Ferry County group fighting ORV proposal

OLYMPIA – Opponents of a plan to open up large sections of Ferry County to off-road vehicles filed a lawsuit Tuesday, saying local officials overstepped their authority and didn’t comply with environmental laws.

The Quiet Communities Coalition is asking a Ferry County Superior Court judge to throw out the plan, aimed at improving the local economy by bringing in groups of ORV operators.

“Our coalition believes the county has enacted an ordinance that is illegal and does not reflect the will of its local residents,” President Ellen Picken said in a statement Tuesday evening. “We love Ferry County and choose to live here because it’s a serene and quiet landscape, without the noise and pollution you find in big cities.”

Under a new state law allowing small communities to allow ORVs to operate on roads between small cities and ORV recreation sites, Ferry County commissioners voted in December to designate 54 roads, trails and rights-of-way as ORV riding areas. The ordinance takes effect March 15.

Ferry County Commissioner Mike Blankenship said Tuesday night that he hadn’t yet seen the suit but that it’s no surprise.

“It’s premature and it’s grandstanding,” Blankenship said. He said the commissioners worked hard to keep the ORV roads away from populated areas and horse trails, and to try to create links with potential U.S. Forest Service riding areas.

Critics should give the county’s plan a chance to work, Blankenship said. The county desperately needs some economic help, he said, and ORV tourism offers some hope.

“We’ve said all along that this ordinance is just the first step of a much larger picture,” perhaps linking riding opportunities with other northeastern Washington counties, he said.

ORV critics maintain that the riders will increase costs for the county, including law enforcement, medical care and road maintenance.

“Promoting one form of recreation at the expense of others threatens the balance of our rural lifestyles,” Picken said.