WINDHAM -- Vandals have ripped down the makeshift warning signs, but the new ordinance banning all-terrain vehicles on town-owned land will be enforced regardless, according to the town's selectmen and police chief.

Several informal signs posted by Conservation Commission members near Foster's Pond, Sirod Road, and other popular sites have been torn down recently, raising concerns about whether the ordinance can be enforced without proper notification to ATV users and town residents.

The ordinance took effect in April with little fanfare. "Unless you watch selectmen's meetings you might not know that the ordinance was in effect," said Dianna Fallon, Conservation Commission chairman.

But selectmen and Police Chief Bruce Moekel said this week that the ban will be enforced regardless of signs. ATVs are prohibited in all areas except those clearly marked for their use.

A suggestion by Fallon that sturdier metal signs be posted didn't go very far with selectmen, who said the change wouldn't deter determined vandals among the ranks of ATV users. "If they're taking your signs, metal signs aren't going to last either," Selectman Alan Carpenter said during a selectmen's meeting Tuesday night.

Police will soon begin patrolling for ATV scofflaws, and after a period of 60 days or so will begin confiscating illegally operated vehicles, Moekel said. He added, however, that he hoped word would spread among users before such action becomes necessary.

Last spring Foster's Pond suffered "quite a bit of disruption" from ATV users, and this year numerous disturbances already have been reported at the pond as well as on "some of the more private town land" such as Sirod Road, Fallon said.

"Spring is the most vulnerable time for a wetland, and our conservation lands have been severely impacted," she said. "We constantly get calls from surrounding neighbors."

The noisy motorized vehicles have also raised hackles among residents who live in the Depot Road area along the state-owned Rockingham Recreational Trail.

Legislation proposed by state Rep. Anthony DiFruscia, R-Windham, to ban motorized vehicles on a portion of the trail between Route 111 in Salem and Route 28 in Derry passed the House in March and emerged yesterday from the Senate Wildlife and Recreation Committee with a favorable recommendation. A vote by the full Senate is expected within two to three week. Gov. Craig Benson has said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk, according to Mark Samsel, a Depot Road resident who has lobbied for the ban. "It's looking pretty good," Samsel said.