Off-road vehicle enthusiasts lose yet another place to ride
By ROB SPAHR
Staff Writer PressOfAtlanticCity.com
Published: Sunday, August 31, 2008
WOODLAND TOWNSHIP - Today will be the last chance for off-road vehicle riders to take advantage of the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park, because Monday it will close.
The park has attracted riders from all over the Northeast for more than a decade, but the state's Conservation Foundation did not renew the park's lease.
"It sucks that it's closing," said John Bohonyi, 26, of Hamilton Township, who was one of dozens of riders at the park Saturday. "I guess the state really wants people to start riding illegally. But with all the fines and the possibility of having your ATV impounded, I don't know if it will be worth it."
Mike Keefe, one of the park's directors, said that there is a good chance there will be more illegal riding without another recreational off-road vehicle park in the state.
"It's a sport that is not going to go away," Keefe said. "There are about 300,000 riders in the state and we have 7,000 members here. They are going to find places to ride."
But without a park and regulations, Keefe said there likely will be more off-road vehicle-related accidents in the state.
"We do not allow alcohol here, and our motto is 'dress to crash,' because we require every rider to wear every piece of protective gear imaginable," said Keefe, adding that all of the park's directors have been safety certified. "If they think people are going to have the same level of safety and wear all of that gear when they're out riding on their own, they're crazy."
Keith Lewis and Scott Warner make the trip to the park almost every weekend, but they don't know where they'll go now.
"There's Englishtown, but that's just a track. It doesn't have the trails like this park has and you basically have to race to go there," said Lewis, 35, of Yardley, Pa., who didn't mind paying the $50 fee to ride at the park. "It was worth the money to come here, but I really don't know if it will be worth it anymore. Where is there going to be a better place to ride than the pinelands?"
But Warner said he knows what he'll do when the park closes.
"I'll be riding illegally. There's really nothing else to do," said Warner, 36, of Pennington, Mercer County.
As disappointed as the park's patrons are about its closing, its operators are even more heartbroken.
Keefe said the park looked like a landfill when they first took it over.
"There were burnt-out cars and trash all over the place. People used to come back here to do drugs and shoot off guns. It took at least 20 dumpsters to get it all out of here," he said. "But we also planted hundreds of trees, installed wells (that are regularly used by area fire companies) and hooked up electricity."
All of that must be removed.
"It took thousands of volunteer hours to get this as nice as it is, and now we're supposed to return it to a 'natural state,'" said the park's treasurer Sal DePaola, who added that the park's operators could lose a portion of the estimated $20,000 that is being held in escrow if the Conservation Foundation deems the park is not returned to a natural state.
So for the past several weeks, crews have been focusing on the park's closing instead of its upkeep.
"It's still in surprisingly good condition, but the sprinklers have all been torn out and they've stopped (smoothing the riding surface) out," Lewis said. "It's a shame."
DePaola said crews are also required to cut down trees and put them over trails to make them impassible for off-road vehicles.
"Here we are cutting trees down when we put so much work into planting trees," said DePaola, who estimated that it would cost more than $20,000 to properly close the park.
Surprisingly, the park's operators are not angry that the lease was not renewed.
"It was part of the contract. We just wish they let us extend the lease on a month to month basis until we were able to find a new place to go," DePaola said. "That was actually part of the contract, too, but it's not what happened."
There are a few options being negotiated, Keefe said, but there isn't anything concrete yet.
"An old strip mine would be perfect for us," Keefe said. "But we're looking at every option."
Until a new park is found and brought up to safe-riding standards, Keefe said New Jersey will be without one of its most enjoyable family destinations.
"Not every kid likes playing baseball and soccer. Some kids, like my son, enjoy the smell of gasoline and riding off-road," Keefe said. "And unlike those other sports, this is something families can, and very often do, do together. The idea of this park no longer being available to them is the worst part of all of this."
E-mail Robert Spahr: RSpahr@pressofac.com
ATV riders need safe place to use vehicles
By COURIERPOSTONLINE.COM
Aug. 25, 2008 With an ATV park in Woodland closing next month, we hope the state can close the deal on a new site.
It is too bad that a park for off-road vehicles will close as of Labor Day. There are too few safe places for people to ride all-terrain and other recreational vehicles.
But the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park group, which established a place for riders off Route 72 in Woodland, will no longer have permission to operate there.
The land is owned by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and they want to resume control over the property.
To stop illegal use of its property, the foundation signed a 10-year agreement allowing the ATV riders' group to establish an off-road vehicle park. As the foundation intended, the ATV park did appear to stop the illegal fires, parties, dumping and illegal off-road use that had occurred on the land.
Now, the 10 years are up. Tim Morris with the foundation told the Courier-Post that Pinelands Preservation Area rules do not allow off-road parks on the property. The foundation had secured a temporary permit for the off-road park from the Pinelands Commission. Morris said that exemption, however, was nonrenewable.
It's a tough break for ATV riders, as well as for state and private efforts to protect open spaces from illegal off-road use that can be environmentally damaging.
Many riders encroach on open spaces or ride on the streets. The results can be tragic. In April, a 13-year-old Sicklerville girl riding on an ATV was struck and killed by a motorist on Route 73 near Myers Avenue. About a year earlier, a 15-year-old Hammonton High School student was killed as she tried to help a friend get his ATV off tracks as a train approached.
At the Delsea Pit in Deptford, which riders used illegally, two youngsters were killed in 2003 and another one died in 2004. Deptford police stepped up enforcement to end use of the area.
New Jersey has public areas set aside for various recreational uses, but not enough for ATVs and dirt bikes, although using these vehicles are permissible and state licensed. There should be a lot more off-road spaces allowed for this type of recreation.
Unless an effort by the state to bring an off-road operator to the Sahara Sands site in Monroe comes through, ATV and other off-road recreational riders will find it even harder to find a safe place to use ATVs in New Jersey.
Off-Road Vehicle Park closing this week.
By ED MOORHOUSE
Burlington County Times
emoorhouse@phillyBurbs.com
Aug. 25, 2008 WOODLAND — More than a dozen motocross riders zipped around the trails at the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park on Friday morning.
Opportunities to rev up an engine at the park are winding down. The park will close at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, leaving off-road enthusiasts without a place to ride safely and legally in the area.
“It’s very disappointing and heartbreaking,” said Rich Rizzieri of Hamilton Township in Atlantic County. “With this place closing, there’s nowhere to ride legally.”
The New Jersey Conservation Foundation acquired the 260-acre property on Savoy Boulevard off of Route 72 in 1978. By the mid 1980s, the property’s abandoned sand mines were being used for such illegal activities as bonfires, drinking and off-road riding.
To put an end to those activities, the foundation allowed a group of off-road riders to create and manage a park for off-road vehicles on the property.
Under zoning rules for New Jersey’s Pinelands, an off-road park is not a permitted use for the tract, but the New Jersey Conservation Foundation secured a temporary and nonrenewable exemption from the Pinelands Commission for a 10-year period.
“We helped to establish the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park as an organization and invited them to use our land, but only with the agreement that the invitation would last for 10 years, after which time we would get our property back,” said Tim Morris, director of stewardship for the foundation.
Over the past 10 years, the park has been a popular place for off-road riders and their families.
Rich Maciocha said he and his 8-year-old son, Anthony, frequently drove from their home in Mantua, Gloucester County, to ride their dirt bikes at the park.
“This was a great place to ride,” Maciocha said. “We have friends (in Pennsylvania) who have property, and we’ll ride up there now, but it’s so far away. As far as this park goes, it’s over.”
Kenny Dean Montanero, who serves as vice president of the park, said he and the other park directors are actively trying to find another place for off-road riding.
“The problem is, it costs a lot of money to buy a parcel of land in New Jersey, and there are a lot of land-use restrictions in the Pinelands,” Montanero said. “We’re going to keep looking, though.”
A possible location is a 224-acre site in Monroe Township, Gloucester County. The state Department of Environmental protection purchased the property for $1.2 million in 2005.
