UTAH COURT PROTECTS THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF SCENIC LAND FROM ATV, DIRT BIKE RIDERS

Read this article: UTAH COURT PROTECTS THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF SCENIC LAND FROM ATV, DIRT BIKE RIDERS

The fight to protect public lands from ORV use is wide-spread. Given our efforts to push back on the BLM re the current WEMO proposal it is great to see successful efforts elsewhere.

From the article:

“Thanks to Earthjustice litigation, the BLM must now conduct comprehensive environmental and cultural surveys before deciding whether to designate dirt roads and trails in this area for off-road vehicle use. Prior to the ruling, the BLM had set aside 4,200 miles of trails for these vehicles—almost enough for a round trip from Los Angeles to New York City—as part of their Richfield Resource Management Plan without following legal requirements to “minimize” impacts or survey for cultural sites.

“This important decision flatly rejects Utah BLM’s ‘designate trails first, think later’ approach to off-road vehicle management,” said Stephen Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “Utah’s remarkable redrock landscapes demand better.”

WEMO Comment Period Is Over – Let’s Keep Working

Now that June 4 comment deadline is past let us reflect on how our community pulled together in an unprecedented way to submit comments. Thanks to everyone who has sent comments and to all who worked so hard to research issues and gather information. We will have to wait to see if the BLM provides an extension on the route designations.

Even though the comment period has ended there is action you can take.

Contact your local representatives from the county to the federal level about your concerns about the WEMO plan: Supervisor Ramos, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Interior Secretary Jewell.

Write letters to the editor about you concerns.