Hello Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Community,
This is a public service announcement for all-terrain motor vehicle or off-road recreational vehicle use and impacts on the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Reservation. The Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Police Department has been documenting unlawful use of all-terrain motor vehicles, or off-road recreational vehicles. Off-road travel by these types of vehicles is prohibited by Tribal Law and Order Code Sec. 12.23 NN. Operating these types of vehicles off of paved surfaces damages native plants and increases the spread of invasive weeds. Another negative impact of off-road travel is churning of the soil, which increases soil erosion and subsequently decreases vegetation cover. Off-road travel also has a unique negative impact that specifically applies to the Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Community in the way of damage of archaeological resources. This reservation has numerous archaeological sites that are protected to help preserve the history of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe (see Tribal Law and Order Code Sec. 10.4A). On behalf of the Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Police Department, we want to thank the community for helping preserve existing natural resources and the history of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. Please visit pd.ypit.com for more information and monthly updates.
-Conservation Law Enforcement Officer Ben Shelby
Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Law and Order Code
· Sec 12.23 NN.1 An all-terrain motor vehicle or off-road recreational vehicle may only be operated on the Reservation under the follow circumstance: The vehicle shall only be operated on a paved roadway, unless it is owned by the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe while performing official duties of the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe.
· Sec 12.5 A.1 No Indian, except those expressly exempted in this chapter, shall drive any motor vehicle upon a highway on this Reservation unless the Indian has a valid license as an operator or chauffeur issued by the appropriate agency of the United States, a state or a foreign government. No Indian shall drive a motor vehicle as a chauffeur unless he holds a valid chauffeur’s license.
· Sec 10.4 A. No person may excavate, move, remove, injure, damage, deface, destroy, or otherwise alter, disturb, or desecrate any archaeological resource, nor conduct any archaeological research, no conduct any archaeological survey or study involving archaeological resources, located within the Reservation unless such activity is within the specific limits of permission and authority to carry on such activities pursuant to a permit issued under Section 10.9.