DEP spokeswoman Karen Hershey said Friday that the department will soon be accepting proposals from vendors interested in creating an off-road park there, and Montanero said he is interested.
Morris said the New Jersey Conservation Foundation has also been active in looking for land that could be used as a park.
In the meantime, the Woodland park’s directors are worried that many people will ride illegally on the streets and on private or preserved property once the park closes.
Vic Gorin, one of the directors, offered these words for the park’s riders: “Just don’t ride illegally, and hopefully we can find another place.
Burlington County NJ ATV park to close Labor Day
By Kristy Davies
COURIER-POST STAFF
(856) 486-2917
krdavies@camden.gannett.com
August 20, 2008 CHATSWORTH NJ- A popular off-road park here will be closed as of Labor Day.
The New Jersey Off Road Vehicle Park, located off of Route 72, will no longer be in business due to the expiration of an agreement with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.
"We helped to establish the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park as an organization and invited them to use our land, but only with the agreement that the invitation would last for 10 years, after which time we would get our property back," said Tim Morris, director of stewardship for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "We believe off-road vehicle riders should have a safe and legal place to enjoy their sport, but it can no longer be on property owned by our organization. We are a private non-profit group whose mission is to protect the land and natural
resources of New Jersey for the benefit of all."
The NJCF acquired the 260-acre property in 1978 and in the 1980s, it attracted illegal activities such as bonfires, parties, dumping and off-road riding.
It was then that the foundation began looking for a positive use of the land and found a group of responsible riders willing to take on the creation and management of New Jersey's first off-road vehicle park, said Sandy Perry, communications manager for the foundation.
"We're not happy about it closing," said Taylor Toussaint, owner of Mt. Holly Kawasaki Suzuki Triumph Polaris KTM. "It's a great sport and it seems like there's facilities for every other sport in this state. It's very popular with young people. There's almost nowhere else to go."
Toussaint's store sells all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, which has him concerned for his business.
"We're going to lose a lot of business," he said. "A lot of our business is dirt bikes and ATVs. Dirt bikes and ATV sales are 40 percent of our business. Unfortunately, if there is nowhere to ride then no one will buy them."
Saving the current location is not possible.
Pinelands Preservation Area rules do not allow off road parks in the current location, according to press release. The foundation was able to secure a temporary and non-renewable exemption from the Pinelands Commission, but only for one 10-year period.
After the 10-year period, the park must close and the property restored and used as parkland.
It was the responsibility of NJORVP to find a new site over the 10-year period, said Perry. We supported these efforts by voting for $1 million in federal funds for the purchase of a new property, speaking at public meetings and serving on various site selection committees.
But the non-profit New Jersey Off Road Vehicle Park has been unable to locate and purchase new land.
Closing of ATV park in Burlington County New Jersey leaves riders stalled.
By JASON NARK
Philadelphia Daily News
narkj@phillynews.com 856-779-3231
Aug. 19, 2008 New Jersey's largest biker gang says more of their riders will be breaking the law come Labor Day when their backwoods hideout is shut down for good.
The "gang" consists of hundreds of thousands of off-road vehicle owners in New Jersey who own legal machines that are illegal to ride almost everywhere unless you have permission on private property.
Their favorite hideout, the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park in Chatsworth, Burlington County, is considered the best of a handful of legal riding venues in the state and the only one suitable for families.
The park will be shut down on Labor Day, though, and without a comparable place to ride legally, off-road enthusiasts say that more riders will be zipping through private property and carving up state-owned trails.
"If I were ever going to be a law-breaker, this would be the one," said Collingswood Police Chief Thomas Garrity, an off-road enthusiast who travels up and down the East Coast with his son to stay legal.
Many riders think that Chatsworth will be just as crowded once it's closed, but without employees to maintain tracks, enforce rules and administer first aid, it will be dangerous, particularly for younger riders.
"I'll still be riding here," said P.J. Foray, a 29-year-old operating engineer from Brick Township, N.J. "As long as your bike is registered, you only get a ticket. They can't impound it."
Prior to becoming an off-road park, the 265-acre sand mine was home to illegal parties, dumping and off-road riding.
The nonprofit New Jersey Conservation Foundation purchased the land in 1978 and floated the idea of an organized off-road park in the mid-'90s to curb illegal riding.
"It was like a Wild West show out there, with guns and burned-out trucks," said Dennis Farmer, president of the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park. "We took all the rowdies and got rid of them. We've done a great job, and they've even said we've done a great job."
Nestled in the middle of New Jersey's Pine Barrens, the park sits in one of the most environmentally sensitive and regulated areas in the country.
The New Jersey Conservation Foundation says that the state Pinelands Commission granted a 10-year exemption for the off-road park, but it was always meant to be temporary.
"We believe off-road vehicle riders should have a safe and legal place to enjoy their sport, but it can no longer be on property owned by our organization," said Tim Morris, the foundation's Director of Stewardship.
Off-road enthusiasts lobbied the state to find a permanent home, and in 2002 then-Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Brad Campbell promised to open two new parks.
So far, the DEP has found only one, the former Sahara Sands mine further south in Monroe Township, Gloucester County.
"It's not really easy to be able to find a location for an ATV park in the most densely populated state in the nation," said DEP spokeswoman Karen Hershey.
The state purchased the 224-acre site in 2005 for $1.2 million and is currently issuing requests for proposals for anyone interested in running the park.
The site isn't as secluded as Chatsworth, however, and area residents from several municipalities have signed petitions to stop the project.
Along with noise and air pollution from the vehicles, opponents claim that the mine is full of endangered and protected animals that could be harmed by an ATV park.
"There's many issues that haven't been resolved," said Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello, whose municipality borders Sahara Sands.
"We're already overrun by illegal ATV use. There's been property damage, people killed and children run over, and that's all before we become an ATV mecca."
Monroe Township Mayor Michael Gabbianelli could not be reached for comment.
With all the issues in Monroe Township, riders in Chatsworth can't understand why no one has focused on keeping their park open.
"Why ruin a good thing?" said Bill Klaus, who traveled down from White Plains, N.Y., with his son to ride for the day. "I just don't understand it. It's a never-ending battle to find somewhere to ride."
According to the Pinelands Commission, neither the New Jersey Conservation Foundation nor the DEP have approached them to discuss renewing the lease or to ask for more time while the Monroe site is worked out.
In the meantime, Collingswood Police Chief Thomas Garrity said that many riders who would prefer to be legal will simply keep riding.
"I won't do it because of my job and it's just too dangerous," he said. "But they're going to be turning a lot of riders into criminals." *
Rough going for state-planned ATV park
Environmentalists and others oppose the Monroe Twp. site.
Enthusiasts say they deserve legal space.
By Troy Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, December 15, 2007
In the spring, the meadow where Fred Akers was standing will fill up with a few feet of water and play host to a threatened species of Pine Barrens tree frog.
But in December, this seasonal pond in Gloucester County is nearly dry and frozen, and Akers could point out the tire tracks disappearing into one of the remaining patches of water.
"As cool as this is - and as sensitive as I think it is - there are the ATV tracks. They were out here doing doughnuts and driving around while I was surveying," said Akers, a local environmentalist. "This is like driving through wetlands."
If New Jersey gets its way, this land in Monroe Township will become a permanent playground for all-terrain vehicles, with a track and miles of trails winding through 224 Pinelands acres.
But that won't happen without a fight from environmentalists and neighbors, who don't want to have to listen to engines revving through the woods.
"We hear them over there now, riding illegally, and it's loud," said Joan Stahl, who lives across from the entrance to the property, a former sand mine. "They come in at dawn, and they stay until dark. The noise, the dust, and we're so close."
In a heavily developed state, this fight pits environmentalists who want to preserve the precious remaining green space against outdoor enthusiasts who say they deserve some room.
The state said opening an ATV park at the former Sahara Sands mine was the best compromise for everyone.
Thousands of ATV riders are illegally using state land, and officials hope opening parks will stop most of that riding.
