The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recently held a meeting of a working/advisory group to assist with siting and establishing the first state-owned off-highway-vehicle trail system.
The group includes Jay Hall from AMA District 17 (Central, Western Illinois), Steve Salisbury from the AMA’s Washington, D.C., staff, representatives of ABATE of Illinois, members of the Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources, the Mississippi Valley Hunters the Fisherman’s Association, the Sierra Club and IDNR personnel including Director Marc Miller.
An IDNR study found that hunting is allowed on 84 percent of the nearly 475,000 acres the agency manages, yet not a single acre of OHV-approved land exists. This despite the obvious demand from the owners of more than 300,000 registered dirt bikes and ATVs, and the fact that most other states have long-ago established state trails with significant economic benefits.
After two years of discussions between IDNR, ABATE and the AMA, the flawed Sustainability Act was renegotiated and approved to exempt certain OHV’s from collection of a $15 “tax stamp.” The IDNR delayed the April 1, 2014, implementation of the revised act’s OHV fees because the collection process is still being developed and there is a need for additional research on an OHV park.
The recent meeting represents an early step in a still-lengthy trail system approval process, but a positive one for the entire Illinois OHV community.
