Our Voice
The Times-Journal  

Published August 3, 2010

    The reasoning behind the National Parks Service’s ATV ban at Little River Canyon National Preserve seems solid. That does not mean it’s a good idea. And, it does mean officials should work quickly to continue what is a popular recreational activity for thousands of DeKalb County residents and visitors each year.

    Boiled down, the reason for eliminating ATV use at the preserve is because state law prohibits ATV use on roads.

    It does get a little more complicated. Guidelines, according to National Preserve Superintendent John Bundy, from the National Parks Service and the Federal Highway Administration characterize the back roads used by ATV riders as actual roads. That’s meaningful because it then leads to the state law.

    It doesn’t stop there. Bundy also said an executive order issued by President Richard Nixon – at least 35 years ago – bans ATVs on National Park Service roads.

    Based on Bundy’s information, it’s easy to see regulations and laws clearly do not allow ATVs at the preserve.

    What is also disturbing and what is getting lost in the ATV issue is the fact a general management plan for Little River Canyon was required by 1993. However, it took 17 years to develop a plan, which eliminates significant recreation for a significant number of preserve users.

    Instead of eliminating the activity, the parks service should have used the past 17 years trying to figure out a way to allow people to continue a practice that has become increasingly more and more popular.

In fact, there seems to be no logical reason why the parks service cannot take more time to develop a plan that includes ATV use at the canyon. If it took 17 years to do something that was supposed to be finished within one year, adding a few more months or even years to develop an idea that rests comfortable with the people of DeKalb County and its visitors makes sense. In the meantime, the current policy of requiring ATV users to renew permits every six months would be a reasonable solution until a new plan can be created.

    State and federal officials should quickly get together to create an exception to allow ATV in the National Preserve. Then, it should not take another 17 years to change the ban.