"A lot of it is that they just don't understand the impact on the environment," said John S. Watson, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection. "Our interests are to protect the natural resources of the state as a whole, and we feel we have to do something."
ATV enthusiasts - supporters put their numbers close to one million in New Jersey - describe themselves as environmentalists as well, and they reject claims that their machines have dirty, polluting engines.
Dale Freitas, president of the New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association, said illegal riding happened because the state had not fulfilled a 2003 promise to provide land.
"They know this is a valid user group, and if they're going to stop this problem . . . you have to have options for them," he said.
One current option, the New Jersey Off Road Vehicle Park in Chatsworth, Burlington County, was a former strip mine polluted with burned-out cars and trash. The riders, using volunteer labor, helped clean up the site and plant trees. But in 2008, the park will close, and the land will revert to a state forest.
The state Pinelands Commission and the DEP promised to find three new sites for riders by then. One, proposed for somewhere east of the Garden State Parkway, has received a $338,000 federal grant.
Another, for now, is proposed for Sahara Sands, which is 60 percent mined and 40 percent forest, the DEP's Watson said.
Said Freitas: "If the owner wanted to go back in there and mine again . . . he could bulldoze and grade and do anything he wanted in that pit. But as soon as you mention an [ATV] park, they throw up their hands and say it's a habitat for threatened and endangered species."
The state bought the Sahara Sands site in 2005, using $1.2 million in Green Acres funding. Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey, said spending that money on an ATV park would be a "diversion" from the fund's mission and require approval from a body known as the State House Commission.
"I think DEP's got its head up a tailpipe," Tittel said. "Look, I'm a skier. Is the state going to go buy me a ski area?"
He said his group could sue to stop the park.
But Watson said the Green Acres funding was not a diversion.
"The Green Acres program is for recreation, and this is certainly recreation," he said. "This is no different than a public marina - and we fund public marinas."
Watson said the DEP planned to outline all the pros and cons of the Monroe park in a public document by spring. The agency then would name a nonprofit group to run the park.
That nonprofit, Watson said, would be responsible for getting approvals from the Pinelands Commission and possibly the two townships bordering the park - Monroe and Buena Vista, Atlantic County.
Then there are the neighbors.
Stahl, who works for Buena Vista's mayor, an opponent of the park, gathered 370 signatures on a petition to block its creation.
"We're not going to just sit there and not do anything," she said. "We save all our money to have a nice place, and they can just come in and destroy it."
Akers, the administrator of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association, said he objected to the characterization of the Monroe site as a "barren moonscape."
He said the state's own data, which he consulted, showed the existence of threatened species there, such as the barred owl and the tree frog, which he heard on the land.
"They're pretty loud, and they honk like a goose, so you can't mistake them for another species," he said.
Watson said threatened and endangered species were all over the state, including in areas where illegal riding was happening.
"We selected this site because it's a former mine," he said. "It's a disturbed site. It's not a pristine site."
Akers and other opponents said that opening a park in Monroe wouldn't stop illegal riding because people would tire of paying fees and waiting in line.
They said the state needed strong enforcement to register ATVs and discourage illegal riding - a position the DEP also takes.
Freitas said his group also supported more registration and licensing of ATVs and safety and environmental training for riders.
But he said the only law proposed on the matter would carry draconian penalties for illegal riding and didn't address the need for legal parks.
"The problems are only being compounded right now," Freitas said. "The whole purpose of this legislation is to scare people into not buying an ATV or dirt bike."
If given a choice, he said, most enthusiasts would ride legally.
Akers just doesn't think that will happen in Monroe, given the species on that site.
"It's going to be an uphill fight, and it's going to require the DEP and the Pinelands Commission to bend the crap out of their own rules," he said.
To read story: CLICK HERE
Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 856-779-3893 or tgraham@phillynews.com.
Region's trails share in federal funding.
By DAVID BENSON Staff Writer, 609-272-7206
Published: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Southern New Jersey will get a sizeable chunk of $2.1 million in federal grants to maintain and improve recreational trails, a state official said this week.
Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said grant recipients will match funds by 20 percent for each project.
"Recreational trails enhance our environment, economy and quality of life while offering health and fitness opportunities, outdoor classrooms for nature study, greenways for wildlife conservation and links with our historic past," Jackson said. "With these funds, great trails throughout New Jersey will be even better."
About $1.1 million has already been approved for 48 trails in the state, Jackson said. During the next year, the DEP will award another $1 million.
In Burlington County, Wharton State Forest will use $6,425 to develop a water-trail maintenance program on several rivers in the Pinelands. The nonprofit Atlantic Off-Highway Vehicle Park Inc. was awarded $338,218 to establish a new riding area in Ocean County for off-highway vehicle enthusiasts. Thirty percent of each year's funding must be allocated for motorized trail recreation.
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations have until Dec. 15, to apply for the 2008 funding. For more information, contact the DEP Trails Program at 609-984-1339 or visit the Web site: www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/njtrails.html
APPROVE DPROJECTS
Following is a partial list of approved recreational trail improvement projects.
Atlantic County
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Stockton Community Trails Project: $7,000
Burlington County
Wharton State Forest, Water Trail Maintenance Program: $6,425
Whitesbog Preservation Trust, Trail Maintenance and Enhancement: $8,535
Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Run Lake Trail: $9,075
Cape May County
The Nature Conservancy, Delaware Bayshores, Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve: $25,000
Gloucester County
Elk Township, Recreational Rail-Trail: $25,000
Washington Township, Washington Lake Park Trail Restoration: $25,000
Ocean County
Atlantic Off-Highway Vehicle Park Inc., Off-Highway Vehicle Park: $338,218
Salem County
Pilesgrove-Woodstown Recreation Association, Marlton Park Walking Trail: $15,000
Multiple County Projects
Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association (Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Passaic, Sussex and Warren), Trail Maintenance Equipment: $24,250
Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association (Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Passaic, Sussex and Warren), Trails Maintenance & Repair Tools: $21,740
State buying former strip mine
in S. Jersey to build ATV park
by Tom Hester/The Star-Ledger
Saturday November 24, 2007, 12:05 PM
EThe state is buying a 224-acre former sand and gravel strip mine in South Jersey to create an ATV park, part of an effort by the Department of Environmental Protection to stop illegal off-road vehicle and dirt bike riding in state parks and in the Pinelands.
DEP Deputy Commissioner John S. Watson said his department has spent $1.2 million in Green Acres funds to purchase the old strip mining tract in the Pinelands in Monroe, Gloucester County. Plans call for creation of a second such park in Ocean County.
"Forests, wildlife and natural areas are suffering greatly because of illegal use," Watson said, adding ATV use conflicts with other state park uses, like hiking and horseback riding, and is detrimental to the parks.
The project has the support of the Pinelands Commission and off-road advocates, but is opposed by environmentalists. Watson said the proposed Sahara Sands Inc. site is about 60 percent mined and 40 percent forest.
The DEP is also in the early stages of locating an off-road facility in Ocean County "east of the Parkway," Watson said.
Read the full story in Saturday's Star-Ledger
A boost for off-road group seeking site in Ocean County
By Kirk Moore
NOVEMBER 25, 2007
On Wednesday, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced that $338,218 from a federal recreational-trails grant will go to the Atlantic Off-Road Vehicle Park Inc., a nonprofit group that is seeking to open a new riding area in Ocean County.
Best known in the off-road community for its sponsorship of annual events such as the Sahara Sands Grand Prix in Eagleswood and other Atlantic Grand Prix events, the group is the biggest single beneficiary of $2.1 million from the Federal Highway Administration. The federal grant program requires that 30 percent of funding be allocated to motorized recreation, according to DEP officials.
The group began organizing annual events at gravel pits, farms and other rural locations because there are fewer places to ride and no provision in New Jersey for riding on state land.
But in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, the all-terrain vehicle "and unregistered motorcycle population make up nearly 95 percent of the off-highway vehicles sold in the three-state metropolitan area," the group notes on its Web site. "ATVs make up nearly 65 percent of the market, and unregistered motorcycles make up 30 percent."
