To minimize damage from ATV users, Forest Service officials completed fencing a mile-and-a-quarter section of the Sage Hen recreation area on Wednesday.

Over the past few years, Sage Hen has sustained land and archaeological damage from frequent off-road vehicles. Sage Hen is located from Great Cut Dike to County Road X and borders McPhee Reservoir.

According to Penny Wu, a recreation specialist at the Dolores-Mancos Ranger District, this off-road travel is already restricted within the Sage Hen area because it lies within an ancient Puebloan archaeological district. Motorized vehicles are allowed to travel only on the two roads that bisect the area, or users risk a federal offense and possible fines.

Instead, users have treated the sensitive archaeological area as an easily accessible off-roading playground.

Wu said she hopes the fence will prevent further damage to Sage Hen. "By placing a fence here, we hope to eliminate some of that (off-road travel)." The fence is located on the north side of County Road X. Camping is on the south side.

Wu said that off-road travel can be particularly damaging during times of moisture. "When we do get any type of moisture, the road starts to break down," she said. This causes new roads when travelers start to avoid muddy sections and drive off the road.

There is also a gravel pit on County Road X currently being used by ATVs that is now fenced off. Wu said the fence includes gates to access the designated travel routes, and is not an attempt to close the area to camping or other recreationists.

A Southwest Youth Corps crew from Durango worked with the Dolores district fire crew to construct the fence. Southwest Youth Corps is a local non-profit organization that provides youth opportunities to work on public lands.

Laura Kochanski, an archaeologist with the Dolores-Mancos Ranger District, said that users have been driving over sites, and if the soil becomes wet, the surface will rut and damage sub-surface sites.