Cooperative Extension Service Communications and Technology Department 3354 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-2540 • fax (307) 766-3998 • www.uwyo.edu

 

For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor

Phone: (307) 766-3571

E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu

 

Date: Oct. 9, 2006

State using UW information to improve ORV trails program

            Information from a University of Wyoming College of Agriculture study is being used by the Wyoming State Trails Program to improve program services for four-wheelers, dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles (ORVs).

            Tracy Williams, State Trails Program planner in Cheyenne, said the results will help determine where new trails should be built and where existing trails should be enhanced, how maps can be changed to help users and how safety programs can be improved.

            There are approximately 1,500 miles of trails in the system. Williams says about 98 percent are on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

            “Our study estimated approximately 37 percent of Wyoming households owned ORVs in the past year,” said Tom Foulke, an associate research scientist in the UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “That works out to almost 180,000 ORV riders in the state.”

 

            The department received $46,200 from the State Trails Program to survey 1,900 ORV users. The funds came from state ORV permits purchased by the users.

            “One of the interesting facets of the study relates to the multiple uses of ORVs. People use them not just to ride for riding’s sake but also to access areas they may not normally be able to for things like fishing, hunting and camping,” Foulke said. “When they go camping, ORVs go along as part of the equipment.”

            The department also contracted with the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center to determine how many residents own ORVs and how many are owned per household. The information was used by the researchers to estimate how much of an economic impact they have on the state.

            The survey revealed that individual users spent, on average, $1,599 last year on purchases, repairs and accessories. Residents spent an additional $27 per day in trip expenses, while non-residents averaged $35 per day.

            The State Trails Program started its ORV program in 2002.

            “Since then, permit sales have increased significantly each year, and we funded the study to get a better handle on what the public’s needs are, such as where they ride,” Williams said.

             “We work very closely with our federal partners because the vast majority of the trails are on BLM and USFS lands. We strive to create trails in the right places and the kind of trails people will use,” she said. “We also provide a voice for the ORV users in the state, and we try to work closely with the clubs.”

            The State Trails Program this year worked on 43 projects on the Bighorn, Black Hills, Bridger-Teton, Medicine Bow and Shoshone national forests and on BLM lands near Casper, Cody and Worland. They involved trail maintenance, development and rerouting; tree pruning and removal; outhouse replacement; work on a bridge; route signage; travel management plan implementation; and erosion control.

            Most of the projects stemmed from applications from national forests and BLM, and a few were from user groups. Applications will be accepted this winter for 2007 projects. Information is at http://wyotrails.state.wy.us/trails/index.htm.

            Agricultural and applied economics staff and faculty members working with Foulke on the trail user study were Professor David “Tex” Taylor, interim department head and Associate Professor Roger Coupal, Research Scientist Desiree Olson and Assistant Professor Chris Bastian.

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