Our Access to Public Lands is Being Attacked Like Never Before

Our freedom to roam is under assault from a plan to close everything off and make us ask permission before we enjoy it.

There is a plan underway to close the great open spaces of the American West to you, me, our children, and our children’s children. The federal government — which owns most of this land — is determined to move from a “use and let use” system of accessing Western public lands to a permission-based system that will mean reservations, permits, and closures.

Just last month, the Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision to close 317 miles of historic and popular off-road trails near Moab, Utah. For decades, these trails — which are mostly old uranium mining roads — have been enjoyed by everyone from Jeep owners to dirt bike riders to base jumpers looking for a place to land. They have evocative names like Gemini Bridges, Mashed Potatoes, and Dead Cow Trail. They appear in guidebooks. Some of them are even featured in the hugely popular Easter Jeep Safari.

The plan is already being implemented, and it threatens the freedom enjoyed by tens of millions of Americans who hike, camp, Jeep, mountain bike, ATV, fish, swim, canoe, kayak, trail run, overland, base jump, raft, and backpack the millions of acres of free space that make “the West” the West.

I have enjoyed our public lands my entire life. There is nothing like a sip of coffee as you watch the first rays of dawn begin to break on the red rocks. You don’t realize how tough your kids are until they shrug off a chilly 15-degree night in a sleeping bag. And you don’t really appreciate how unfathomably vast the West is until you spend three days exploring the backcountry without seeing another human soul.

All of these experiences — and many others — take place on public lands. There is no entrance fee. There is no permit required. You just lace up your hiking boots, or jump in your pickup, or hop on your mountain bike, and you go. Simple as that. So long you don’t litter or destroy or cause a ruckus, you are left to your own devices. It is something that unites Americans of every class, creed, color, and political persuasion.

That feeling of expansive freedom speaks to everyone who steps outside to enjoy and explore America’s public lands. It feels like our birthright to enjoy them and, for hundreds of years now, it has been just that.

But now, that freedom to roam is under assault from a plan to close everything off and make you ask permission before you enjoy it. If nothing is done to stop it, one of the last, great, unifying forces in American public and private life will be fundamentally transformed and left unrecognizable before most people realize what is happening.

Zooming out, the aggressive rate of federal trail closures is part of the larger “30×30” plan that President Joe Biden announced shortly after taking office. The alleged intention is to “conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters and 30% of U.S. ocean areas by 2030.”

There is no evidence that users of these trails have been damaging them. Indeed, people cherish these lands. Go drive the trails and you will rarely encounter even a single piece of trash. That is why they have been in use for decades with no appreciable degradation.

Nevertheless, the federal government is now implementing a plan to close hundreds of miles of cherished trails. And that is why the BlueRibbon Coalition — the nation’s premier group dedicated to preserving motorized access to wilderness — has joined with the Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders to challenge the plan in court. They are represented by my organization, the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

What the Biden administration’s plan really means is an aggressive plan to close those lands to use by the public. Well, not to the entire public — crunchy backpackers and hikers are still beloved by the left. But the executive decision will limit access for the “wrong” kind of outdoorsy people — people who drive Jeeps and Toyotas and ride ATVs and dirt bikes, and who look like they might be having a good time without suffering under a heavy backpack.

This seems to be a great paradox to those who do not understand why people love overlanding, dispersed camping, dirt biking, ATV riding, and off-roading, but it is no mystery to those of us who actually engage in these activities. We love the wilderness, too. We love taking our children, friends, and family out there and enjoying fresh air and magnificent scenery. If we come across someone else’s trash, we pick it up. If we see someone breaking the rules (by, say, driving off-trail), we reprimand them.

There are very, very few law enforcement personnel on these lands enforcing the rules. Instead, the motorized travel community self-enforces an ethic of respect for public lands. We teach it to our children. That is why these trails remain so attractive as a place to recreate.

The Moab closures are a bellwether case for protecting access to public lands. The closures represent a provocative challenge to an entire way of life for millions of people in the West. If the Biden administration can close these lands, it can close them anywhere. Americans have shown themselves to be responsible stewards of their public lands, and they deserve to be able to enjoy them — freely — for generations to come.

By Matt Miller, Texas Public Policy Foundation     November 2, 2023




Manti LaSal Forest Management Plan Comments Due by November 16

The Forest Service has released their draft plan for the Manti LaSal Forest. The Manti LaSal forest is in Northern Utah near Manti, and also in the LaSal Mountains in Colorado east of Moab. It makes up 1.4 Million acres in total. It is home to both the Arapeen Trail System as well as some of the best snowmobiling areas in Utah.

The plan has potentially devastating impacts on winter recreation, substantial cutbacks in motorized vehicle areas, and proposes 7 areas to be considered Wilderness areas.

