Uvalde County, Texas ATV/ORV River Access

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Subject: Uvalde County Local River Access Plan to be discussed on October 25, 2004

Dear (NAME OF RECIPIENT),

Regarding the issue of the Uvalde County Local River Access Plan allowing All-terrain vehicle (ATV) or Off-road vehicle (ORV) owners the right to traverse rivers, riverbanks and adjoining lands there are several major factors that should be carefully considered.

First is the damage these vehicles do to the natural environment by their very presence in sensitive areas. These damages include, but are not limited to:

(1) destruction of riverbank vegetation that holds the banks in place to retain moving water and prevent adjacent land flooding in normal conditions;

(2) destruction of the actual riverbanks due to the weight and force exacted upon soft rock, loose gravel, sand and dirt leading to erosion of riverbanks and eventual flooding of adjacent lands, both locally and downstream;

(3) destruction of habitat, breeding grounds and food sources for fish, birds and wildlife, many of which may become extinct or greatly reduced in number because of preventable damage;

(4) pollution of surface and sub-surface water due to chemical contamination from motor oil, wheel bearing grease, gasoline or diesel fuel, or other chemicals that are regularly discharged from motor vehicles and which have devastating effects on the natural environment;

(5) noise pollution caused by the gathering of large groups of off-road vehicles in a concentrated area leading to avoidance of natural habitats by birds, wildlife and fish; and

(6) general destruction to public lands and waterways that render those affected areas undesirable for use by the majority of citizens due to physical damage to riverbanks, streambeds, adjoining lands, natural vegetation, chemcial pollution and similar factors.

Second is the fact that public lands belong to all citizens, and allowing one special interest group to have access to an area where devastating physical damage will result from their activities renders the public lands unusable by the majority of citizens who may not wish to be subjected to the noise, dangers from motor vehicle operation along or in streambeds or the destruction caused by previous uses of those public lands for recreational purposes that result in severe damage to the natural environment.

Third is the fact that existing state law styled Title 5. Parks and Wildlife Code, Section 2, Chapter 90., enacted September 1, 2003, already prohibits ATV and ORV motor vehicle activities in or very near public waterways including rivers, creeks and streams. This law was enacted for the specific purpose of preventing the kind of access currently being sought by the off-road vehicle groups in Uvalde County, where the fragile nature of rivers is already in a delicate balance that would easily be upset by allowing off-road vehicles to drive in or near rivers, streambeds and riverbanks. The law requires Texas Parks and Wildlife Department approval for Local River Access Plans, as well as financial expenditures by the county and its citizens in the form of efficient law enforcement and environmental rehibilitation for damages incurred by enacting a Local River Access Plan, which expenses would be an unnecessary and cumbersome burden on the taxpayers of Uvalde County. The existing law can be found on the Internet at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/PW/content/htm/pw.005.00.000090.00.htm.

As a concerned citizen who often enjoys the natural beauty of our state I urge you to vote against allowing ATV and ORV operation anywhere on public lands in or near any public waterway such as a river, creek, stream or lake formed by damming any of the preceeding. I ask you to consider the degree of damage done to the natural environment by off-road vehicle recreational activities, the dangers presented to other citizens in the natural environment where such acitivites are occurring, the high cost of maintenance and repair and the long recovery period required after cessation of such activities in reaching your decision on the matter of allowing off-road vehicle access to waterways, streambeds and adjacent lands in Uvalde County.

Sincerely,

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