State Legislators Are Considering New Regulations for Off Road Vehicles

Hundreds of acres of New Jersey state parks, forests, and wilderness areas are damaged each year by the illegal operation of motorized off road vehicles. The Department of Environmental Protection spends a small fortune repairing the damage done by these vehicles that are growing in popularity. Farmers have suffered crop damage, pristine wetland areas have been encroached upon creating deep ruts that destroy fragile wildlife habitat, and steep slope areas have been eroded, a threat to water quality. Violations continue without anyone being held accountable because these vehicles are not registered and cannot be positively identified.

Two bills are currently being considered, one in the state Assembly (A823), and one in the Senate (S2055) that would require tagging of off road vehicles in order to help law enforcement and citizens hold these riders accountable for their destruction. The bills would also increase fines for illegal riders, increase penalties for repeat offenders, and help establish a fund for the creation of additional ORV parks to support legal, responsible riders.

URWA supports this legislation. If you do, let your legislators know. A vote on these bills may be coming up as soon as early January.

Photo:  Damaged Meadow in Big Cypress National Preserve, Bear Island Unit, Matthew Schwartz, Sierra Club

Road Salt: Helpful to Drivers, Harmful to the Environment

Are you disturbed by the whitish-gray coating on shrubs along our roadsides each winter? Does it bother you to come across heaps of road salt hovering over a stream bank? The answers to these questions should be yes! Road salt, which is composed primarily of sodium chloride, degrades vegetation, aquatic ecosystems and, of biggest concern to URWA, water quality. You might ask why your community looks like this every winter and stay tuned into how responsibly your municipality’s road crew is maintaining roads.

There is no single solution to reducing road salt contamination of local waterways and groundwater. It will require a combination of approaches including:

• more efficient application of road salts using computerized trucks, driver training, and accurate weather information to more accurately time road salt applications
• better storage practices utilizing sheltered storage facilities with stormwater treatment and control
• management practices to reduce losses during transfers
• management of equipment washwater to minimize releases
• locating “snow dumps” away from rivers and groundwater recharge areas, and collecting and treating snow dump runoff
• use of environmentally friendly road salt alternatives, such as calcium magnesium acetate, in sensitive areas
• education of homeowners and business owners about the environmental impacts of road salt
• policy changes such as moving away from bare pavement policies for secondary roads
• lower speed limits on roadways immediately following snow storms
• renewed emphasis on plowing

Tips to Give More and Waste Less

Did You Know?
The holiday season is the time of year when Americans increase the amount of trash we throw away each week by 25%.

Tips to Give More and Waste Less

• Give your time. Offer to clean someone’s house, watch their children, help plant their garden or run their errands.
• Give your talents. Offer, for example, your talent at organizing closets, your landscaping skills or music lessons.
• Give entertainment... tickets to movies, plays, musical events, a botanical garden or museum.
• Give homemade. Bake cookies or candies. Sew or crochet a gift. Make something unique and useful.
• Give to a greater good. Make a charitable donation in someone’s name. Donate slightly used toys, decorations, sports equipment, books and furniture to a non-profit organization instead of throwing them away.
• Give a gift that keeps on giving... a battery charger, rain barrel, bird feeder or book (a field guide makes a great gift for people of any age)!