During the winter of 2016, Arizona BHA launched an ambitious OHV signage and education project, aimed at educating fellow public land users about the need to keep motorized vehicles on designated routes. Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation is a big draw for a lot of people in Arizona and with that use comes a lot of opportunity for irresponsible use and damage to vital habitat.
The goal of this project is to educate people on the importance of riding responsibly. Secondary to that message we would also like to convey that BHA is not against OHV’s, but rather that we’re dedicated to partnering with public land managers to ensure that they’re used responsibly.
The project was largely made possible through a grant from the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation, which is a non-profit group that is made up of various other sportsmen groups including Arizona BHA. They receive their funding through the sale of "Conserve Wildlife" license plates here in Arizona.
The process for getting approvals to install the signs on the various state land agencies has been long and arduous, but we finally got the first few signs installed up on the Arizona strip this past weekend thanks to the help of the BLM - St George Field Office. The U.S. Forest Service (Region 3)is currently reviewing our signs and we hope to have their approval soon.
Overall the Arizona Game & Fish Department, BLM, USFS, and State Park departments have all been very receptive to this project and are grateful that we are attempting to address this issue.
We’ve been making great progress on this OHV signage project, but we could not do it without BHA members like you! If you are interested in helping the Arizona BHA chapter install these signs, please contact Justin Nelson at [email protected]
About Jason Amaro