IDPR Trail Rangers clear 1,843 miles of trail statewide in 2013; thanks for the work guys!

Post burn log pile-ups can take many hours, if not days to clear. 

Hi all, 

Happy New Year to the Idaho OHV community! We wanted to share the impressive achievements of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Trail Rangers  program in the 2013 field season. 

The Trail Ranger crews work hard all summer long in Idaho's backcountry to ensure that our multi-use trails on national forest lands are free of downfall and brush, usable and sustainable.  They're strong and sturdy guys who ride motorbikes to access the trails, carrying chainsaws, shovels and other necessary tools for trail maintenance.

The overall goal is to clear about 2,000 miles of trail statewide. Twenty-six different ranger districts on eight national forests throughout the state put in requests for trail-clearing, and IDPR fulfills the requests as best they can. The Forest Service provides a place for the Trail Rangers to sleep, and the trail work is provided to the national forests at no cost. Idaho OHV registration fees pay for the program, keeping many popular multi-use trails open and cleared for the public to enjoy. 



Here's the breakdown of the Trail Rangers work by region, according to IDPR's ATV/Motorbike Program: 

North: 

Miles request: 540.7
Miles Cleared: 528.3 
Downfall: 1949 
Tread work: 1027
Water Bars: 179

Southwest:
Miles Request: 734.2
Miles Cleared: 679.6
Downfall: 7080
Tread Work: 1058
Water Bars: 308

East:
Miles Request: 668.9
Miles Cleared: 635.1
Downfall: 2551
Tread Work: 110
Water Bars: 169

Total miles cleared 1,843 miles 

One statistic seems to jump out in the Southwest region -- the removal of more than 7,000 trees! Recent wildfires, microbursts and blow-down events all led to that amazing tally of downed timber.

You can see individual ranger district reports on Trail Rangers work on the IDPR ATV/Motorbike Facebook page.

Many thanks to the Trail Rangers for their fine work in 2013, and thanks to the OHV users for supporting the program!

If OHV users have a particular trail that they'd like to have addressed by the Trail Rangers, they should contact their local Forest Service ranger district office to ensure that the trail is under consideration for maintenance. Folks also could contact the IDPR ATV/Motorbike progam for information as well. 

A new year means it's time to renew OHV registration stickers for your trail machines

Hi all,

Well, it's that time of year again -- time to buy a new registration sticker for your trail machine for 2012. Off-highway vehicle owners are receiving reminder notices in the mail this month.

OHV registration stickers are required in the state of Idaho for ATVs, UTVs, motorbikes and specialty OHVs such as dune buggies. The stickers cost $12 per year.

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation provides an online registration portal on its web site for straight renewals. If changes have occurred to the vehicle owner's name, or if the make and model have changed on your trail machine, then you'll need to renew your registration at an IDPR office, IDPR vendor, county DMV office or mail them in.

If you'd like to ride your trail machine on city or county roads as part of your trail ride, you'll also need to purchase a restricted vehicle license plate from a county DMV office, if you don't have one already. These license plates cost $3 and they're valid for 7 years. "It's a small price for peace of mind," says Rich Gummersall, OHV Education Coordinator for IDPR.

Basically, the OHV registration stickers are required for the use of OHVs on U.S. Forest Service, BLM and state land trails. The OHV restricted vehicle license plates are required for riding an OHV on city or county roads.

If you have any questions about the OHV vehicle registration and licensing process, please see this educational YouTube video, which details each step of the process, and explains where registration stickers and license plates should be placed on your trail machine.

If you register your OHV in another state, it's legal to ride in Idaho.

OHV registration stickers are a great investment for OHV riders because a large portion of the fees are funneled into the upkeep of motorized trail systems in Idaho and about $300,000 of the fees go toward new grant projects to create new trails, trailheads, rest rooms, bridges and more.

The IDPR Trail Rangers program, profiled in this blog last fall, typically clears about 1,500 miles of trails throughout the state on Forest Service and state lands. The Trail Rangers are funded by OHV registration sticker fees.

The sticker fees also help support the IDPR OHV Education Program. This program is even more valuable now that the Idaho Legislature passed a law last year requiring all unlicensed drivers to take an OHV education class before riding on national forest roads in Idaho. The classes are free. Have your kids taken the class yet?

Hope you have a great riding season in 2012! Be safe out there!