The variety of off road vehicles that assault our public lands includes everything from snowmobiles roaring across the tundra in Alaska to dirt bikes assaulting the desert in the California to swamp buggies tearing up the wetlands of Florida. And this mugging of the public domain is not restricted to land, jet skies and jet boats are increasingly roiling the waters of rivers, lakes and ocean. Below are some of the basic characteristics of each thrillcraft and the environmental effects from these hurtful machines.
Bear in mind that because most thrill craft users view ORV use as a gang activity, people using such machines often gather in large groups, accentuating the collective negative effects of their presence.
Off Road Vehicle Issues
Several negative impacts are common with all thrillcraft whether personal water craft (jet skis), dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles or any other motorized vehicles used primarily for off highway travel is that they operate with two-stoke engines. These engines utilize a combination of oil and gas and discharge as much as 30% of the mixture directly into the air, land and water. Containing both cancer causing and toxic chemicals these emissions pollute the air, and are potentially harmful to both plants and animals.
The environmental affects go beyond chemical pollution. The way these vehicles are operated, often with high speeds, and a purposeful assault or “conquering” mentality towards the landscape means that wildlife is often disturbed or displaced and habitat is fragmented.
Finally these vehicles are noisy, indeed. For many thrillcraft users, loud noise is part of the attraction of these machines. The peace and tranquility of our collective common spaces are increasingly under assault from these machines and their users.