Colorado OHV Grant Program in Trouble

According to a report from the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), the outgoing Director of the Department of Natural Resources has proposed drastic changes be made to the manner in which Colorado’s OHV program is managed.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation for Colorado’s OHV and snowmobile community,” BRC says in a release.

Here are the full details, according to the BRC:

Outdoing DNR Director Jim Martin has directed staff to ignore moderate changes supported by OHV users, department staff and most other key stakeholders that were presented at the March, 2010 Parks Board meeting and instead is attempting to force through changes designed to wrest control of the program from the OHV subcommittee.

The changes the outgoing director is proposing mirrors those being pushed by extreme anti-OHV and snowmobile groups. Their plan is to change the make up of the OHV subcommittee to make OHV users a permanent minority. Changes include adding three non-motorized members to the nine member committee and changing the rules so that any project can be stopped by a minority three votes. Changes would also drastically reduce the ability for the program manager (in this case Tom Metsa) and the trail coordinators to influence projects funded by the OHV program. Changes also would mandate certain percentages of grants to go to enforcement, education and restoration.

The State Parks Board will be reviewing the new proposal at meeting on May 7 in Woodland Park, Colo. The BRC is urging OHV supporters to either make your views known by attending the meeting or by sending in your comments to the Parks Board via email. Members of the Parks Board are receiving comments on the proposal via email sent to the office of the Executive Director.

You can send your comments to: