LAKE COUNTY – Officials are alerting the community to a letter circulated to local motor sports dealers that is alleging off-road trails on the Northshore have been outfitted with traps to stop illegal and unauthorized riding on private property.

Captain James Bauman reported on Wednesday that, earlier this month, several Lake County motor sports dealers received letters alerting them to an unverified hazard for off-highway vehicle operators who trespass on private lands.

Bauman said the sheriff’s office has learned that Hillside Honda of Lakeport, Nor Cal Moto and Speed of Upper Lake, and Flagship Marine of Clearlake Oaks have all received brief, yet concerning letters alleging that off-road trails in Nice and Lucerne have been “booby trapped.” There was no return address or other indication as to who sent the letters.

The letters received by motor sports dealers, Bauman said, simply stated, “To Whom It May Concern: You might want to inform or warn any of your customers who ride illegally in the hills above Nice and Lucerne that the trails have been booby trapped. This is destroying private property and a valuable water shed not to mention the ugly scars upon the hills. This is nothing more than eco terrorism.”

The letters, said Bauman, are clearly an expression of discontent relating to fairly regular reports of recreational motorcycle and ATV operators using private undeveloped lands with little or no regard for the property rights of property owners, or any damage resulting from such use.

He said the sheriff’s office has received periodic reports of vehicular trespass on undeveloped lands in Nice and Lucerne for several years, particularly in the areas northwest of Pyle Road in Nice. There have also been more recent reports of similar trespasses in the Robin Hill area of North Lakeport.

In August of 2006, the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance to address one of several factors making enforcement of trespass laws by off-road vehicles problematic.

Lake County Code 19-52.1 states in essence, that it is unlawful to operate certain vehicles, including motorcycles and ATV(s), on private or public property belonging to another, without having written permission from the owner or agent of that property in the operator’s immediate possession. The ordinance further states the document must include the name and phone number of the person providing permission, as well as the legal address of the property to which the permission extends.

A violation of the ordinance is punishable as an infraction or misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $100 for a first offense and a separate infraction or misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $200 for a second offense. A third and any additional violations are punishable as a misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $1,000 or six months in jail, or both.

The vague implications of the letters sent to motor sports dealers offer no leads to either investigate or verify the existence of hazards maliciously placed in the referenced areas, said Bauman.

The sheriff's office advises off-road motor sports enthusiasts to avoid violating the law, as well as any such hazards should they in fact exist, by using designated OHV use areas such as the Cow Mountain Recreational area and areas of the Mendocino National Forest.

Bauman said OHV enthusiasts must otherwise comply with the provisions set forth by county ordinance and state law when enjoying their sport on private property.

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