Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    • Home
    • Sedona News
    • Business Profiles
    • Opinion
    • Mind & Body
    • Arts
    • Elections
    • Gift Shop
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Home » Collaborative Pursues Off-Highway Vehicle Damage Reduction
    Community Events

    Collaborative Pursues Off-Highway Vehicle Damage Reduction

    May 24, 2023No Comments
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit WhatsApp

    Sedona, AZ — A consortium of five city, county, state and federal agencies has begun a major effort to reduce off-highway vehicle damage and disturbance in the Sedona area. This effort is the initial focus of a larger endeavor called the Greater Sedona Recreation Collaborative (GSRC) whose members include the City of Sedona, Yavapai County, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona State Parks and Trails and the Coconino National Forest-Red Rock Ranger District.

    The collaborative was formed last year to pursue potential solutions for a range of local outdoor recreation issues. To date, the group has identified five issues of concern to eventually be addressed including motorized recreation, non-motorized recreation, dispersed camping, mitigating cultural impacts and mitigation of environmental damage. Funding for the project is provided by the City of Sedona, Arizona State Parks and Trails and the Coconino National Forest-Red Rock Ranger District.

    A Motorized Recreation Working Group began meeting in January as the initial work of the recreation collaborative. It is examining problems and ways to reduce the disturbance and environmental damage done primarily by off-highway vehicles (OHV). The working group includes 25 selected partners from the collaborating agencies, local outdoor-oriented organizations, OHV rental companies, local citizens, political leaders, rural landowners and law enforcement officers.

    The group has developed a set of Action Teams to address individual elements of this complex problem. Currently operating action teams include Communications and Education, Policy and Legislation, Data Gathering and Monitoring, Environmental Conservation and Restoration and Sustainable Funding. Development of additional teams is anticipated as more needs for action are identified.

    The overall process is being facilitated by Southwest Decision Resources (SDR), a team of facilitation and collaboration professionals based in Flagstaff.

    Sedona Gift Shop

    An increasing attraction of OHV use on roads, trails and other open land in the greater Sedona area plus nearby population growth has created an escalating level of environmental damage to our area’s fragile resources. Increased disturbance by noise, dust and excessive speed, both inside and outside the city, add to the overall management and regulation challenge. Impacts are spread across jurisdictional boundaries of city, county, state and federal agencies further complicating resolution of the problems.

    GSRC member agencies recognize the cross-jurisdictional complexity of recreation management and understand that management strategies implemented in one area often impact other areas or stakeholders. Therefore, to best address these issues, it was essential to develop a collaborative public/private process.

    This is not the first time a group has formed in an attempt to address local OHV problems. There have been at least three previous efforts as well as some measures taken by individual agencies and organizations. The Motorized Recreation Working Group is, however, the most inclusive, collaborative and structured endeavor to date.

    Even with such an effort, group members recognize this will be a lengthy process in identifying and implementing successful actions to reduce OHV impacts around Sedona.

    Healing Paws

    This is an advertisement

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


    Analyzing City’s Legal Right to
    Ban OHVs on Public Roads

    By Tommy Acosta
    Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! Mea Maxima Culpa! I screwed up. Blew it. Totally made a fool of myself. Missed the boat. I am talking about my editorial on the OHV fight, No Legal Traction on OHVs. I assumed that it was ADOT that would make a decision on whether the city could legally ban off road vehicles from our public roads like S.R. 89A and S.R. 179. Man was I off. ADOT has nothing to do with allowing or disallowing the city to do so. ADOT’s response to me when I asked them to clarify their position, was curt and to the point. “ADOT designs, builds and maintains the state highway system,” I was told. “It is not our place to offer an opinion on how state law might apply in this matter.” It was a totally “duh” moment for me when I realized that that the decision or judgement on the OHV ordinance, would involve the state and not ADOT. Chagrinned I stand. The crux of the matter then is whether the city can effectively use a number of standing state laws that can be interpreted to determine whether the city can legally ban the vehicles or not. Read more→
    Recent Comments
    • JB on Mayor & Council Deserve Kudos For Chamber Oversight
    • Richard Kepple on Analyzing City’s Legal Right to Ban OHVs on Public Roads
    • Mary on Analyzing City’s Legal Right to Ban OHVs on Public Roads
    • JB on DORR Hosts Talk on Gun Violence Prevention
    • Sheila Jackman on Remembering Sedona Sculptor John Soderberg: A Tribute to a Creative Genius
    Categories
    © 2023 All rights reserved. Sedona.biz.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.