ALBUQUERQUE — Landowners wanted stiff penalties for the unruly off-roaders who were cutting their fences and harassing their livestock, while child-safety advocates sought an age limit that would prevent children from riding all-terrain vehicles.
Off-road enthusiasts, meanwhile, worried that their rights were about to be trampled and that efforts to overhaul New Mexico’s off-highway vehicle law would make it tougher for the next generation of riders to enjoy the state’s backcountry.
After 60 days of many meetings and much hand-wringing, the dust has cleared.
It’s now up to Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, to decide whether to sign into law legislation that some say evolved more than any other bill heard during the session.
The legislation transfers oversight of the state’s laws governing all-terrain and off-road vehicles from the Tourism Department and a board of more than two dozen people to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.
The measure also allows for higher trail-use fees — which must be used for education and enforcement activities — and it prohibits off-roaders from interfering with agricultural practices and harassing or chasing livestock in a way that could hurt the animal.
And in addition to the usual safety tips and trail rules, certified OHV trainers must teach their students how to be responsible with respect to the environment, private property and the rural lifestyles that still permeate much of New Mexico.
However, gone is the language that would have prohibited children under 14 from riding all-terrain vehicles or other off-road recreational vehicles with four or more tires. Also gone are some of the high-priced penalties for violating certain provisions of the law.
