Conference targets illegal off-roading

11:31 PM PST on Thursday, February 24, 2005

The Press-Enterprise

JOSHUA TREE - A two-day conference examining how to stop illegal off-roading in desert communities will begin Saturday at the Joshua Tree Community Center.

The free conference will feature speakers from impacted communities throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties, workshops on existing and proposed rules, and a panel of law enforcement and federal land-management-agency officials, organizers said.

Doug Parham, president of the Western San Bernardino County Landowners Association in the High Desert, said motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles often ride near his property even though a designated off-roading area at El Mirage Dry Lake is just five miles away.

"They're making new trails, tearing up the desert and making a lot of noise," Parham said.

The community center is at 6171 Sunburst Ave. Sessions begin at 9 a.m. each day.

For more information call (909) 260-8833, or log on to http://www.calwild.org/responsiblerecreation.php

--Jennifer Bowles