To read full story Click here
A dead end for ATV set?
Despite years of discussion, DEP hasn't opened a new off-road vehicle park.
BY KIRK MOORE • STAFF WRITER • NOVEMBER 25, 2007
With just 10 months left at their longtime location near Chatsworth in Burlington County, organizers of the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park say they're pressing state officials to fulfill a pledge to open a new riding area.
"By December 2005, they were supposed to have two (off-road) parks up and running," said Leslie Montanaro of Waretown, who is secretary of the Chatsworth park organization.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has proposed one site, a former sand-and-gravel mine in Monroe in Gloucester County, but riders still are waiting to hear about progress on opening that location, she said. The DEP already has spent $1.2 million in Green Acres funds to acquire the former Silvi Concrete property in Monroe. The Monroe site also is being reviewed by the state Pinelands Commission.
"We're waiting on DEP" to answer some questions the commission staff posed about wetlands and endangered species on the tract, said commission spokesman Paul Leaken. "The commission continues to support the goal of trying to identify a new off-road vehicle park."
There are an estimated 200,000 off-road vehicles in New Jersey, and they are a legitimate recreational use — "We need to recognize that," John Watson Jr., an assistant commissioner with the DEP, said earlier this year. "Our collective interest is to provide a safe and legal alternative for riders."
"It's just a resources issue, to be honest," Watson said last week.
The DEP's Green Acres program director, John Flynn, has been working with riders' advocates on the Monroe project. Watson said DEP workers are trying to put together a public document, called a request for proposals, to lay out what's needed for a nonprofit group to run a new park at the property located near Williamstown in Monroe.
The Off-Road Vehicle Park group, which has operated and insured the Chatsworth facility since 1998, is the most likely candidate. But Watson said the selection needs to be a public process.
Watson said he's looking for the proposal document to be ready at the beginning of 2008, and "I would hope we could get a contract in place with an organization by the summer."
That's a tight time line that worries Kenny Dean Montanaro, Leslie's husband and director of the Off-Road Vehicle Park group.
Opened under a unique agreement with the DEP and state Pinelands Commission, the 260-acre site off Route 72 in the Chatsworth section of Woodland is due to close in September 2008, according to terms of a lease with the landowner, the nonprofit New Jersey Conservation Foundation.
Over the past nine years, riders worked with the foundation to replant trees and supervise what had been a wide-open riding area plagued by accidents and injuries almost every weekend. Montanaro said he has asked if it's possible to extend the lease until the state is ready to open the Monroe tract, but the conservation foundation "told us it will never happen," he said.
"I seriously doubt that it's going to be considered," Watson agreed.
Riders are afraid they will be left without a place to ride for an unknown period of time if the Chatsworth site is closed down before a new venue opens up.
Montanaro said riders are concerned that review of the Monroe site could bog down in issues related to threatened or endangered plant and animal species on the property.
"We have had some indication" that there are species there, Watson said. "However, the thing we keep in mind is the reason we are trying to do this," he added. There's a net environmental benefit to getting riders onto a controlled site, instead of them motoring through the Pinelands and blundering into stands of rare plants and snake habitat, Watson explained.
Meanwhile, the riders are alarmed by legislation that would sharply increase the penalties for illegally operating vehicles and motorcycles on public land. Sponsored by Assembly members Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer, Paul D. Moriarty, D-Camden, and Michael J. Panter, D-Monmouth, bill A-4172 also provides for police to impound vehicles and mandates driver's license suspensions for repeat offenders.
Stiffer penalties have been coming since former DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell proposed a two-track solution to illegal riding: higher penalties, but with state-sanctioned public-riding areas, which Campbell proposed to have ready by 2005. Montanaro said he's concerned another enforcement crackdown, such as the one Campbell ordered in 2003, is on the way without any progress on a new park.
"The problem with that bill is it will make more people run (from law enforcement). Now you're going to have kids running and getting hurt," he said. "Our sport is the only sport out there where we're treated like criminals."
Watson said the DEP understands the riders' concerns. "We had committed in the past administration that most of those things would go down the path at the same time," and that's still the agency's intent, he said.
It would help if a bigger part of the riding community got involved along with the Off-Road Vehicle Park, Watson said, adding "the industry (vehicle manufacturers) need to step up and get involved in this too." Owners of the Motorsports Park in Millville are considering adding an off-road area, so there is potential for private-sector park development, "even in New Jersey," he said.
Loretta Winters, a former Monroe Township Committee member, said she will try to meet with the legislators to get their help with moving the park proposal forward. She also wants to meet with municipal officials in neighboring Buena Vista, where Mayor Charles Chiarello has raised concerns about the plan, "to put their fears and objections to rest."
Winters thinks a new off-road park would be an economic benefit to Monroe and the surrounding area. "Stop at the Wawa on Route 72 (near Chatsworth) on Saturday morning and you'll see, they have the sandwiches and Gatorade lined up for all the people on their way to the park," she said.
"If there's no land to ride on, it defeats the whole purpose" of the off-road legislation, Winters added. "This group's dedication (at Chatsworth) has been unswerving through the years. If they get a large piece of property, that's another 200 to 400 acres that won't get developed."
Off-road park advocates are holding an online raffle, with a $6,000 all-terrain vehicle as grand prize for entrants who fill out a survey form. One goal of the raffle on the group's Web site, www.njorvp.org, is to gauge the true size of New Jersey's off-road community, Leslie Montanaro said.
To read full story click here
Sahara Sands Hare Scrambles:
Off-road racing rides at gravel pit
BY PAULA SCULLY
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, November 25, 2007
EAGLESWOOD — "The thrill of going fast" is one of the draws of off-road racing at the Sahara Sands Hare Scrambles, said David Worden of Vineland.
Worden, 15, came in first in his class and won the youth Mini Cycle Race overall in the first race of the Atlantic Grand Prix Hare Scrambles on Sunday at Sahara Sands.
Worden rode a Kawasaki KX 100 Big Wheel to win over Steve Hodgson of Vincentown, who rode a RM 85 from Bromley Cycle Center.
The courses were new this year.
"It was a lot of fun," Wordon said. "I loved the motorcross portion in the back. There's a lot of jumps back there. I was having fun."
The fifth annual Sahara Sands Hare Scrambles on Sunday drew thousands of contestants and spectators for youth and adult motorcycles and youth and adult All-Terrain Vehicle races.
Next came the youth ATV race. Austin Findley of Quarryville, Pa., won on his Hendricks Racing TRX90.
In the motorcycle race, Wally Palmer came in first, followed by Motocrossers Jim Kapiton and Jim Henshaw.
The afternoon adult ATV race was a much anticipated event. Chris Borich won after six laps. Steven Stracka came in second and Corey Harch of West Creek came in third.
The event, a fundraiser for the Eagleswood Volunteer Fire Company, raised close to $10,000, according to the Atlantic Grand Prix Web site.
Event photos were available as prints, photo CDs and photo blankets.
Cole Schilling, 11, of Mayetta raced on a dirt bike in the first race at 9 a.m., which was the youth 65 class. It had rained here on Friday and racers felt the effects on the track despite the sunny day of the race.
"It was really muddy and slippery," Schilling said.
"You did good," said his friend Ryan Cahill, 13, of Mayetta.
Emma Purcell of Barnegat, originally of Mayetta, accompanied the boys.
"His father used to race when he was a boy so he's following in his father's footsteps," she said.
Dale Freitas of the Atlantic Grand Prix ran all the races. He said youth dirt bike and ATV races take 45 minutes. Adult dirt bikes and quads are one-and-a-half hours.
"This is a fundraiser for the fire company. People love it," Freitas said.
Colton Harch, 11, of West Creek was at the table of Trick Racing of West Creek, his family's business featuring all kinds of things racers need, such as helmets, gloves and tear-offs. The store is across the street from the Sahara Sands plant but had a table on site for the event.
