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By: Robert Janis
Arizona Off Highway
Vehicle Coalition Combating Closures of Trails
for Dust Rules Violations
The major issue affecting off highway vehicle
recreation in Arizona are dust rules which,
depending on how local authorities are
interpreting them, are causing the closure of
many trails judged to be non-compliant.
The
organization finds itself spending an awful lot
of time and money trying to get local officials
from using their personal opinions in deciding
whether to close trails.
The Organization
The Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Coalition
(AZOHVC) was developed with the assistance of
Dana Bell of NOHVCC. According to Jeff Gursh,
executive officer for Education, Grants and
Agreements, the Arizona Trail Riders, the
Arizona Association of 4WD and the Arizona ATV
Riders were working together to create an
organization as a 4-wheel drive association in
2000. “Dana Bell came to Arizona and helped us
develop the ‘outline’ for the organization in
2003 and it was finally formed in 2004,” said
Gursh. “It took another three years to be
officially recognized as a 501c3 organization.”
The mission of AZOHVC is to establish a
recognized, statewide, non-profit incorporated
association of Arizona Off Highway Vehicle
enthusiasts, businesses, and groups that will
identify and work together on recreation issues
in cooperation with land managers, educators,
legislators, and the public to ensure a positive
future for responsible motorized and
non-motorized recreation.
The association
depends on many OHV groups to help in explaining
the issues that need to be addressed in
Arizona’s state capital. “Very often, clubs and
OHV folks just don’t understand the need or the
issues and allow us to fight these battles for
them,” said Gursh. “Others get involved where
their needs or concerns are most important, i.e.
where they ride. What makes a statewide
organization good and bad is that we have to
look at everyone’s riding areas, not just one
small spot. Most people can’t afford the time to
invest in anything other than their own area.
Unfortunately, AZOHVC has limited funds and has
to pick issues that affect the majority of OHV
users.”
So AZOHVC seeks the help of national
organizations to achieve their goals. These
groups include the American Motorcyclists
Association, The BlueRibbon Coalition, NOHVCC,
MIC, SVIA, CORVA, COHVCO, ORBA, ASA, Honda and
more as well as dealer organizations. “These
groups help with how other states and areas
addressed similar issues that we are concerned
with,” said Gursh. “We also use the Arizona
State Park Trails plan. The plan is produced
every five years and begins with the State Parks
Service asking Arizona OHV users what they want
involving recreation for the next five years.
AZOHVC use the OHV economic impact information
surveys which are done for the trail plans to
show how important managing OHV use is to
Arizona’s economy.”
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The group has one
lobbyist, Nick Simmonetta, who has experience
dealing with the State Land Department. The
department manages 9 million acres of land and
has worked on legislation that affects
everything in the State of Arizona. Simmonetta
is also a lawyer and has background in the
legalities of land and trail issues. He also has
the advantage of knowing just about every
legislator in the Arizona State House and he
knows just about every lobbyist so that he can
pull apparent divergent groups together for one
common cause.
The AZOHVC tries to influence
local city councils and other decision making
agencies by being “...in their face!” said Gursh.
“You have to go and meet these people and let
them know you are not going away. And, on the
other hand, you have to be willing to offer them
help. That can include helping someone who is
running for office who support OHV use or doing
trail work as a volunteer. Both sides need to
see a benefit in the relationship.”
The group
educates and motivates its members by using a
“...help us keep trails open approach,” said
Gursh. He complained, however, that “Unless
riders see a threat to their riding, it just
doesn’t hit home and... well, someone else will
take care of it.”
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