Donut Slayer
10-26-2007, 07:49 AM
Published - October, 22, 2007
Wheels turn to set aside off-highway vehicle park
1,200 acres around Whiting Field would welcome bikes, ATVs
Louis Cooper
lcooper@pnj.com
Pensacola resident Aaron Cadle would be more than happy to haul his trail bike all the way to Milton if there were a place he could legally drive it.
"There are people here who drive all the way to Ocala, which is five or six hours from here," Cadle said. "Really, around here, if you want to ride legally, you have to have a trailer or a truck and drive two or three hours. I'd love to have the opportunity to drive 30 or 45 minutes instead of two or three hours."
Right now, the closest public land set aside for off-highway vehicles — which includes trail bikes such as Cadle's and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles — is the Apalachicola National Forest. But plans are progressing to establish one on 1,200 acres of property originally purchased to keep the area around Whiting Field Naval Air Station undeveloped.
Off-highway vehicles are banned from most public roadways. In Santa Rosa County, they are allowed only on dirt roads with posted speed limits of less than 35 mph. In Escambia County, they are banned from all roads.
"It will be the first (off-highway vehicle park) in Northwest Florida," said Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter, who heads Santa Rosa's anti-encroachment effort. "We purchased that land not only to help buffer Whiting Field but also to enhance conservation and recreation in the county."
Pace resident Wayne Briske is chairman of the statewide Off Highway Vehicle Advisory Council. He said the park likely would have several different amenities.
"Usually, there's a trail head or a parking area," he said. "Typically, there's some kind of camping area for people who come in for more than one day at a time, and usually there are designated trails established. Those may be designated for four-wheelers and/or motorcycles, or they may just be trails for motorcycles."
Briske said the property where the proposed park will be is owned by the Nature Conservancy and the county, with a few small areas still in private hands.
"The next step is to get all of the property under one control. That would probably be the control of Santa Rosa County," he said. "Then, there would be a fee system put in place where riders would be charged a fee, and that revenue would go to support the maintenance and the upkeep of the park and any staff that would be required. Any surplus would go to the county."
Briske compared the planned Santa Rosa park to Croom Motorcycle Area inside Withlacoochee State Forest near Tampa. There, bikers pay $45 for an annual pass.
"It produced well over $1 million last year," he said.
Cadle said he'd be happy to pay an annual fee for access to a park where he could ride his bike.
"I would go every weekend, unless I was doing a race somewhere," he said. "I have a group of friends that I ride with. We usually have as few as three or as many as 12."
Wheels turn to set aside off-highway vehicle park
1,200 acres around Whiting Field would welcome bikes, ATVs
Louis Cooper
lcooper@pnj.com
Pensacola resident Aaron Cadle would be more than happy to haul his trail bike all the way to Milton if there were a place he could legally drive it.
"There are people here who drive all the way to Ocala, which is five or six hours from here," Cadle said. "Really, around here, if you want to ride legally, you have to have a trailer or a truck and drive two or three hours. I'd love to have the opportunity to drive 30 or 45 minutes instead of two or three hours."
Right now, the closest public land set aside for off-highway vehicles — which includes trail bikes such as Cadle's and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles — is the Apalachicola National Forest. But plans are progressing to establish one on 1,200 acres of property originally purchased to keep the area around Whiting Field Naval Air Station undeveloped.
Off-highway vehicles are banned from most public roadways. In Santa Rosa County, they are allowed only on dirt roads with posted speed limits of less than 35 mph. In Escambia County, they are banned from all roads.
"It will be the first (off-highway vehicle park) in Northwest Florida," said Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter, who heads Santa Rosa's anti-encroachment effort. "We purchased that land not only to help buffer Whiting Field but also to enhance conservation and recreation in the county."
Pace resident Wayne Briske is chairman of the statewide Off Highway Vehicle Advisory Council. He said the park likely would have several different amenities.
"Usually, there's a trail head or a parking area," he said. "Typically, there's some kind of camping area for people who come in for more than one day at a time, and usually there are designated trails established. Those may be designated for four-wheelers and/or motorcycles, or they may just be trails for motorcycles."
Briske said the property where the proposed park will be is owned by the Nature Conservancy and the county, with a few small areas still in private hands.
"The next step is to get all of the property under one control. That would probably be the control of Santa Rosa County," he said. "Then, there would be a fee system put in place where riders would be charged a fee, and that revenue would go to support the maintenance and the upkeep of the park and any staff that would be required. Any surplus would go to the county."
Briske compared the planned Santa Rosa park to Croom Motorcycle Area inside Withlacoochee State Forest near Tampa. There, bikers pay $45 for an annual pass.
"It produced well over $1 million last year," he said.
Cadle said he'd be happy to pay an annual fee for access to a park where he could ride his bike.
"I would go every weekend, unless I was doing a race somewhere," he said. "I have a group of friends that I ride with. We usually have as few as three or as many as 12."