BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Locked metal gates were no match for dogged ATV riders prepared to scale any obstacle to gain access to the bed of the Comite River. At one point, the frustrated private property owner installed surveillance cameras to catch trespassers on video. The cameras disappeared, just as his livelihood has over the past few years.

“They’re determined, no matter what, to get past these gates,” said Shane Rush. He owns a majority stake in more than 300 acres of prime real estate along the Comite in northeastern East Baton Rouge Parish, featuring about 5,000 feet of riverfront land up to and including portions of the river itself.