Closure of Public OHV Areas Essay -- Off Highway Vehicles Transportati

Closure of Public OHV Areas Some years ago a new form of recreation came about known as an Off Highway Vehicle(OHV). Today these high powered, light weight vehicles come in many forms with anywhere from four to two wheels. There are many areas across the United States for such vehicles to be driven but as of today there are some groups out there who wish to close the areas in which these vehicles can be used. One area in particular, located outside of Yuma on the California and Arizona border has been subjected to many threats recently and those who use the land for its recreational purposes have had to fight to keep the land that was originally granted to them for use by the US government. This one area is what many would call a second home. Land has already been shut off to recreational use and if unchecked these activist groups could take away the rest. A few years ago the American Sand Association agreed to have over 49,000 acres of the imperial sand dunes in southern California temporarily closed (James Gilbert). This would allow the Center for Biological Diversity(CBD) to conduct a study on a plant that they say is endangered. They said that with the use of OHV’s in close proximity to these plants they would soon be extinct. â€Å"After extensive research by both parties it was found that the survival of the Pierson's Milkvetch Plant (PMV) has no correlation whatsoever to the congestion of OHV’s in a particular area† (Mr.Dune). One would think that this would leave the activists with nothing left to complain about and that the re-opening of the dunes would be the next step in the progression of the cycle. To assume this would be a large fallacy though because as soon as the CBD’s argument of the endangered plant ... ...ease. To the citizens in the rest of the United States things can be totally taken out of context and portrayed by the CBD in any way they feel is necessary. With the growing numbers of people joining the American Sand Association and other such groups to show their support for the re-opening of the dunes, things will soon get complicated for the CBD and they may finally decide to back down from their podium. Citations †¢ ABCNEWS.com. ABC Network Affiliates. 23 March 2003 http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/dunes_folo020419.html †¢ JAMES GILBERT. "Dune closure draws mixed reviews." YumaSun Nov 22, 2002. 23 March 2003 http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_2778.shtml †¢ Mr. Dune. Mr. Dune Speaks Out American Sand Association. 23 March 2003 http://www.off-road.com/dunes/speak/special_112000.html