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Dedicated to conservation and multiple use of public lands for recreation opportunities. Edited by: John Stewart |
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BLM Issues Travel Restrictions in Utah
FROM: Carla Boucher
DATE: January 26, 2001
WHAT: On January 22, 2001, the BLM published a Federal Register Notice of Travel Restrictions for the Moab Field Office, Utah. If you have access to the Internet, you can read a copy of the BLM Press Release at: http://www.blm.gov/utah/moab/travelnewsrelease.html.
HOW IT EFFECTS UFWDA: The BLM has issued these travel restrictions under regulations which permit the agency to close or restrict areas to vehicle use.
Land managed by the Moab Field Office is managed under the Grand Resource Area Resource Management Plan (Grand RMP). Since 1985 the Grand RMP designated travel in the area as “open to ORV use”. An “Open” designation means that all types of vehicle use is permitted at all times, anywhere in the area, including cross-country travel. These new travel restrictions temporarily change the designation from “open” to “limited”. A “Limited” designation means that an area is restricted at certain times, in certain areas, and/or to certain vehicular use, such as limiting use on existing roads and trails or limiting use on designated roads and trails. With this new notice, the restrictions prohibit cross-country travel and limit travel to existing roads and trails.
These restrictions will last until the Grand RMP is amended.
The BLM has stated that all existing roads and trails ARE OPEN TO VEHICLE USE, INCLUDING ALL ROUTES USED BY THE EASTER JEEP SAFARI, as well as other routes. With the exception of two trails listed below, these travel restrictions DO NOT CLOSE any existing routes, roads, or trails!
The two trails which are CLOSED to motorized travel are (1) The Sauropod Dinosaur Trackway Interpretive Trail, and (2) the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Interpretive Trail.
Before these travel restrictions went into effect, Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area, Negro Bill Canyon, and the east side of Westwater Canyon were already closed to OHV use. These old closures are NOT effected by the new travel restrictions and so those particular areas remain closed to motorized use.
One thing worth noting: These restrictions apply to mountain bikes as well as motorized vehicles. It appears as if the Moab Office of the BLM is implementing the BLM OHV strategy which incorporates mountain-bike and other human-powered uses into the concept of “OHV”. I’m sure our friends in the biking community are very upset to finally see that anti-access groups are targeting bicycling now. Although it comes as no surprise to those of us in the motorized recreation community we too are sad for the plight of our bicycling friends and the challenges that lay ahead of them, of which we are all too familiar. But we are in a place to offer them hope: their struggles are new but we have learned much and are turning the tide against anti-access!
| Contacts: | Related Links: |
| Russell von Koch, Resource Advisor BLM Moab Field Office 82 East Dogwood Avenue Moab, Utah 84532 (435) 259-2100 |
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