Concerns raised about trespassers tearing up property
DAGSBORO -- "This land is your land, this land is my land."
That adage, written by Woody Guthrie in his classic American song, was intended to encourage countrymen to live in harmony with one another. But Sussex County landowners are finding that hard to do these days, especially when it comes to off-roaders and four-wheelers who leave tire tracks, and a path of destruction, in their wake.
In a growing trend across the area, landowners have been finding their acreage is a prime place for all-terrain-vehicle riders looking for open space. They throttle up and ride -- at times going full-bore through fields of corn and soybeans -- without care for what property they might be destroying in the process.
Christopher McGee, 22, helps work his parent's land, McGee Farms in Williamsville. While riders don't frequently ride on their farm, Christopher said it has happened.
"Every once in a while you get a city person who moves in, and we just have to warn 'em," said McGee, noting the liability issues farmers can face if someone is injured on their property. "We've had some local boys (come through), and I've put the fear of God in 'em. They know if they ride here, they're gonna have problems."
For those looking for a thrill ride, any open parcel of land will do.
Dagsboro resident Jimmy Burton said he's been having problems trespassing on two fronts. The most serious, he said, is at the family's development project, Burton Acres on Iron Branch Road north of Dagsboro.
"It's not completely developed," he said. "And boy, do they have four-wheelers in there -- in bad weather especially."
Burton also has to deal with four-wheelers on his farm, Hickory Hill, west of Route 113 between Dagsboro and Millsboro.
"On the farm, they have easy access," he said. "They know how to get around the ditches."
The crops on Hickory Hill farm, Burton said, have taken a beating thanks to the riders.
"They'll just ride out in there, and I just can't understand that -- it can't be fun," he said. "The soybeans -- they'll run right through them. They just really don't respect crops."
Trespassers hit a road block
All-terrain vehicles have been taking their toll on state-owned lands as well as private property. Patrick Emory, director of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's Fish and Wildlife section, said trespassers are also getting their kicks on state-owned property.
"We're finding it (happens) fairly frequently," he said. "We're finding it on the beaches and along the bay. They take the ATVs out to somewhere secluded, drop them off, and they try to sneak them and ride them on the beach. They're doing things like cutting through people's yards."
Emory attributes part of the problem to ignorance. Visitors from other states bring their vehicles to Delaware without researching the laws.
"The areas for people to ride are limited," Emory said. "Sometimes riders are on the pretense that in some of these areas there are designated places you can ride. We don't have that here."
While trespassing is an issue year-round, enforcers find the spring season does bring more riders to restricted areas.
"It's usually that we find it associated with hunting in restricted areas," he said. "As it warms up, it seems that the spring brings people out to ride."
Riding in coastal areas, Emory said, has also been a growing issue.
"At a lot of areas along the bays have old roads that run all the way down to the beach," he said. "What (DNREC) has had to do is put dirt pile closures at the end of the roads so that you can't get out there with a truck. However, ATVs can get over the dirt piles."
Farmers take matters into their own hands
The last time Burton's land was trespassed upon was just a few weeks ago.
"It was dusky dark, but they had their lights on," he said. "That makes you think that when someone comes home and gets off work, they go ride. There's usually three or four together."
Burton has had to take action into his own hands to attempt to keep trespassers off his land. Signs, fencing and cables have not managed to get the job done, he said.
"My son lives back on the land and I know he tries to catch 'em and run 'em off, but they're hard to catch," he said. "He goes after them with his truck, and they go where he can't go."
According to Emory, his agency has enlisted the help of other state authorities to assist in catching trespassers.
"In cooperation with the Delaware State Police, we're trying to stop this," he said. "We've had them up there with their helicopters looking for trespassers. Lots of times, there's other ways to get out of (the areas they're in). There's not just one, so it's kind of hard to catch them."
Burton fears there is little the authorities can do to prevent the onslaught of all-terrain vehicles on his property.
"They couldn't do much, I'd imagine," he said. "They wouldn't sit back there and look for them."
While Burton has identified several of the individuals trespassing on his land and even spoken to the parents of the riders, not much has come of it. For now, Burton said he will stand by and watch the four-wheelers tear up the property that he has called home for 30 years.
"They're everywhere," he said. "Any man who's got land has got a four-wheeler problem."
McGee has seen his problem with invasive four-wheelers on his parent's land dwindle, but trespassers still find their way onto the farm. While they may try to cover up the fact that they've been in their fields, McGee said he and his family don't need to catch people on their land to know they're there.
"They may try to hide it if they've been out there, but we'll find out eventually," he said. "It's still Sussex County."
By: By Andrew Ostroski
Staff Writer
http://www.dailytimesonline.com/
