Photo Courtesy of Iowa DNR

In the early spring time when the Raccoon River in Greene County had it’s water level up considerably, it has recently seen quite a drop, which for one law enforcement officer, has been a breeding ground for a certain illegal activity.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Greene County Aaron Arthur says he is seeing more ATVs/UTVs driven along the Raccoon Riverbed in Greene County, which is illegal to do.

“They can drive down to our local boat accesses and the next thing you know they’re driving down into the river because right now the Raccoon River’s really low, which they cannot do. I just wanted to emphasize that that is not a legal opportunity. You know, they’re only legal for the roadways or any place a car can go in the parks, it’s the only places they can go. But people don’t seem to realize that when they buy an over-road machine.”  

Arthur points out two recent examples where operators of ATVs on two separate occasions got their vehicles stuck in the riverbed and one had to be towed out. He adds that other things to keep in mind when driving ATVs/UTVs on vehicle paths in county roads and parks, the driver must be at least 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license, the vehicle must have current registration, proper insurance, turn signals, headlights and mirrors.