For the uninitiated, he explained tear-offs are used on goggles.
"You put it on your goggles so when they get muddy, you can just tear it off and have a clear pair of goggles," he said. "They come in packs of 10. You stick all 10 on your goggles and you just tear them off when you're racing."
The American flag flew above the race course and before the races the National Anthem was played.
Cars, trucks, trailers and campers kept arriving throughout the day, including one truck with the words "Piney Princess" on the top of the windshield.
Walt McCollum, the fundraiser chairman and a lieutenant in the fire company, said the money collected will be used for the fire company's building renovation and requirement replacement.
He said the organizers, the Silvi family who owns Sahara Sands and the Atlantic Grand Prix, asked that riders not return to the course when the event is over. "It's a working mine and the landscape can change," he said.
McCollum extended thanks to the Great Bay EMS Squad for its assistance, the Silvi family, the Eagleswood community and the racers.
He noted that Murphy Dogs handled the food concessions and Potts Excavation donated a 20-yard dumpster. McCollum said Cliff Aguadl used to chair the event and he credited his planning with the basis for the organizers to bring the event to a successful fruition this year.
The last Atlantic Grand Prix off-road race of the season for ATVs and motorcycles will be Nov. 4 at Route 539 and Thomas Avenue in Little Egg Harbor.
For results in the Sahara Sands Hare Scrambles and for information about the Little Egg Harbor race, visit the Web site at www.atlanticgrandprix.com
View the entire story in print: http://www.timesbeacon.com
Or view the PDF: SAHARA SANDS STORY
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Keep off-road vehicles away from car and train traffic
Opinion from the Editor of the Courier-Post
Thursday, August 2, 2007
The tragic death of a young Hammonton girl reveals the need for vigilance by riders and more safe sites for ATVs.
The death of Gabrielle Campione is a tragic reminder of the need to use all-terrain vehicles well away from thoroughfares -- including rail lines.
Campione, 15, was killed Monday when a New Jersey Transit train hit an ATV stuck on the tracks.
Campione and eight friends were riding their ATVs in an isolated area off the White Horse Pike in Winslow. A friend's ATV became stuck on the rails and Campione was helping to get it free when a train on the Atlantic City line came around a bend. The engineer was unable to stop the train before it reached the ATV, an NJ Transit spokeswoman said. The flying ATV hit Campione, killing her.
It is unfortunate, sometimes tragically so, that the number of safe, recreational areas to ride ATVs lags behind the number of these vehicles sold. If skateparks can be built to keep skateboarders from putting themselves and others in harm's way on the roads, it would seem that ATV parks could be created in some of the bigger state and county parks to offer safe riding areas.
Of course, the dearth of off-road riding sites cannot justify anyone venturing into dangerous areas. Young people especially should be continually reminded to stay off roads and away from rail lines, regardless of where they are located. The danger is too great.
We offer our condolences to the Campione family and their friends, and urge other families to take heed. No family should have to experience what the Campiones are now going through.
Link to opinion from the Editor: http://www.courierpostonline.com
Send a letter to the Editor: lstrupczewski@courierpostonline.com
Teen killed in ATV accident recalled for helpful nature
By LEO STRUPCZEWSKI
Courier-Post Staff
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
HAMMONTON, NJ. - It was typical Gabrielle Campione, trying to help a friend.
But when a train rounded a bend in Winslow on Monday afternoon, that impulse proved deadly for the 15-year-old, officials said.
Campione and a friend were trying to free an all-terrain vehicle that had become stuck on railroad tracks when the train appeared, NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll said Tuesday.
The friend scrambled for safety, but Campione could not get clear. The train smashed into the ATV, which flew through the air and fatally struck the girl, Carroll said.
No other injuries were reported.
Campione, who was about to enter her sophomore year at Hammonton High School, was loyal to the end, said her father, Allen Campione.
"That's what got her killed," he said Tuesday.
The accident occurred as the teen and eight friends passed through a remote area about three-quarters of a mile west of the White Horse Pike.
The youths weren't riding on the tracks but were crossing the rails when a boy's ATV became stuck, Carroll said.
Campione, a passenger on a nearby ATV, jumped off to help, her father said. The ATV on the tracks was hit about 2:45 p.m. by a train headed for Atlantic City.
Carroll said the train's conductor applied an emergency brake and sounded the horn when he saw the teenagers.
"Unfortunately, the train was not able to stop in time," she said. "It does take a train some time to come to a complete stop."
Carroll did not know how far the curve was from the scene of the accident or how fast the train was traveling.
NJ Transit officials expressed sympathy for the girl's death, but also noted the teens were trespassing in a dangerous area.
Monday's tragedy reflected Campione in action, her father said. For as long as he could remember, Allen Campione said, his daughter's friends turned to her for help.
Hammonton Middle School Principal Gene Miller remembered Campione, a 2006 graduate, as a "very nice student."
"She always had a smile on her face. She always said "hi' in the hallways or cafeteria. She was a terrific student who was highly liked by her fellow students," Miller said.
Allen Campione said his daughter had been riding ATVs since she was 5. The two of them, along with Gabrielle's older brother, often went riding together.
It was only recently that Campione, described as a "social butterfly," began riding without her father. Friends were getting driver's licenses and the teens would haul ATVs on trailers to riding sites.
"She just loved to have fun," Allen Campione said. "She had fun every day of her life."
The group the teen was with Monday was "very close," her father said.
"They do everything together," he said. "The kids are rocked."
Most spent much of Monday night at the Campione home, culling through photographs in her bedroom, her father said. They were planning to return Tuesday night to help family members create a slideshow for the funeral.
Link to story http://www.courierpostonline.com
Staff writer Jim Walsh contributed to this report. Reach Leo Strupczewski at (856) 317-7828 or lstrupczewski@courierpostonline.com
Hundreds of ATV enthusiasts enjoy 50-mile
Pittsburgh-area trail
The Associated Press
PATTON, Pa. - Hundreds of all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts are flocking to a new 50-mile trail through a 6,000-acre area of western Pennsylvania's scenic forests and grasslands, bringing tourism dollars to the rural region.
The $8 million Rock Run Recreation Area, touted as the best ATV trail east of the Mississippi, runs through the Allegheny Mountains in Cambria and Clearfield counties. It is part of a broader plan to increase the trails by another 100 miles and build 250 campsites, snowmobiling areas and walking and biking paths.
Rock Run, which opened in early May, has so far averaged about 150 riders on the weekends, most of them from the Pittsburgh area, about 90 miles away. But people have also come from other states, including Connecticut, Virginia and Washington.
The prospect of increased tourism has energized nearby rural communities, including Patton, a small town of just over 2,000 people, where bed-and-breakfasts, new restaurants and an ATV rental and repair shop have popped up.
"People are really excited about the development as well as the energy that it has brought to town. There is a lot of traffic on Fridays and Sundays," said David LaSota, a local engineer. "I think this is the first step in really bringing jobs back to the area and promoting economic growth, obviously in the service industry."
To read the story in the The Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com
Good guys also ride on ATVs
BY Kate Fratti
Bucks County Courier Times
BENSALEM PA — While locals galled by the dust and roaring noise of all-terrain vehicles hope for the sport to go away, Fun Center Motorsports, a dealership at 2639 Bristol Pike in Bensalem, is adding showroom space.
Lots of it. About 16,000 square feet filled with ATVs, motorcycles, personal watercraft, speedboats and all the gear that goes with them. The addition has been a $2 million investment.
The bulk of sales are sleek street bikes, but sales of off-road bikes and ATVs continue to be strong, manager Allan Slezak said.
That's not happy news for the non-fans of motor sports who live along municipal greenbelts and near miles of railroad-owned open space spanning Langhorne, Middletown, Lower Southampton and Northampton near Playwicki Park. That land is used illegally by too many ATV and dirt bike enthusiasts to count. Scofflaws argue they have nowhere else to play.
