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Allegheny
National Forest to Charge Fees for Off Highway Vehicle Use
Warren, PA - Beginning July 1, 2002, motorized trail bikes and all-terrain
vehicle riders using Allegheny
National forest Off-Highway Vehicle trails will be required to pay
an annual user of $35.00. This fee is
being implemented under the authority of the National Fee Demonstration
Program. "With the continuing
increase in use we are experiencing on the Allegheny National Forest,
the current funding level is
insufficient to keep up with increasing maintenance needs and costs,"
said Forest Supervisor Kevin Elliott.
"The Fee Demonstration Program provides a valuable means to
gain additional funding to maintain the
existing trails to a safe, environmentally responsible standard
while providing a high quality riding
experience that people are accustomed to," added Elliott.
Under the Fee Demonstration Program, 95% of the fees collected are
retained at the Forest for
administration, maintenance and improvement of the existing facility.
"Trail users can be assured the
funding collected from the sale of trail permits will be used wisely,"
said Elliott.
Annual permits may be purchased at all Allegheny National Forest
offices (Bradford, Marienville,
and Warren) and the Tionesta Service Center. Forest officials are
in the process of securing local motor
sport vehicle vendors in convenient locations to sell trail permits.
The names of local vendors will be made
available later this spring via the forest web page and media announcements.
Beginning in 2003, the annual permits will be available on a calendar
year basis. Allegheny National
Forest permits will be assigned to the trail vehicle. All all-terrain
vehicles must have a valid state
registration in order to purchase an Allegheny National Forest trail
permit. There is no registration system
for motorized trail bikes in Pennsylvania, but an ANF permit will
be required.
The Forest Service completed an extensive analysis to arrive at
a fair and reasonable cost for the
permit. The fee amount is based on the cost to administer the off-highway
program, and a comparison of
fees charged by other federal and private areas for comparable trail
facilities. Forest trail managers and
recreation officials have worked closely with trail users over the
last several years and participated in a state-wide
study of trail users by the Pennsylvania Off-Highway Vehicle Association
regarding the
implementation of the Fee Demonstration Program on these trails.
"What we heard from our trails users and what the study showed
us is that the majority of people who
use the off-highway vehicle trails support maintenance and improvement
of the trails with a user fee," said
Elliott.
Currently there are 108 miles of trails designated for all-terrain
vehicles and motorbikes on the
Allegheny National Forest. Trails are confined to five intensive
use areas of the forest that were determined
to be best suited for this use in the Forest Plan. All-terrain vehicle
and motorbike riding is the fastest
growing recreation use on the Allegheny National Forest. According
to the study undertaken by the
Pennsylvania Off-Highway Vehicle Association, the Allegheny National
Forest motorized trails are the most
popular public land riding trails in Pennsylvania. The Allegheny
National Forest has successfully managed a
motorized trail riding system for 25 years.
Additional information on the Fee Demonstration project and an application
to purchase trail passes
can be found on the Forest web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/allegheny
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