The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is seeking grant funding to provide continued patrols and enforcement of areas where illegal off-road vehicles are being used.

The Sheriff’s Office said it continues to receive complaints about individuals on ATVs, primarily in the Santa Ynez riverbed and surrounding areas bordering the city of Lompoc, who are damaging private property and the environment.

The complaints, however, are not limited to those areas and are received throughout the county.

The offending ATV riders are violating several other state and county ordinances, the Sheriff’s Office reports.

The Sheriff’s Office plans continue enforcement in the Santa Ynez River, Santa Maria riverbed area (Sisquoc River), and Cuyama Valley, as well as locations in the south county area.

The Sheriff’s Office applied to the State of California Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) 2027 grant program. The preliminary application will be submitted by March 2.

As part of the multi-step application process, there is an opportunity for public comment and feedback before the final application, which is due June 1. From March 3 to May 4, the public can view the online grant application and submit comments.

To view the application, visit California State OHV Grants and Cooperative Agreements program.

To comment on the application, click on “GRANTS,” then “On Line Grants Application (OLGA).” Follow the directions on the menu bar on the left side of the screen.
 
This is the 12th year the Sheriff’s Office has applied for grant funding for OHV enforcement in Santa Barbara County.