In the fall, residents' howling about noise and damage near Playwicki reached the ears of Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley. He's pressing Norfolk Southern Railroad officials to come up with a plan to block access to their land and to help cover costs for stepped-up municipal police patrols. He's still waiting for an answer from the railroad.
Allan's been following the story and sides squarely with Cawley and homeowners.
Riders have no business interloping on private property. It's bad for the sport and that's bad for business.
Most riders are courteous and responsible because they're passionate about their sport. Some are athletes, pure and simple. Others see riding as a family activity. They ride on their own land and at paid courses.
Knuckleheads running roughshod on private land aren't just plain wrong, they are just plain in the minority, Allan argues.
He took exception to my opining in a column once that grown-ups who care about kids would keep them off these machines.
Allan has three children, ages 12 to 15. All avid riders, they wear helmets, goggles, chest protectors and ride appropriate-sized quads. They're outdoors, they're active and they're spending time with Dad. What's not to cheer about, he wanted to know.
Allan's father-in-law, Ken Mrozek, a retired aerospace engineer, bought this dealership in 1973, and has been growing it since. Buyers leave here with safety instructions, invites for riding lessons, and a list of legal places to enjoy.
“[The ones riding illegally] have other options,” he tells me. Some places are just a 45- minute haul from here. The New Jersey Off Road Vehicle Park in Chatsworth, N.J., and Blue Diamond Park in Delaware are the closest. Memberships run about $300 a year.
Hey, Google “ATV PA” and your screen will fill with legal courses and trails, says Dave Firman of the Fun Center parts department. He's 50 and has been riding since he was 12. Dave was among the founding members at Chatsworth, earning a free year's membership for helping to build the place.
And wouldn't it be nice, said he and Allan, if someone would build such a place in Bucks.
A Bensalem businessman has proposed a course on a former industrial site near I-95, but has been shot down twice in zoning hearings. Allan hopes the guy will persist.
A legal course isn't just good for business, he said. It's good for the sport, and even better for non-riders, who wouldn't have to deal with the dust and noise any longer.
Kate Fratti, whose column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, wonders if anyone has an idea on how and where to get such a place up and running.
To read the story in the Bucks County Courior Times: www.phillyburbs.com
Rise in ATV complaints prompts extra patrols
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Sentinel
New Brunswick South Brunswick
SOUTH BRUNSWICK— Township police announced that they will be stepping up patrols in order to enforce ordinances on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use at public parks and private land.
The increased scrutiny comes amid increasing complaints from residents over the noise and damage they say ATVs cause.
"It is a seasonal complaint. With the warmer weather, we expect to hear more concern from area residents. Our goal is to make the public aware of the laws," said Detective Jim Ryan, public information officer for the department.
The law specifically states that ATVs are not allowed on any public land without being first registered with the state. A township ordinance focusing on South Brunswick's parks says that ATVs are not allowed unless its owner gets a permit from the township clerk. Violations of the ordinance can lead to the vehicle being impounded. Meanwhile, operating an ATV on private property without permission from the owner is considered a disorderly persons offense.
Police had issued a similar warning in November of last year when residents of the Summer Fields Estate housing development made complaints to police that ATV riders were driving through their property.
One area of town that residents say is frequently visited by ATV riders is Pigeon Swamp State Park. According to Jean Dvorak, whose house borders the wetlands area, the riders uproot the soil and leave big mud pits in the ground.
"When it is muddy, they ruin the ground. There are big mud pits from them all over the place," said Dvorak. "It is illegal for them to ride in the State Park, but someone has to catch them to enforce the law."
South Brunswick is not the only town where residents have made complaints about ATV riders. Jamesburg experienced a great deal of damage to a local park at the beginning of this year, which was blamed on riders in the area. Manalapan worked on an ordinance in response to complaints brought forth in July of last year. Howell, which already had an ordinance on the books, added fines in response to resident complaints in October of last year. In April of last year, Millstone residents, in response to repeated complaints about noise generated from the machines, pondered increasing violations of the noise ordinance to $3,000.
Old Bridge has also experienced tension between residents and ATV riders, with enforcement stepped up in June 2005. The year before that, ATV riders were blamed for a rash of vandalism in public parks, despite already having a ban.
Dale Freitas, the president of the New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association, said that the problems of property damage and trespassing are symptomatic of the fact that riders have no place to go to begin with. Freitas said that riders only have one park they're legally allowed to ride in and that's set to close in mid-2008.
"Could you imagine what it would be like if 250,000 golfers only had one golf course to play on in New Jersey and that golf course was slated to close in 2008 without any replacement in sight?" said Freitas.
Freitas said that this would be less of an issue if the state would allow more areas to be open to riders, allowing them to legally enjoy their hobby. He said that the state has done this with mountain bikers and horse riders with good results, so why not ATVs? He added that off-roading SUV drivers also share the blame, as large tire tracks left behind that are normally attributed to ATV riders are usually the fault of SUV drivers.
To read story : http://nbs.gmnews.com
Off-road vehicle riders sound off on park closure.
Pinelands group gets hundreds of letters decrying plan.
BY KIRK MOORE
Asbury Park Press
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/10/07
PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP— Hundreds of off-road vehicle riders have written letters to the state Pinelands Commission, expressing their worries over next year's closing of the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park and predicting it will only worsen problems with illegal riding.
"Their concern is the facility in Woodland Township . . . is due to close in 2008," commission Executive Director John Stokes told Pinelands commissioners at their monthly meeting here Friday.
Located off Route 72 near Chatsworth village, the vehicle park opened in 1998 under an unusual agreement between the nonprofit New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which owns the property, and state environmental officials, Stokes said.
"The thought was using it for ATV (all-terrain vehicle) use would allow the property to be restored over time," Stokes said. In partnership with off-road park volunteers, the foundation has managed the riding tracks while replanting trees on the tract too.
The 10-year agreement expires next year. Meanwhile, riders say the state is far behind schedule in its pledge to open two off-road parks, a goal that former state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell had set for 2005.
Pinelands mayors earlier this week heard John Watson, an assistant DEP commissioner, ask for their support in creating a new off-road park at a former sand mine in Monroe, Gloucester County.
At the suggestion of off-road riding activists who met with the mine owners, the DEP purchased the 225-acre property for $1.2 million. The agency is now conducting environmental surveys on the tract.
The Sierra Club is opposed to the park proposal "because it's a diversion. . . . It's using public money for a private interest," Jeff Tittel, director of the club's New Jersey chapter, said Friday.
"If I'm a downhill skier, does that mean the state should be buying slopes?" Tittel said. "We will go to court to prevent that."
Watson clearly tied completion of the project with getting changes to state law that would require vehicle registration and stiffer penalties for illegal riding, said Fred Akers of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association.
The law is needed, Akers said, because "there is a pretty broad consensus (among environmental groups) that the creation of a legal park will not curb illegal use."
Campbell explicitly banned unregistered motor vehicles from state lands in 2002. Riders can use private property in the Pinelands, if they carry written permission from the landowner. But riders say there are very few opportunities for that, and say a public park is a necessary outlet for the sport.
State officials estimate there are around 200,000 off-road vehicles in New Jersey, according to Watson.
"Every year we catch a couple of them, and they end up paying restitution," said Harry S. Monesson, a Pemberton farmer who said his blueberry fields suffer damage from motorized trespassers. "We had over 30 bushes smashed, completely destroyed."
Monesson, a longtime critic of Pinelands regulations, contended that as the state has acquired more acres in the Pinelands, "the more that land is used as an access onto private property." Some public land should revert to private ownership, he said, "with responsible people out there who have a vested interest to protect that property."
"It will be in your future that you'll be deciding the placement of an ATV park in the Pinelands," Akers told the commissioners. He recommended they visit the park near Chatsworth "'to see what an ATV park looks like."
To read story : www.asburyparkpress.com
Mayors asked to support off-road park.
DEP proposes 224-acre sand mine for riding site
BY KIRK MOORE
Asbury Park Press
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
March 7, 2007 BERKELEY — With the only large, publicly accessible off-road vehicle park in the Pinelands scheduled to close next year, a top state environmental official asked the region's mayors Tuesday night to support plans for converting a 224-acre sand mine in Gloucester County into a legal riding center.
