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ATV USE BANNED
IN ALAPAHA RIVERBED; VIOLATORS WILL BE CITED
LIVE OAK, FL,
December 13, 2005 – Law enforcement officers soon will begin
issuing citations to persons who operate ATVs and other vehicles
in the Alapaha riverbed and on its banks, in violation of Suwannee
River Water Management District (District) rules.
The District
will post warning signs at locations known to be entrance points
for riders, including near the bridge at State Road 6 and U.S. 41
in Hamilton County. Until signs are posted, officers will explain
the rule to violators, issue warnings, and ask riders to leave the
area.
The rule banning
motorized vehicles was adopted by the District governing board in
late 2004 and amended earlier this year following publication of
a Department of Environmental Protection report describing ecological
damage associated with the use of vehicles in the dry riverbed and
on its banks.
Damage cited
in the report includes destruction of vegetation, significant bank
erosion, and smothering of habitats important for fish and wildlife.
The report recommended that motorized vehicles be kept out of the
entire river system, including the floodplain, river banks, and
riverbed to prevent further environmental damage.
The rule has
been incorporated into Chapter 40B-4.3040, Florida Administrative
Code and states: “It is prohibited for any person to operate
any motorized vehicle within a work of the [water management] district
that includes the channel of a stream as defined by the normally
recognized bank. Law enforcement officers, during the normal course
of their duties, are exempt from this rule.”
Chapter 373
of the Florida Statutes authorizes the District to make such rules,
and section 613 states that a violation of the rule is a second
degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to
60 days in jail.
“District
lands are open for recreational opportunities such as hiking, biking
and fishing, and we even allow limited ATV use at Mallory Swamp
during non-hunting season,” said Jon Dinges, District director
of resource management. “But our highest priority is the protection
of our natural resources and in most cases, ATV use is not compatible
with that goal.”
This article
sent in by the Suwannee River Water Management District, Live Oak,
FL.
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