A map of Clinton State Park from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

Some areas in the Clinton Wildlife Area and around Clinton Lake are closed until next year because of illegal off-road driving, and officials are preparing for more damage during the winter months.

Justin Hamilton, public lands manager for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said earlier this year he made the decision to close down the Rock Creek Boat Ramp on the southwest portion of Clinton Lake and portions of Green Road in the western edge of the wildlife area.

Both areas have been damaged extensively by motorists driving through the area haphazardly, typically in recreational or sport utility vehicles, Hamilton said. Over time, potholes and ruts develop that make the pathways unnavigable.

“There were people who were actually trying to use the road, but they got stuck in it,” he said. “What really needs to be done is we need to put some culverts in, smooth out the potholes, build up the road and put more gravel on it.”

Around Dec. 13, areas around Douglas State Fishing Lake were damaged by off-road driving, Hamilton said Monday.

“We’ve also had some issues with people mudding in crop fields after the crops have been taken out,” he added.

Work to repair the damaged roads and grasslands takes both time and money, Hamilton said. And the roads will probably have to remain closed until a state-funded grant comes through next year.

Bruce Husman, acting park manager for Clinton Lake State Park, which operates at the northeast section of the lake, said the park has seen some significant damage to the landscape recently and officials have had to restrict certain areas to authorized people only.

One of the park’s most prominent features, Bunker Hill, has been damaged several times recently, Husman said.

“It’s pretty common. People come out to the state park and see this giant hill and they’ll drive off roads all through these natural grass prairies where we’re trying to grow the natural grass, even where the wildflowers are blooming,” he said. “They scar it for years. It’s just terrible.”

Although off-roading is quite popular in the warmer weather, especially after it rains, Husman said he expects the activity to pick up even more when the winter weather hits.

“Oh my God, you’ll see it this winter,” Husman said. “The snow, it beckons those guys. It increases when you’ve got snow on the ground because then they come out and purposefully drive over the fields.”

Some roads are gated off in the Clinton Wildlife Area to prevent the off-road driving, but some vehicles can simply drive around them, Hamilton said.

Husman said it is possible for the state park to post signs prohibiting the off-roading around the park.

Proper posting would mandate each vehicle keep two wheels on the pavement and enable enforcing agencies to ticket offenders, Husman said. But with the signage comes concerns about damaging the lake’s natural aesthetic.

In addition, it’s difficult to catch many off-road drivers in the act because of the large land area each enforcing entity must cover.

“We’ve got gates and fencing and patrolling, but I’ve got 10 areas that I manage, and most of the game wardens have multiple counties,” Hamilton said. “It’s really hard to catch some people.”

The most effective way to combat the destructive motorists, Husman and Hamilton agreed, is by cooperating with local residents, onlookers and other people who report the illegal activity when they see it happening.

Anyone noticing any illegal off-road driving is asked to report it to Operation Game Thief, a division of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, at 877-426-3843.