Hello,
I am new to the forum. Our family owns land and loves to ride in the Kiamichi Mtn Wilderness in SE OK. We have recently found out that Weyhouser and the State of OK have shut us down from all of the ATV riding trails in the Kiamich Mtns and any Weyhouser Land. We were up there last weekend and the Rangers were writing more tickets than they had could keep up with. The weekenders and the residents were all in shock and furious. The only time we can ride on the Mtn now is during Hunting season and only to retrieve the animal killed and it can not be further than (like 100 yrds,not sure).

Please read the following info and links and if anyone has further info please tell us.

Thanks.




Land Access Permits
A $40 annual land access permit is required of all residents who hunt or fish on Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMAs, unless exempt. Nonresidents are required to purchase a $85 annual permit, no exemptions.

A $10, three-day special use land access permit is available to residents for nonhunting and nonfishing related activities, unless in possession of the $40 annual land access permit.

Oklahoma residents who are under 18 years of age on the first day of the current calendar year or are 64 years old or older are exempt from land access permit requirements.


Vehicles

Only those vehicles registered as legal to operate on Oklahoma public roadways may be used or parked on Department-managed lands, except on specified areas designated for off-road use, unless otherwise provided for non-ambulatory persons holding valid permits. All vehicles used by non-ambulatory permittees must conspicuously display a sticker designating the vehicle is being used by a non-ambulatory permittee and motor vehicle hunt permittees must conspicuously display a sticker designating the vehicle is being used by a motor vehicle hunt permittee. These permits may be obtained from the License Section of the Department.

Except as otherwise provided, all motorized vehicles are required to stay on roads designated as open for public or hunter use. There are no exceptions for motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, snowmobiles or all terrain vehicles. Travel on roads which are gated and locked, closed by earthen mound or designated as closed is prohibited, unless otherwise specified in annual regulations for non-ambulatory persons holding valid permits.

For definition purposes on both the Honobia Creek and Three Rivers WMA, a "maintained road" open for vehicle and ATV use is any permanent road not gated and locked or closed with an earthen mound. Additionally, a "maintained road" will be constructed with man-made ditches on one or both sides of the road to control rainwater runoff, and will not have vegetation present on the road that would impede easy travel by a two-wheel drive automobile.

Maximum speed limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.

It is unlawful for any person to hunt, chase, capture, shoot, attempt to shoot, wound or kill any wildlife from a motor driven vehicle on Department-managed areas, except as provided for persons holding a non-ambulatory or motor vehicle permit.

The following link has the new law that goes into effect Aug.1,2008.
http://pinemeadowcabins.com/atv_rentals.html

 

Pretty cut and dried - you're screwed.

Any other riding areas around?

Jaybee

 

You should try to get a bunch of people together and write a letter to the town, state, or whoever made this law and have as many people as you can sign it, like a petition!! Use strong words and have good reasoning. If I lived there, I know I would be standing right by your side. Soon, the same thing here in CT is going to happen, although, it already has. Here, if you are found riding on any land that's not yours, you are heavily fined and arrested. Thank gosh I have not been caught!

 

The First question that I have is 'Who Upset the Politicians?'
The second question is 'Why?'

These people do not create laws just for fun and they do not crank out these edicts over night. Someone had to be upset enough to light a fire under them and then there would have been months of hearings, discussions and newspaper reports etc.

SO; Where were you when all of this was going on?

The time to have stopped all of this was long ago. To undo this law will take a massive amount of work, to have prevented it a smaller amount.

IF you read through this forum, you will find all sorts of threads about lost trails and privilages around the country on both public and private land. After you sift through them the themes take on a pattern - People are abusing the space, by littering, speeding, wreckless driving damaging the land/trails, excessive noise and so on.

Basically, we are doing it to ourselves.

If you don't want to loose something,
#1 Take Care of it.
#2 Pay attention to what's going on around you, and do something about it.

Good Luck!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: BAIR

The First question that I have is 'Who Upset the Politicians?'

