The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
All-terrain-vehicles are great for work, getting to a hunting area, retrieving game or just plain fun. Their wide, knobby tires, often powered by a four-wheel drive, make them ideal vehicles for getting into areas cars and trucks just can't manage. But those same things that make them so good in rough terrain can also lead to a lot of damage. This is a special concern on Crown land or on land bought through the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund. The money in the Fund comes from 30 per cent of the cost of hunting, trapping and fishing licences. It's used for several things, including buying land that is important habitat for plants, birds and animals. The land bought through the Fund has essentially been set aside for wildlife. It is also often sensitive and easily damaged and once damaged, takes a long time to recover. So people driving all-terrain-vehicles through one of these areas should be careful about where they travel. "As long as the vehicles stay on the trails it's ok," says conservation officer Greg Rychlo of Saskatchewan Environment. "The problems occur when the driver leaves the trail. The weight of their vehicle will pack the soil and crush plants. The driver also often gets into situations where he or she has to spin the tires on the vehicle to get traction or perhaps climb a hill. That will leave ruts that may take years and years to recover. If the vehicle is on light sandy soil the tires can break through the ground cover. That is enough to expose the sand to the wind and then it starts blowing. That can lead to large barren areas where there used to be plants and animals." There are also cases where people driving all-terrain-vehicles through creeks have damaged the creek bed, changing the water flow, which then harms the fish and other plants, and animals that rely on the creek. In some cases sparks from a vehicle or vegetation coming in contact with hot muffler have started fires. Current provincial regulations allow anyone who is 16 or over and holds a valid driver's licence to operate an all-terrain-vehicle. Young people who are between 12 and 16 may operate an all-terrain-vehicle on public land provided it is designed to carry two people and there is a person riding with them who has held a drivers licence for at least a year. The regulations also say everyone has the right of access to Crown land and land bought with money from the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund. People wishing to travel on private land should first get permission from the landowner. Rural Municipalities also have the power to restrict access to land owned by the municipality. The majority of people riding all-terrain-vehicles are responsible and careful not to damage the environment. Those who go out into what they see as unused land and joy ride do the most damage. "We are not concerned about people using these areas for recreation or other outdoor activities," says Environment's Rychlo. "As a matter of fact we encourage people to explore our natural environment. But we hope that when they do go into these areas that they are aware that some of the things they do can cause severe damage and that they take precautions to make sure that doesn't happen."8/27/2004
