Witness info sought to find culprits

By Tony Fuller, KTVZ.COM

A popular mountain bike and hiking trail near Sisters has been destroyed by ATV riders. Now the Forest Service wants to know who is responsible.

Basically, the popular trails have been turned into mud pits. The wet weather has made the trails unusable until the weather dries up and according to authorities, all terrain vehicles are prohibited on the trails.

"Some four-wheelers, some quad machines had driven down a mountain bike hiking trail, Jeff Sims of the Forest Service said Wednesday. "The trail is just a single track through the woods, so they went down about a mile of the trail, digging and spinning out."

According to the law, off-highway vehicles like quads and dirt bikes can be ridden on Forest Service roads, but going off the road is illegal.

"If you are off-road, causing resource damage, the violation can be up to $5,000 max and/or six months in jail, so there could be substantial fines," said Sims.

The Peterson Ridge Trail is scheduled to be showcased during several upcoming running and mountain biking events that will draw competitors from all over the West.

Now volunteers will have to remove the large ruts and other damage done before the trail will be used again.

But finding the culprits could prove very difficult.

"It's really hard to gather evidence on something like that, because there is no evidence left besides the tire prints and the damage done to the ground," Sims said.

So Forest Service authorities are hoping the public will know more.

"If anybody was in that vicinity between Friday afternoon and Saturday, and they saw people out there on four-wheelers, cutting donuts and riding around in the woods, then they could report that to the Forest Service," Sims said.

Until then, if people choose to use the trails, prepare for a muddy hike.

Anyone with information regarding the vandalism can call the law enforcement officer at the Sisters Ranger District, at (541) 549-7700.