wanted to give all mn atv drivers a heads up on this if you didn't know yet.......................


More teeth in penalties for ATVers who trash wetlands

 

That newspaper article had generated 54 comments when I checked. It looks like ATV'ers had the more interesting responses. I can't say I disagree with trying to protect wetlands by keeping ATV's from tearing them up. I caught an ATV'er who had gotten stuck on my land and was making a mess trying to get out of the mudhole he had created. It turned out he was a county forestry employee taking a short cut across my land. He would probably have had me arrested if he had caught me tearing up public land like that. I called the sheriff, but didn't press charges. I probably should have.

 

Overall, I like the idea of this law. The only problem I have is what they are going to define as a "wetland". Last summer, I was stopped and ticketed by an Aitkin County Sheriff's deputy for "riding on the roadway" when I had gone up on the shoulder to avoid part of the ditch that was filled with about 3 feet of water. I had some mud on my machine so he accused me of "riding in the wetlands", which I hadn't been doing at all. He then informed me that it was just fine for me to ride through the ditch full of water because it was NOT a wetland. So, I got a ticket for NOT tearing up the land.

 

So this sheriff didn't actually see you in the ditch.....He just saw the mud on your machine and ticketed you? Wow, that is ridiculous. Some of these duputy guys will do anything to ticket people. Worth taking him to court over!

 

"A few hundred dollars out of your pocket isn't a big deal, but if you have got a $6,000 or $,7000 ATV, it is very much like a drunk driver losing their car," Konrad said. "And we know for sure they will be out of business at least until they get another ATV."

So,,,, they're equating wetland riding with dui? What is the big deal about riding in the wetlands????

I have a little swampy area in the back that I used to ride in just for the purpose of stirring the water and keeping it from smelling like a sewer. Sure, it looked a little muddy right after I rode thru it, but in a day or so it was right back to the way it was. So, what's MN's problem?

 

He saw me on the shoulder when I went around the water and ticketed me for riding on the road. When he saw the mud on my machine he said something to the effect of "I can see you have been tearing up wetlands" but he didn't give me a ticket for that.


The problem isn't people riding in a little mud, it's people that see a swamp and feel the need to blaze a trail across it. I see way too much of this going on, that's why I agree with the law. They put up signs and even fence areas off but people don't care. I hope this helps get rid of the people who can't follow the rules before they are forced to just shut the trails down, that way those of us who do follow the rules can go out and enjoy riding. I just hope they don't take this way too far and start nailing anyone that rides through a little mud.

 

No. My understanding of the law is that you're not allowed to ride on wetlands that are on your OWN PROPERTY! Trepassing is one thing, but what is the big deal about riding thru my own swamp if I pay the taxes on the land, etc, etc?

 

And furthermore, there's no way blazing a trail thru a bog is any way similar to dui. At least demonstrate to me that there is some long-term damage to the environment by riding in a bog. If anything, the quads are stirring the water, halting stagnation, and killing mosquittos (hence slowing west nile, etc). All I can see are favorable effects.

 

Randy: Way too much topic. You could spend a whole semester on this. You'd really need to take a course on wetlands and water to get a full understanding of the potential damage. Wetland are like gold these days. The cost to repair is massive. -Keep in mind there are different quality "wetlands". Not sure what you're dealing with.

As far as your own property: You need to look on the "NWI" National Wetland Inventory map and overlay your property boundaries. If you have a NWI wetland on your land, it's completely off limits. There are even setbacks something like 50' or 100' from the edge. Penalties are stiff.

We had an NWI listed wetland on our farm in Vermont. It was really just an old cow watering hole (man-made), but it got on the list from satellite imagery. It took me a year and about $4,000 in legal and engineering fees to have it removed. Was not an easy process.....Even though it's man-made, doesn't guarantee it will be removed. Depends on what species have taken to it and for how long, etc.

 

I don't know.... Seems like a lot of frettin over nothing to me. Just give me one point. Something.... Anything... Any reason whatsoever.... Even a half-hearted one. I'm totally lost and somewhat flabbergasted.

Now, I can see setting aside a few wetlands here n there to protect, but my god, why 100% of them? Why a 100% no tolerance law?