KNBN NewsCenter1
May 7, 2021
BLACK HILLS, S.D. In 2020, the Black Hills National Forest Service sold a record amount of ATV permits, but what does that impact bring for homeowners and residents who live along these trails?
Rod and Jan Hines live along Mystic Road and love to entertain their grandchildren, who have problems with asthma.
“We couldn’t even let the children go outside to play. It would trigger their asthma so badly that it wasn’t safe. We never open windows, haven’t used our porches at all because the dust is so horrific,” the Hines said.
Other residents, like Jan and John Humphrey, who have lived along the Castle Peak Road for 20 years, say they’ve noticed the increased dust, damage to public roads, trails, land and say they’ve seen less wildlife in the past few years, since the boom of ATVs in the area – now, they’re moving on and moving out.
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NORTHERN HILLS â The U.S. Forest Service sold a record number of trail permits for motorized vehicle usage in 2020.
As the motorcycle/UTV (utility terrain vehicle)/ATV (all-terrain vehicle) trails season ended on Dec. 15, Corbin Herman, motorized trail coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) reported that this year the agency sold more than 30,000 trails permits. Thatâs an increase of more than 10,000 permits sold from last year, and significantly more than the USFS has sold in the past.
Herman said the increase is due to the growing popularity of the trails. But the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the spike, since more people sought to enjoy outdoor recreation this year. Â