Federal regulators fear one of the Wasatch Front's most popular playgrounds is being overrun by off-road vehicles.
So the U.S. Forest Service is issuing warnings in an attempt to educate landowners in Big Cottonwood Canyon about the illegal use of motorized vehicles.
Loren Kroenke, Salt Lake district ranger for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, said they will begin increasing the number of ranger patrols in Big Cottonwood Canyon beginning this week, in hopes of putting a halt to increasing all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) use in Cardiff Fork drainage.
"For some reason it seems that illegal ATV use is on the upswing in Big Cottonwood Canyon and it's important for everyone to know the rules," said Loren Kroenke, Salt Lake district ranger for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
The rules are simple, Kroenke said. Motorized vehicle use is prohibited in Big Cottonwood Canyon, a popular place for hiking and bow hunting. The exception is Mineral Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon, which is open to ATV use during the summer months. And private property owners must obtain a special use permit in order to use ATVs to access their property.
"What seems to happen is when hunting season opens it becomes more of an issue," Kroenke said. He said the friction is often caused by bow hunters who hike into the area and come into conflict with ATVers.
Much of the problem is in the 3,000-acre Cardiff Fork Canyon, where about half the property is privately owned.
"There's a fairly small number of people, many of whom own property up there, that have the impression because they own property they can use ATVs," Kroenke said. "The area is closed to ATVs."
Landowners may be entitled to a special use permit but few are granted. That's because the Forest Service must conduct an environmental review of the proposal.
"We typically view foot access as adequate for pick and shovel work on mining properties, or for getting to private property to hunt and we wouldn't approve motorized access in those situations," Kroenke said.
The warnings aren't intended to be overzealous about getting ATV scofflaws, he added.
"We are not necessarily anxious to write a lot of tickets," Kroenke said. "There may be some legitimate confusion that we hope to clear up."
E-mail: donna@desnews.com