way more ATV users than most others so thus more irresponsible users. As soon as they get rid of one they start on the next.

 

[odocoi]

Yes but the funny thing is every type of interest has a few irresponsible users. This ranges from Horses, ATVs, OHMs, 4WDs, Hikers, Mt. Bikers, etc. The thing is there are way more ATV users than most others so thus more irresponsible users. As soon as they get rid of one they start on the next.

I don't think it really has to do with who has more irresposible users. IMO, it has more to with who has done the most damage or has the potential to do the most damage.

 

[soarkrebel]

I don't think it really has to do with who has more irresposible users. IMO, it has more to with who has done the most damage or has the potential to do the most damage.

Now that cracks me up....................If that was the case then we would ban cutting timber on the land!

Timber operations do more damage to the land in an hour than ATV's do in years!!!

 

[odocoi]

Now that cracks me up....................If that was the case then we would ban cutting timber on the land!

Timber operations do more damage to the land in an hour than ATV's do in years!!!

I don't think timber companies were part of the conversation. General public users were though.

 

[soarkrebel]

I don't think timber companies were part of the conversation. General public users were though.

Damage is damage!!!

 

[odocoi]

Damage is damage!!!

once again, timber companies weren't part of the conversation. sorry.

 

[jimmyh]

I am a responsible atv rider. I hunt public land, I don't play and disturb others. The older I get the harder the hills are to climb. I bet some of you folks wanting to see a ban on public land dont even hunt on public land. And I bet you ride the s^^t out of them on your land.

 

[Chris72941]

I don't think it really has to do with who has more irresposible users. IMO, it has more to with who has done the most damage or has the potential to do the most damage.

irresponsible riders = damage. responsible rider = no harm. Most irresponsible riders have no clue what they are doing. Hunters have their irresponsible users too. You would be surprised at the amount of trash I pull from around where deer stands are/have been(in fact I can take you to a few places where there are still deer stands and a few nice metal ones too:biggrin: )most peoples beer of choice is bud light:thumb: . Educating riders and building manageable trails will help reduce the amount of "harm" erosion can cause but we all have to remember what created the ozarks in the first place.