As President of the Prescott Open Trails Association and a participant in the OHV workgroup that crafted the Copper Sticker legislation, there are several key elements that make enactment of this bill a necessity.

OHV activity has grown dramatically over the past 10 years. Some 29 percent of Arizonans consider themselves to be OHV recreationists - that's over a million people according to the Arizona State Parks Trails 2005 survey. A combination of growth-related commercial and residential development along with politically motivated environmental activism has reduced the number of roads and trails available to OHV use during this same period. This has created an unworkable situation in Arizona.

So-called "environmental activists" are well organized and very well funded. Their vision of a non-motorized public landscape is in direct conflict with the multiple use management mandate that governs policy on Federal Lands. Their mis-use of the Endangered Species Act by having species listed that are really not endangered, just to instigate closures of public lands to multiple use, is appalling.

Creation of new Federally designated Wilderness areas closed to all motorized vehicles is the goal of these groups. It flies in the face of what is balanced management. Opposition to forest thinning by these groups helped create a situation where catastrophic wildfires were able to occur. After the Rodeo-Chedeski fire, for instance, the "Forest Guardians" from New Mexico sued the Forest Service to prevent them from removing the charred wood from the fire area. The general population is largely unaware of the radicalism that guides these groups. 

Perhaps people are becoming more aware of this trend. The recent failure of Arizona Proposition 106, a so-called "State Land Reform" referendum promoted by these interests to remove public land from motorized use without compensation under the guise of "conservation," is just the latest attempt of these groups to have their narrow view of public land management imposed on the citizenry.

We hope that, once roads and trails are designated and signed with help from this Copper Sticker legislation, these routes will be made permanent, and then these environmental zealots can turn their attention to the real issues and leave these roads and trails to future generations.

Management of OHV activities in Arizona has been humstrung due to a lack of adequate funding and conflicting rules regarding OHV use between federal, state and local jurisdictions. Clearly, enhanced law enforcement to address the small minority of careless and reckless OHV users is necessary, but law enforcement alone won't provide a complete solution. New trails are needed to complete connections between rural communities for the purpose of obtaining food, fuel and lodging and to bypass critical habitat while preserving that connectivity.

Copper Sticker funds would come from the owners of off-highway vehicles themselves; there is no more direct way to fund the needed improvements. Given the political climate in Arizona, a general tax increase would not pass the legislature.  However, this "self-tax" of  $20 a year is a pittance compared to the thousands that are invested in OHV vehicles and accessories. Priorities for the spending of the Copper Sticker funds are spelled out in the bill. The majority of funds initially would go to "on-the-ground" improvements such as directional signage and creating new parking areas. Another significant portion would go to outreach and education. Getting to middle school and high school students and teaching them trail ethics earlier in life would go a long way to reducing the number of future user conflicts on public lands. The bill also creates the equivalent of six new law enforcement positions.

 The Arizona Game and Fish Department would be charged with the responsibility for collecting and dispersing the Copper Sticker funds. They already license hunters, fishermen and boaters, so this is a natural extension of their current duties. AZG&F also has legal jurisdiction over all of Arizona (except Tribal lands) which enhances their appropriate role as the OHV managing agency. The US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Arizona State Land Deaprtment would be eligible to receive Copper Sticker funding for projects approved by the State's Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Group.

 The current situation cannot be allowed to continue. The sticker program has been successful in Utah and Arizona needs the help. It provides a sustainable source of funding for ongoing management of OHV activities in our state. I urge everyone to support the efforts of the Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Coalition and help us get the Copper Sticker Bill passed in the Legislature. For more information, you can e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . 

(Sanford Cohen is President of Prescott Open Trails Association, an OHV advocacy group.)