Some people will argue the point with you, but you can be eco-friendly and ride an ATV. One way you can be a responsible ATV rider is to actively riding directly on wetlands. A wetland is ground that is constantly covered by shallow water, or with saturated soil. Wetlands are essential to nature, and provide the environment with important wildlife habitat, flood and erosion control, a kind of natural water purification, and more.
So, how do you tell when you're seeing a wetland? Some types of vegetation, such as marsh grass or cattails, are good indicators that an area is a wetland. There are some things that may look like wetlands that aren't, such as a puddle of rain on a hard surfaced trail. This is probably not a wetland, but be cautious just the same as riding repeatedly through a wet part of a trail will degrade the terrain.
A large number of ATV trails have wetlands in their forests, so be careful when you ride, and keep your ATV on the trail. Most ATV trails are plotted to avoid wetlands, but occasionally you will come upon one. Do your best to completely avoid the wetland and drive your ATV around it if possible to do so without trespassing on private property. If you do not respect the wetlands and the forest as a whole while you ride on it, the actions of a few irresponsible ATVers have caused the shut down of entire ATV trail systems. Remember to be safe, have fun, and Treadlightly with your ATV.
