Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox has agreed to become a spokesman for safe and responsible off-highway vehicle riding in Utah. The Lt. Governor joined state and federal land managers for an off-highway vehicle (OHV) ride near Strawberry Reservoir in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and received an update on the importance of safety and staying on designated trails.
“I grew up in rural Utah and rode ATVs onto nearby public lands with my family,” said Lt. Governor Cox. “Today, I’m teaching my children to ride safely and responsibly on designated routes, and I challenge Utah’s 250,000-plus OHV riders to do the same.”
The lieutenant governor also thanked land managers for their work on this statewide effort. He also learned about the RIDE ON Designated Routes campaign that protects OHV opportunities throughout Utah. The effort is a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Utah Division of Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and Tread Lightly!
Launched in 2012, this five-year RIDE ON campaign is a collaborative effort aimed at creating consistent OHV messaging among all land managers to better educate motorized trail users about safe and responsible OHV use on Utah’s public lands and trust lands.
“The RIDE ON campaign provides Utah’s OHV community the same consistent messaging across each land managing agency,” said Utah State Parks OHV Program Manager Chris Haller. “We also hope the RIDE ON Utah Designated Routes campaign will affect human behavior and reduce off trail abuse of public lands.”
“This campaign helps our agencies to be better land managers by helping us to share OHV opportunities and challenges across land management boundaries,” said Martina Barnes, U.S. Forest Service. “Because of our collaboration, it helps OHV riders become better stewards.”
The RIDE ON Designated Routes message was created by Tread Lightly! and is customized with both southern and northern Utah images to resonate with recreationists throughout the state. The campaign and its associated educational materials and strategies may be viewed online at http://treadlightly.org/programs/ride-on/
“Utah has some of the best trails in the country, and we’re working to keep those trails open through programs like the RIDE ON campaign,” said Lori McCullough, executive director of Tread Lightly!, which is based in Salt Lake City and initially created the Ride On Designated Routes campaign at the request of the U.S. Forest Service. “We’re asking off-road enthusiasts, hunters and anyone enjoying Utah’s great outdoors to stay informed and be respectful of public lands and trust lands so we can continue to enjoy them forever.”
