County may soon allow ATVs on campground roadways

LEE COUNTY – Lee County Conservation officials are looking at the possibility of allowing all-terrain vehicles on county campground roadways.
The discussion around allowing the ATVs and UTVs into campgrounds on surfaces currently used by cars and trucks, came about in a workshop following the last regular meeting of the Lee County Conservation Board last week.
“We’re looking at changing our policy in our three parks, Chatfield, Pollmiller, and Lake Wilson,” said LCC Director Heather Huebner.
 “Technically, ATVs have not been allowed in the parks. I've had several people come up to me in the public and they want us to allow them on roads - not on the trails. So we’re kind of talking about it and my thought would be if we entertain this idea we put a one-year limit on it and see how it goes.”
Huebner also suggested that the county not implement any new rules until Jan. 1 to give the conservation department time to erect signage about the regulations and educate the public about the new allowances.
Huebner was also firm in her directive that recreational vehicles not be allowed on any county trails or paths, but only on regular roadways that service cars and trucks within the campgrounds.
She said she’s been playing a “waiting game” after discussing the issue with other conservation directors around the state that allow recreational vehicles on public roadways in campgrounds, to see what issues arose.
Lee County Conservation rangers would be the ones to enforce the regulations and issue fines for riders getting off the public roadways.
Lee County Conservation Board Chair Emily Benjamin said the county has been reluctant to allow the vehicles in the past.

“Our rationale has always been we don’t want people taking those vehicles off the designated roadways and onto the trails or having impaired driving through the campgrounds,” Benjamin said.
Park Ranger Clint Oldfield said there is also a concern of underage operation of the vehicles and noise disturbing the settings at the campgrounds. However, he said that motorcycles are currently allowed on the roadways and are just as noisy as the recreational vehicles.
Supervisor Garry Seyb said he’s been hearing some requests for the allowance as well and said some places it doesn’t make sense to not allow the vehicles for people who do daily ag work in ATVs and have families staying in the campgrounds.
“They can’t visit family in the campgrounds without taking ATVs back after chores and getting trucks to drive back to the campgrounds that were closer during chores,” he said.
Seyb said when the county allowed ATVs and UTVs on roads, they thought they would see lots of problems, but overall they weren’t what were anticipated.
“There were issues here and there, but nothing like what we were anticipating we would see,” he said.
He said when residents ask him about why they can’t take them into the campgrounds, he has trouble coming up with an answer.
He said the drivers of the ATVs have taken ownership of the right to use the vehicles on public roadways so the rights aren’t taken away. That’s why the county hasn’t seen as many issues as they would have thought.
Benjamin asked if there was enforcement that needed to happen that it happen early and often to set the tone for the county’s tolerance for violation of any rules that would be put in place.
Action on the proposal will come at a future meeting when it’s placed on the agenda for board discussion and action. Currently the vehicles are not permitted.