REMEMBER: When submitting comments, the most important ones, and the hardest for us to get, are details on the trails you use. Include photos and Forest Service Road Numbers if you know  them, Please get your comments sent in one of the 3 ways before November 16.

BlueRibbon Coalition will be publishing comments on the plan, but we need your comments as well, especially those concerning how you, or your family, has used the area, what trails, what time of year, forms of recreation, any access issues like disabilities, etc. You can learn more about the details and submit comments on BRC’s Action Alert here.

Visit the Forest Service Project Page and Submit Comments Directly to the Forest Service Here. Suggested tip, hopefully you will have long strings of comments, photos, and more. These are most easily submitted by writing them in a document and attaching them rather than using the form box.

 

UPLA received comments from the San Pete Tourism Office which are copied below that you might use as a basis for your own comments.

WINTER RECREATION AND ACCESS
GUIDELINES (FW-WINTER-GD) – PAGE 2-60
02 TO MANAGE FOR AND PROVIDE A DIVERSITY OF WINTER RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES, MOTORIZED, OVER-SNOW TRAVEL IS NOT SUITABLE IN PRIMITIVE AND SEMI-PRIMITIVE NON-MOTORIZED RECREATION OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM CLASSES EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCIES OR ADMINISTRATIVE USES. NEW MOTORIZED FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD NOT BE DEVELOPED IN THOSE CLASSES.
Motorized over-snow travel is suitable in primitive and semi-primitive non-motorized recreation opportunity spectrum classes, as the landscape is protected by a layer of snow. No evidence of over-snow travel remains after the snow melts. Also, the more over-snow machines spread out, the lower the impact on wildlife, and the less conflict with non- motorized users that tend to recreate close to trailheads.
RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SPECTRUM, NORTH ZONE
Summer ROS: no semi-primitive non-motorized areas should be designated in the Sanpete Ranger District. Alternative A is the preferred option for the north zone.
Winter ROS: no semi-primitive non-motorized areas should be designated- except on big game winter range.
RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS MANAGEMENT AREA
No areas on the north zone should be considered as wilderness, specifically:
1. Blind canyon
2. Mill fork
3. Fish creek
4. Candland mountain
5. Gentry mountain
6. Canal canyon
7. Sanpitch
Nor should the following standards, objectives, & guideline be practiced for the north zone. Such practices essentially allow the land to be managed as wilderness without congressional approval.
OBJECTIVES (MA-RECWILD-OB) – PAGE 4-95
01 TO ENSURE MAINTENANCE OF THE WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS THAT COULD ALLOW THESE AREAS TO BE ADDED TO THE WILDERNESS SYSTEM, CLOSURE ORDERS FOR COMMERCIAL FILMING AND LAUNCHING SHOULD BE WRITTEN WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF PLAN APPROVAL.
02 OVER THE LIFE OF THE PLAN, REQUEST THAT ALL RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS BE WITHDRAWN FROM MINERAL ENTRY IN CONFORMANCE WITH SECTION 204 OF THE FEDERAL LAND POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1976 (NATIONAL FOREST MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1976).
STANDARDS (MA-RECWILD-ST)
01 COMMERCIAL FILMING SHALL NOT BE AUTHORIZED IN RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS.02 RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE RECREATION OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM CLASSIFICATION OF PRIMITIVE.
03 RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS SHALL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION.
04 TIMBER HARVEST IN A RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREA SHALL ONLY OCCUR IF REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS OF THAT AREA.
05 RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS SHALL BE SUITABLE FOR WATERSHED RESTORATION ACTIVITIES WHERE THE OUTCOMES WILL PROTECT THEIR WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS, IF THE ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR WILDERNESS RECOMMENDATION ARE MAINTAINED AND PROTECTED.
06 RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS SHALL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR MOTORIZED AND MECHANIZED TRANSPORT, UNLESS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES, VALID EXISTING RIGHTS, OR ADMINISTRATIVE USE.
07 RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREAS SHALL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR NEW MOTORIZED OR MECHANIZED ROADS OR TRAILS.
08 SCENERY MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE SCENIC INTEGRITY OBJECTIVE OF HIGH OR VERY HIGH. GUIDELINES (MA-RECWILD-GD)
01 TO MAINTAIN WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS, FIRE SUPPRESSION ACTIONS SHOULD APPLY MINIMUM IMPACT STRATEGIES AND TACTICS, EXCEPT WHEN DIRECT ATTACK IS NEEDED TO PROTECT LIFE, ADJACENT PROPERTY, OR TO MITIGATE RISKS TO RESPONDERS.
02 TO ENHANCE OR IMPROVE WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS, VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ACTIONS SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN USING THE MINIMUM TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES NECESSARY.
03 TREE CUTTING MAY OCCUR INCIDENTAL TO OTHER MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, TRAIL MAINTENANCE, REMOVAL OF HAZARD TREES, OR FIRELINE CONSTRUCTION.