It may sound like a soap opera, but the Department of Natural Resources wants to find out if its true love between ATV's and LUV's, as in Lightweight Utility Vehicles. Mike Simonson reports.

So the DNR is conducting a pilot program in a handful of northern Wisconsin counties to find out if the relationship can work. Florence, Forest, Sawyer, Marinette, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida and Washburn Counties are eligible for the pilot program, if local governments approve it. Unlike ATV’s--"Lightweight Utility Vehicle" passengers ride side by side. They look like golf carts on steroids. DNR Safety Warden Bill Yearman says LUVs are designed for running around in nature...but they're not legal for trails now. "Vehicles that pretty much meet that definition like the Ranger or the Gator or other vehicles. They don't fall into any definition that we have right now. They're obviously not cars or trucks, they're not farming equipment and they're not ATVs." The trouble is, Yearman says a lot of people buy LUVs thinking that they qualify for ATV trails. So, eight northern Wisconsin counties can sign up for the experiment and give it a try. "The idea is as a pilot project, is this going to be a problem? Are there any reasons why these types of vehicles can't get along with other types of vehicles?" This is no quickie relationship: The DNR experiment with LUV will go until the end of September in 2009.

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