In a Slow Economy, Some Counties Looking for More Revenue in the Form of ATVs

Filed in archive News on January 22, 2008

In a Slow Economy, Pacific Northwest Counties Looking for Revenue in the Form of ATVs

Several counties in the Pacific Northwest are looking to increase revenues. In these trying times, which are about to get worse, who could blame them? There's a pile of money to be made by catering to those of us who ride ATVs and motorcycles. On an average weekend, you can expect to pay several hundred dollars in food, gas and other things while camping out and riding off road.

A recently adopted Stevens County ordinance could be altered to open more county roads to ATVs. Similar action has been taken in neighboring Ferry and Pend Oreille counties in the northeast corner of Washington state.

Without those changes, Stevens County Commissioner Tony Delgado says "recreation money is leaving the area instead of coming here". Idaho has opened several county roads to ATVs, and they make a large amount of money from it because ATVers come to the area by the thousands annually, and Washington wants in on the deal.