"We're thinking, in New Jersey this is probably as good as it gets in terms of a remote location," said John Watson, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Environmental Protection, at a meeting of the Pinelands Municipal Council.
If the Monroe site doesn't work out, Watson added, "We're going to face serious challenges doing it anywhere."
"We're at the point where we've had the same discussion for years," said Watson, whose agency is already two years behind its self-appointed goal of having two regional off-road parks open.
Former DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell made that commitment in 2002 when he pushed through an explicit ban on using unregistered off-road vehicles on state property.
Meanwhile, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and municipal officials in the region have been pushing for a new state law to require registration of off-road vehicles and stiffer penalties for people who ride illegally on public and private lands.
"We have farmland being torn up, and then of course you have ecological damage on public lands," said Jaqueline Rhodes of the alliance.
Organized riders are getting edgy, too. Volunteers with the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park at Chatsworth in Woodland Township say they've been trying to help the DEP find suitable locations for a new park but keep running into roadblocks.
"Everything is "Not in my backyard,' " said Kenny Dean Montanaro. "We're not in the middle of the city here. There's property we can get."
The Chatsworth park off Route 72 a few miles west of the Ocean-Burlington line has been run by the volunteer group since 1998 under terms of a 10-year lease with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which owns the land, and agreements with the DEP and state Pinelands Commission.
The park is open on weekends, hosting riders who pay $300 annual memberships or $50 day passes to cover costs like insurance and maintenance, but family spectators come along for free and young riders pay discounted memberships.
Demand is such that the park has seen around 13,000 riders in the past year, up from earlier averages around 6,000, park officers said.
With few legal places to ride, "it's going to get worse when we close," said Leslie Montanaro, Kenny's spouse and a park co-founder.
All the interest groups involved are conditioning their support for DEP proposals on getting stricter state law — the priority of Pinelands mayors and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance — and the riders' insistence that their sport can't be subject to more regulation without legal riding facilities.
Watson said there's an estimated 200,000 off-road vehicles in New Jersey, and he stressed they are a legitimate recreational use — "We need to recognize that."
"Our collective interest is to provide a safe and legal alternative for riders," Watson said.
To that end, the DEP spent $1.2 million to acquire the former Silvi Concrete property in Monroe.
But the site is near the border with Buena Vista Township, and "within earshot" of a residential area, said Buena Vista Mayor Charles Chiarello. He's also chairman of the Pinelands Municipal Council, an advisory panel to the state Pinelands Commission which will determine if the Monroe off-road park becomes a reality.
"I still have reservations about it," he said.
Bass River Township Mayor Richard Bethea said he doubts whether a state-sponsored park would do much to reduce illegal riding in his community.
"They're the knuckleheads who are going to be out there regardless of how many parks you have," he predicted. "I'm on the first aid squad, and I've responded to quad accidents. Not pretty."
Kenny Montanaro said responsible riders still should have legal alternatives.
"We need a place for kids to ride. It's a family activity," he said.
"I don't understand bird-watching, but I don't say something against it," he added. "Motorized sports is my thing."
Watson said the state is preparing conceptual plans for the Monroe site — where a future riding area would need to skirt wetlands and rare plant species. The DEP is looking for a legislative sponsor to push for new vehicle registration rules, he said.
Read Story in http://www.asburyparkpress.com
Senate committee rejects $10 ATV registration fee
By Tom Searls
Staff writer Charleston Gazette
February 21, 2007 Senators turned down an effort Tuesday to have West Virginia residents register their all-terrain vehicles for a special fee, something law enforcement and the Division of Motor Vehicles favored.
Members of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 5-4 to defeat the bill (SB508), which would have charged ATV owners a one-time $10 fee and established penalties for not registering the four-wheelers with the DMV.
ATV owners have been required since 1989 to register their ATVs, but many do not. Steve Dale of the DMV said his agency has about 144,000 ATVs registered, and about 15,000 more get registered each year. Still, he said, there could be another 100,000 in the state that aren’t registered.
Police said identifying numbers on the vehicles, such as those on other motor vehicles, would help them identify ATVs that have been stolen.
The legislation would have given ATV owners up to a year to register their four-wheelers without punishment.
Sen. Shirley Love, D-Fayette, said the bill seemed to be more geared “to keep people from buying them.”
He was joined by Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, who said police have never convinced him there is a major theft of ATVs.
“I just want to make sure that whatever we’re doing there’s a reason for it, and I’m not sure I’ve heard it yet,” he said.
A companion bill (SB506) would enact new safety laws for ATV drivers, but the committee did not take that up Tuesday.
“This bill is not going to do a thing to change [the safety] situation,” said Sen. Clark Barnes, R-Randolph.
He called the bill “a revenue generator” and said that’s not what the public wants.
“The public has demanded that we look at safety issues,” he said.
West Virginia has led the nation in per capita ATV fatalities for several years. Last year, at least 53 people died in the state as a result of ATV accidents.
To view this story in the Charleston Gazette go to: http://sundaygazettemail.com
To contact staff writer Tom Searls, use e-mail or call 348-5198.
Lenape family sues over deadly shooting.
Friday, January 12, 2007
BY RUSSELL BEN-ALI
Star-Ledger Staff
NEWARK, NJ., The family of a Native American man whose fatal shooting by a State Park Police officer last year sparked protests and allegations of racism, filed a lawsuit yesterday that accuses the state of wrongful death and grave civil rights violations.
The suit, which was filed on behalf of Emil Mann's family and estate and seeks an undisclosed amount of compensatory and punitive damages, claims the shooting was unprovoked and followed by medical neglect that led to Mann's death nine days later.
Mann, 45, of Monroe, N.Y., a New York State Parks and Recreation Department machine operator for 14 years, was shot in the chest and leg by State Park Police officer Chad Walder on April 1, 2006. The shooting occurred on an abandoned goat farm in Mahwah, where an argument broke out between State Park Police officers and members of the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation.
The group had gathered for a barbecue near the tribe's traditional homeland, rugged hills that straddle New Jersey and New York near Mahwah. Tribe members say Mann was shot while trying to break up a scuffle between a cousin, Otis W. Mann, and State Park Police Lt. Kelly Gottheiner. The officers were in the woods issuing tickets to illegal ATV riders when the dispute occurred.
Mann's brother, Morris Mann, appeared at a news conference yesterday. He was joined by eight of Mann's 10 siblings, and other tribe members, including Mann's eldest son, 19-year-old Emil Mann Jr., and Mann's ex-wife, Charlene Defreese, with whom he lived and planned to remarry.
Several members said they were still waiting for the results of a criminal probe conducted by Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.
"We would like to see justice done," Morris Mann said as he stood in the cold on the steps of Bergen County Superior Court, where the suit had been filed.
"Walder took my brother's life," Morris Mann added, struggling to control his emotions. "He took my brother away from my nephews. Hopefully, he'll get some (prison) time."
Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the State Park Police, said the state has not been served the suit and, even if it had, could not comment on pending litigation.
Of the four park police officers who were at or near the scene of the shooting, only one, Kenneth Kreite has returned to work. Walder, his wife, Lorna Walder, and Gottheiner are on paid sick leave, backed by a doctor's certificate.
sked about their injuries, Makatura responded, "We're not privy to the doctor's notes. It's an injury that a doctor has certified. It could be physical or mental."
Robert Galantucci, an attorney for Chad Walder, could not be reached for comment yesterday. He previously has said the officer fired his weapon because he feared his life was in danger.
Molinelli yesterday said he will be presenting the matter to a grand jury soon.
Attorneys for Mann's family said they could prove the shooting violated the law and Mann's civil rights, no matter what way the criminal probe goes.
"We're confident that, in a civil rights lawsuit, we'll be able to prove numerous violations of his constitutional rights and numerous violations of state law," said Nick Brustin of Cochran, Neufeld & Scheck. The firm is the same one that won a huge settlement for a group of unarmed minority motorists who were shot on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1998 by two state troopers.
