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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Enforcement Begins On OHV Ban

Courtesy photo

Off-road vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes have long been banned on public roads in Colorado, but Pitkin County is only starting to enforce the law this summer.

 

Pitkin County is teaming up with the U.S. Forest Service to patrol county roads, especially in areas that see heavy use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs). The move comes after commissioners voted last year to better enforce the state-wide ban. Counties are allowed to selectively permit OHVs on roads, but public survey results leaned toward restricting their use here.

There had been complaints about the vehicles in popular backcountry spots, like Smuggler Mountain Road and Richmond Ridge above Aspen Mountain. Several retail shops in Aspen rent out the vehicles; they are being asked to direct visitors to Forest Service roads that allow OHVs, and to steer clear of county roads.

Forest Service rangers will patrol popular spots, and violators will see a warning, then a $250 fine.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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