Desert Messenger

September 18, 2019 www.DesertMessenger.com 21 YourPassNow offers visitors digital access to America's public lands YUMA, Ariz. – Recreationists will now be able to easily purchase rec- reation permits online for Bureau of Land Management Long Term Visi- tor Areas (LTVA), making access to public lands more convenient. The permits will be available through the digital marketplace, YourPass- Now (https://www.yourpassnow. com/. This innovation is made pos- sible through a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management and NIC Inc., a digital government services provider. "Purchasing a permit through YourPassNow offers our visitors improved access to recreational op- portunities on public lands," said William Mack, Jr., BLM's Colorado River District Manager. "This digi- tal service will greatly improve the convenience of visiting LTVA sites and streamline our internal BLM fee collection process. We are excit- ed to pilot this service for the BLM and hope to continue to enhance the visitor experience on public lands." YourPassNow provides an alterna- tive to the traditional paper-based, in-person purchase method while simultaneously providing public lands with a tool to help manage the visitor experience. Using a personal device, visitors can purchase passes and permits from www.yourpass- now.com. Once purchased, passes and permits can be downloaded or stored to a virtual wallet for imme- diate and future use, unless other- wise specifi ed. Passes and permits are also emailed for those who want to print their pass. The BLM offers long-term camp- ing opportunities for up to seven months between September 15 and April 15 at the following designated Long Term Visitor Area locations, with a valid LTVA long-term or short-visit permit and decal: ● Hot Spring LTVA ● Imperial LTVA ● La Posa LTVA ● Midland LTVA ● Mule Mountain LTVA ● Pilot Knob LTVA ● Tamarisk LTVA Once purchased, you must print your LTVA permit receipt and ex- change it at one of the following locations during normal business hours, excluding holidays, to receive a valid LTVA permit and decal(s): ● La Posa LTVA - Tyson Wash Con- tact Station, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., daily, Sept 15 – Apr 15 ● Imperial LTVA Contact Station, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., daily ● Yuma Field Offi ce, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri The Yuma Field Offi ce, located at 7341 E. 30th Street in Yuma, Ari- zona, is the only location that will accept electronic receipts. The LTVA long-term permit al- lows use of BLM LTVAs continu- ously from September 15 to April 15 (a total of seven months), or for any length of time between those two dates. The LTVA short-visit permit allows use of BLM LTVAs for any 14 consecutive day period from Sep- tember 15 to April 15, which begins on the day the receipt is exchanged for the offi cial permit and decal. The LTVA short-visit permit may be renewed an unlimited number of times for the cost of the permit. The LTVA permits are special rec- reation area permits authorizing permit holders to use the LTVAs. As a result of this special designation, no discounts apply to the LTVA long term or short-visit permit fee. For use of the LTVAs between April 16 and September 14, please visit: https://www.blm.gov/visit/ search/0/0/LTVA/1 for more in- formation. To view the LTVA rules, see the LTVA Supplementary Rules handout (https://www.blm.gov/ download/fi le/fi d/26887). Cellular and Wi-Fi services may be available at some long-term camping loca- tions, depending on your service provider's coverage. Yuma Field Offi ce joins the follow- Purchase BLM LTVA permits online ing public lands currently provid- ing electronic passes and permits through YourPassNow: Acadia, Ev- erglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Theodore Roosevelt, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yo- semite National Parks; Castillo de San Marcos and Colorado National Monuments; Whiskeytown Nation- al Recreation Area; Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area; Wayne National Forest; the Bureau of Land Management's Lake Havasu Field Offi ce; and the State of Arkansas' historic Eureka Springs. Developed in cooperation with the National Park Service, YourPass- Now makes it easy and convenient for visitors to purchase entrance passes and land access permits to public lands online. YourPassNow provides visitors a new level of rec- reation access to America's public lands. For more information, please visit www.yourpassnow.com. New decal required for nonresidents to ride in Arizona, purchased only through AZGFD Out-of-state residents wishing to legally ride their off-highway ve- hicle and support OHV trail main- tenance, education and law en- forcement efforts in Arizona can purchase a nonresident OHV decal beginning Sunday, Sept. 1. The new decal was supported and pushed by the OHV riding commu- nity during the 2019 legislative ses- sion and was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. The law requires non- resident OHV owners to purchase a decal to operate the machines with- in the state. All OHVs designed by the manufac- turer primarily for use over unim- proved terrain and that weigh 2,500 pounds or less are required by law to display a valid OHV decal to oper- ate on public and state trust lands. This includes "street legal" OHVs that meet these two requirements. Before the law was passed, nonres- ident OHV owners could ride their machines within the state for up to 30 days only if their state had a sim- ilar in-state resident decal program. There is no longer a grace period allowing nonresidents to operate without an Arizona decal and own- ers are now required to purchase a decal before operating their ma- chines within the state. Those caught riding without a cur- rent decal can be fi ned. Both resident and nonresident OHV decals cost $25 (plus a pro- cessing fee) and are good for one year from the purchase date. While the resident OHV decal can be pur- chased at any Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offi ce or at www.servicear- izona.com, the nonresident OHV decal can only be purchased online through an Arizona Game and Fish Department portal account, which can be created at www.azgfd.gov by clicking "My Account." Non-resident OHV decal now on sale Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com

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