The second question is 'Why?'



These people do not create laws just for fun and they do not crank out these edicts over night. Someone had to be upset enough to light a fire under them and then there would have been months of hearings, discussions and newspaper reports etc.



SO; Where were you when all of this was going on?



The time to have stopped all of this was long ago. To undo this law will take a massive amount of work, to have prevented it a smaller amount.



IF you read through this forum, you will find all sorts of threads about lost trails and privilages around the country on both public and private land. After you sift through them the themes take on a pattern - People are abusing the space, by littering, speeding, wreckless driving damaging the land/trails, excessive noise and so on.



Basically, we are doing it to ourselves.



If you don't want to loose something,

#1 Take Care of it.

#2 Pay attention to what's going on around you, and do something about it.



Good Luck!</end quote></div>


I completely agree. It's a good thing I dont destroy my woods!!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: BAIR

These people do not create laws just for fun and they do not crank out these edicts over night. </end quote></div>

Unfortunately they do just that very thing far, far too often. They're in the business of creating new and more complicated laws. Law is a business. From creating them, to the incredibly lucrative business of enforcing, adjudicating those laws and the imprisoning those who run afoul of governmental edicts and in particular mala prohibita "crimes" (only crimes because a statute makes it so).

Laws are big business and business is very good unfortunately.

 

I would recommend joining the Blue rubbon coalition and have them get invovled. this is what they do...

 

Actually none of this is new. Most of what is happening is Nation wide. There was a federal Mandate handed down to the forest service quite some time ago. They have to inventory all routes, roads and trails and will close what they do not have the funds to maintain. Along with the mandate, the FS asked that users map out and submit trails they would like to have left open. Here in Arkansas the problem we have run into is the FS will not even look at the users submitted trails until water shed studies are done in that particular distrct. Some studies are not due for 8-10 years. The Oklahoma area has been under attact for a long time. Kenny Lawson, Game Warden around Broken Bow has been handing out tickets for a couple of years now.
As far as thae Blue Ribbon Coalition, they are already looking at Arkansas (especially the Ozark Forest) because it is widely beleived they did not follow the legal processes required before any closure. They have to have public notice, public comment, NEPA process, public notice and then public comment again. Long drawn out process.
Some of the area in Oklahoma would fall under this, as for the WYCO land it is private land and another whole fight will need to be leveled on that one.
One thing for sure the FS will not even listen to individuals, you need to form incorporated clubs and organizations. Start a State Association (work through the NOHVCC to do this). The NOHVCC has worked very hard here for us in Arkansas. They helped get our state Org started. Have had 2-3 meetings with us. They have had 2 seminars with us and the forest service. One was on trail sustainability which opened a lot of eyes.
The other part of the picture with the Federal Mandate that was handed down to the forest service, is simply that they were given a law to put into place and no funds to do it.
Several politicians have looked at this real hard and are trying to help us. They realize the economic impact this will have on some areas.
I would suggest you join the ATVA, Blue Ribbon Coalition and get the NOHVCC to help you. The NOHVCC is an Org. that is strickly there to help teach us what we can do and how to do it.

 

Thank you Arkrider for that very good info. We just found out Friday that our property that we own is actually not in the 3 Rivers WMA but on the Honobia WMA and according the Kyle Johnson with the Oklahoma State Wildlife Dept we can still ride all over the Honobia WMA and the new maps are at the printers right now.

I am passing on your info to a friend of mine who is also a State Rep and also passing it on the other ATVers in our area to try to get help starting up our own org.

Thanks again. We all have to band together and be smart to keep our family hobby alive.

 

Give us a yell if you need any help. We have our hands full but will do whatever we can to help you out. We have freinds from Tx that like riding that area. I suspect before this is all done and said, all surrounding states will need to get together to show the strength in numbers that we have. Our biggest battles are
1: The greenies have a big head start on us.
2: All user groups not banding together. (trucks, jeeps, atv's, dirt bike ect).