Abstract
Off Highway Vehicle use is an increasingly popular recreational activity in the United States. Off Highway Vehicles, or OHV’s, are a class of vehicles that are not legally registered to drive on a public road. People enjoy riding OHV’s on both public and private land for a variety of reasons including hunting, farming, competition or recreation. Yet OHV’s also tend to create public controversy from the impacts of their use. In Yolo County, OHV use is a policy concern because the activity is popular with residents but often conflicts with private property rights and can adversely impact natural resources. This thesis will offer a conflict assessment of the current situation regarding OHV use in Yolo County. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the ability of Yolo County to conduct a collaborative effort to address this policy issue. I drew upon background research, review of public documents, as well as interviews with individuals involved with or affected by OHV use as the main sources of data for this investigation. The results of this assessment show that a public collaboration to address OHV related issues in Yolo County is not advisable at this time. However, there are aspects of collaboration that may be used by Yolo County to help move OHV policy forward. Additionally, the thesis suggests strategies that may be more generally helpful in disputes involving environmental concerns and access to public lands.