MRTC Offers Bounty on ATV Users

Rail-Trail group offering bounty on outlaw riders
Announces $500 reward for info on anyone trespassing with ATVs
BY JOHN WILFON - The Dominion Post

The Mon River Trails Conservancy has resorted to an old tactic to battle a new problem.
The organization that maintains the rail-trail in Monongalia and Preston counties has posted an old-fashioned bounty to help catch a new brand of criminal -- the lone all-terrain-vehicle rider.

The MRTC has posted a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone using ATVs on the trail. The same stands true for anyone else vandalizing any portion of the trail system.

"We have recognized a lot of trail damage," said Ella Belling, MRTC executive director. "It's enough that we've had to bump up our efforts to put a stop to illegal ATV use."

Some areas see more ATV usage than others, and in turn are routinely more damaged than others, she said. One of the most heavily used areas is the stretch of trail from Reedsville to Masontown, she said.

But it's not the only area being hit by ATV users. There's ATV damage, and other types of vandalism, on the trail from Star City to VanVoorhis.

The MRTC has placed "No ATV" signs not only at trail heads, but at obvious spots where riders enter the trail from the woods or surrounding area, Belling said.

The ATVs also create a safety hazard for trail-users, either walkers, bikers or joggers.

"The Mon River Rail-Trail System is federally and state designated as a non-motorized use trail, which means that any ATV user on the trail is trespassing and therefore breaking the law," Belling said in a release.

They've built barricades to block access, but it's the nature of the ATV rider to find their own path.

Reports of illegal ATV use can be reported to the sheriff's departments in the appropriate county, Monongalia at 291-7290, and Preston at 329-1611. Attention should be paid to details, such as a description of the ATV and its rider.