The Mann family's lawsuit names the state, the State Park Police and several park police officers as defendants. It claims the shooting was the result of racism, a history of animus against the tribe by police and systemic deficiencies in training and supervision of the State Park Police.
"We believe that the police acted in a reckless manner and used their official power to target our community ... a wanton targeting with racial animus," said Dwaine Perry, the recently elected Ramapough chief.
Defreese, Mann's ex-wife and estate co-administrator, said, "It's awful. Christmas was awful for me and my kids. Our lives are never going to be the same."
Family of American Indian killed by park police suing NJ
Friday, January 12, 2007
By WAYNE PARRY,
Associated Press Writer
NEWARK, NJ., (AP) - The family of a Ramapough Lenape Indian fatally shot by a state park police officer last year plan to file a civil rights lawsuit Thursday against the officer, the state and others, claiming they used excessive force against an unarmed man.
The family of Emil Mann plans to hold a news conference outside the Bergen County Courthouse Thursday afternoon after its lawyers file the suit in state Superior Court. It will name Park Police Officer Chad Walder, other officers at the scene, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state of New Jersey as defendants, said attorney Eric Hecker.
"This was excessive force," Hecker said. "He was unarmed. They were not in any physical altercation, much less struggle."
He declined to discuss details about the lawsuit.
Mann, 45, of Monroe, N.Y., was shot to death on April 1, 2006 on the mountaintop near the New York border after a confrontation with Walder under circumstances that remain in dispute.
Tribe members say Mann was trying to break up a fight between a cousin and a different park police officer, who was issuing tickets to people for illegally riding all-terrain vehicles in a prohibited area.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office is still investigating the shooting. The Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the park police, had no comment Wednesday.
Shortly after the shooting, Gov. Jon S. Corzine met with Ramapough leaders and promised an investigation into the killing. He also appointed a commission to study American Indian communities in New Jersey regarding civil rights, access to education, fair housing, infrastructure, employment and health care.
New Consumer Product Safety Commission Report
New Consumer Product Safety Commission Report
Shows Decline in ATV Injuries Involving Youth Under Age 16
Thursday, December 07, 2006
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 6, 2006 – A report released today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC 2005 Annual Report of ATV Deaths and Injuries”) shows that the number of estimated all-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries involving children under 16 fell 10% between 2004 and 2005, and has fallen from 37% of all ATV-related injuries in 1998 to 30% in 2005.
The report also shows that the estimated injuries per 10,000 ATVs declined for the fourth year in a row and is now at its lowest point since 1998. These declines have occurred even while the number of four-wheel ATVs in use increased by 700,000 units between 2004 and 2005. The four-wheel ATV injury rate declined 9% over the same time period.
Further, the report indicates that the risk of fatality per 10,000 ATVs has declined from 1.4 per 10,000 in use in 1999 to 1.1 per 10,000 in use in 2005.
Since 1998, the number of ATVs in use has more than doubled. Yet, for the eight-year time period since the CPSC’s new injury sample and methodology has been in place, there has been no appreciable upward trend in injury risk and, as noted, the injury risk has declined since 2001 and is now at its lowest point since 1998.
“The CPSC report again shows that the commitment of the member companies of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America to rider education, parental supervision, and state legislation is working and has resulted in a continued decline in injury and fatality rates over the past several years,” said Tim Buche, president of the SVIA. “Since 1984, the major manufacturers and distributors of ATVs in the United States have worked closely with the CPSC to implement ongoing safety initiatives. The industry applauds CPSC’s recent public education efforts to promote safe and responsible ATV use, and has supported the agency in these efforts.”
Buche added that the industry is also cooperating closely with the CPSC on the agency’s review of ATV safety standards. He said the ATV industry is committed to the safety of its customers and will continue to promote and enhance its multi-tiered efforts aimed at increasing awareness of the proper operation and use of ATVs.
“However, we remain concerned that new entrants to the U.S. market that don’t comply with the voluntary safety standards that established ATV companies adhere to are jeopardizing the safety of young riders,” he continued. “These new entrants now comprise 20 percent of the market and are undercutting the safety programs developed by established ATV companies. SVIA encourages CPSC to analyze the new entrants’ compliance with safety standards as part of the agency’s review of ATV standards.”
“We want to ensure that the injury trend continues in this direction – down – so it’s more important than ever to get the word out that kids don’t belong on adult-sized ATVs, and that all riders need to follow the industry’s recommended guidelines for safe and responsible riding. The bottom line is, even one crash or injury is one too many,” said Buche.
Millions of Americans operate ATVs safely and responsibly every day. Unfortunately, more than 92% of ATV-related fatalities involve one or more behaviors that the industry strongly and visibly warns against in its rider education programs, in all its literature, and on the vehicle itself. The industry’s top priority is to continue to work with the CPSC, user groups, retail dealerships, and all others interested in promoting ATV safety to further reduce the number of accidents resulting from misuse of the product.
SVIA
Since 1983, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America® (SVIA) has promoted the safe and responsible use of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) through rider training programs, public awareness campaigns, and state legislation. The SVIA also serves as a resource for ATV research, statistics, and vehicle standards. The SVIA, based in Irvine, California, is a not-for-profit trade association sponsored by Arctic Cat, BRP, Bush Hog, Honda, John Deere, Kawasaki, Polaris, Suzuki, Tomberlin and Yamaha. For membership information, call 949.727.3727; for safety information or to enroll in the ATV RiderCourseSM nearest you, visit www.atvsafety.org and click on “Online Enrollment” or call 800.887.2887.
Plans for ATV park still on bargaining table
Sunday, December 03, 2006
By Jessica Beym
jbeym@sjnewsco.com
MONROE TWP. Having been shuffled to the back of the deck, the state's plans for an all-terrain vehicle park here haven't gained any ground in almost a year.
Before any wheels could move, the state Department of Environmental Protection said it would seek legislation to control the park and keep the vehicles off public property by requiring ATV riders to be licensed, registered and insured.
Mayor Michael Gabbianelli and Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello who's town also backs up to the proposed site said the state hasn't updated them on the plans since January.
Mostly because there hasn't been any news to tell, said DEP Deputy Commissioner John Watson.
"We really haven't been focusing on it," Watson said. "We thought we had the proper site as we purchased the property, but as we moved to developing plans to accommodate off-road vehicles, we ran into some opposition and haven't worked our way through it."
Plans to use part of the 212-acre parcel off Jackson Road for a controlled ATV park sparked both an outpouring of support from New Jersey riders and a public outcry from residents.
State officials said the park would address the state's increasing number of ATV riders who have no legal place to take their vehicles and wind up on private and unauthorized public property.
A little resistance doesn't mean the state plans to drop the proposal, Watson said. The DEP has drafted a proposal to give the state and the police more enforcement over riders, but has yet to bring it to legislators.
At the same time, a committee of environmentalists and ATV enthusiasts have visited the site to determine what area could be used for the park and what areas have environmental concerns. The state has not hired any professionals to develop plans yet, Watson said.
"We need to provide them with a legal place to ride in order for us to develop a piece of legislation," Watson said. "I think the location of the site is as good as it gets in a state that's so developed."
Local officials have voiced mix feelings about having a park one that would attract thousands of riders basically in their back yards.
"The only benefit would be to get them off the street and get them to a safe place," Gabbianelli said. "I think its still a long way off. As long as the people that live down there can deal with this that's the big thing."
Chiarello, who is also the chairman of the Pinelands Municipal Council, said he is also concerned about the noise and pollution the park would generate but thinks the riders' safety must be considered.
"I believe, and environmental groups believe, that there can't be any support for an ATV park unless there are laws put in place that require ATVs to be license and insured."
Chiarello said the Pinelands, which must sign off on the concept if the DEP decides to move forward, plans to invite the DEP and the New Jersey State Police to attend one of the council's next meetings to discuss the park and enforcement.
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