About COHVCO

Formed in 1987 by a group of leaders from the four wheel drive, motorcycle, snowmobile, and ATV communities, we work to promote legislation and regulation favorable toward responsible OHV recreation. Over the years, we have established relationships with Federal and State Legislators and Land Managers to enhance OHV opportunities in Colorado. We work closely with local clubs, state and national OHV organizations, as well as other trail and recreational coalitions to promote OHV opportunities. COHVCO was instrumental in starting the Colorado State Parks OHV registration program, and still monitors the program today.

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RECENT NEWS

YTD 2024 Accomplishments and Activities

COHVCO efforts have reached new heights as challenges to motorized recreation have evolved beyond the development of travel plans.  COHVCO lobbyists successfully: 

• obtained legislation mandating better engagement of the CPW(Colorado Parks and Wildlife) commission with the interests they represent;
• fought legislation that would have imposed caps on vehicle miles traveled to combat air quality concerns; 
• Worked to prevent prohibiting the sale of OHVs in the future due to concerns about PFAS (forever chemicals) in their production; 
• Worked to pass legislation that clarified  that snowmobile program permits were needed for anyone out of state riding a sled in Colorado; and
• avoided Senate confirmation of CPW Commission members that did not represent recreation.

In Colorado, our riding/driving areas are dependent on keeping public lands open to motorized recreation. In today’s environment of legal challenges to our sport and federal planning efforts in new and limiting ways we must continue to be heard so riding areas will be open for generations to come. COHVCO recent wins include:
 
• Successfully objecting to the GMUG (Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison) Resource Management Plan that could have designated hundreds of thousands of acres closed to motorized usage and imposed a cap on trail density in hundreds of thousands of acres designated as wildlife habitat; 

• Working with state and local representatives to ensure that motorized trail opportunities are protected and enhanced with the development of a network of Recreation/Conservation Districts throughout the State as Ordered by Governor Polis; 

• Fighting to ensure that important motorized opportunities in areas previously Congressionally released for non-wilderness multiple uses are not designated as recommended Wilderness in new forest plans; 

• Protecting motorized access in the Camp Hale area with a Presidential proclamation, which is a huge shift from the CORE Act and Congresswoman DeGette Colorado Wilderness Act,  that would designate vast tracts of recent identified areas for future snowmobile expansion as Wilderness;

• We supported trail reopening and repair in the Cameron Peak Burn Scar that reopened and improved more than 60 miles of single track trails and expanded trails in the Penrose Commons Area and Palisade Wall Project;

• Continuing in discussions around the national and state mandates to protect 30% of lands by 2030 to make sure you don’t lose OHV access; and

• We have started discussions around the possible development of a network of State OHV parks for Colorado similar to California..

We have been busy outside the Capitol as well as last year COHVCO notched the following wins for OHV users:  

• Ensuring that wolves were not reintroduced to the detriment of recreational opportunities
• Ensuring that motorized recreation is represented in Wolverine Reintroduction efforts now required;
• Working to ensure that new water quality legislation is not used to close trails or slow grants from their projects;
• Ensuring that Forest Service efforts to manage old growth timber do not become a barrier to trail maintenance activities; and
• Seeking to protect OHV opportunities in areas BLM designates for the development of solar energy fields. 

COHVCO Partners & Supporters

COHVCO has a strong relationship with Federal, State, and OHV community organizations. Check out all of our member clubs and businesses in our Supporter Directory!