Save Access to Kanab Area Trails like Hog Canyon, Peekaboo Canyon and Johnson Valley Petroglyphs

The Bureau of Land Management has opened scoping of the Travel Management Plan (TPM) for OHV trails in the Paunsaugunt Travel Management Area, which includes many popular trails in the Kanab area such as Hog Canyon and Peekaboo Canyon, as well as the petroglyphs in Johnson Canyon. The area is huge, encompassing everything East of Hwy 89A, South of Hwy 14, and to the Arizona border. It is bordered on the East by other Federal lands not a part of this study. The current TMP has 418 miles of OHV trails, and during the BLM’s internal scoping they identified 33 miles of routes that were overlooked in the 2008 inventory, and are being considered as additions to the OHV inventory, bringing the total to 451 miles of routes being reconsidered for designation. More details on the scoping project can be found here.

The current TMP was done in 2008, and must be reevaluated as a result of a 2017 settlement agreement between the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and BLM that stipulated the review of 13 TMPs across Utah. This TMP was one of SUWA’s main focuses of their court filing, and we can expect they will become heavily involved in fighting OHV use in this area. If you have not heard how SUWA and their cooperating agencies feel about OHV use, take a heavy dose of aspirin and visit their website.

The public scoping for this project will consider comments submitted by March 25, 2022. This is our best opportunity to influence the next stage of the process, so your public comments are urgently needed. There are several ways to submit comments, you can choose any of the following methods:

• By completing the form found here and emailing it to blm_ut_kn_mail@blm.gov
• By visiting the Scoping Map found here, clicking on a route (trail) and adding comments.
• By emailing blm_ut_kn_mail@blm.gov
• By Mail sent to: BLM Paria River District, Attn: Pansaugunt TMP, 669 S Hwy 89A, Kanab, UT 84741

So you want to help, but not sure what to say? Here’s some tips about effective comments for this stage of the process.

• The BLM must look at Direct, Indirect and Cumulative Impacts of any change. Direct impacts are those that are caused by the action and occur at the same time and place. Indirect impacts are caused by the action but occur later in time. An example would be that if routes are removed from the inventory, you would have a Direct Impact by immediately losing access to visit that resource, while indirect and cumulativeimpacts could be that remaining routes and resources will be burdened from the increased traffic on them, or that businesses or localities that cater to the OHV community would suffer. All of these are important and must be addressed as valid comments. Further, it is more effective rather than stating an opinion or belief, you ask the BLM to study the impact you have concerns about. For example:

“Please study the effects that could be caused by the closure of routes in this area on remaining resources in the area due to increased traffic or visitation”

“Please study the effects caused by the closure of Johnson Valley OHV routes on people with accessibility issues on visiting and learning about the beautiful petrographs in the area.”

“Please study the effects of closing some of the routes in the area on making quick, easy exits on other trails in the event of medical or other emergencies”

“Please study the impact on emergency access to areas by first responders such as Search and Rescue or Fire crews if trails are not maintained”

• Cite your personal experience with the area. Some possible topics you might include are who you are, how long you’ve been coming to visit, whether you bring your family or other people with you, the amount of money you spend in the community each year when visiting, what types of businesses you frequent (hotels, camping, restaurants, grocery stores, etc).
• If you have done trail maintenance work in the area, please indicate your personal experiences.
• If you have any accessibility issues which would prevent you from continuing to visit if OHV use were disallowed or limited

SUWA will undoubtedly be drumming up their efforts to close as many of these routes as possible. Your action in helping us thwart their attempt is vital, Take Action Today!

Help us reach our matching goal of $17,500 to add another composting toilet on Sand Mountain by the end of Winter 4×4 Jamboree. Donate via Paypal here

Utah is blessed with 2,400,000 acres of land owned by federal and state government, that means 70% of Utah land belongs to us, the people. Even though it’s our land, the fight to retain access to these lands for responsible recreation is getting even fiercer.

The Utah Public Lands Alliance has been representing the public since 2014 and now have over 950 members. We are expanding our coverage throughout the state and to make sure we represent all public land users. To accomplish our Mission, we are changing our Membership policy effective July 6, 2021.

Our existing Lifetime Members as of June 30 will be automatically converted to Charter Members, which are to be recognized as the first to step up to meet the challenge. All Charter Members will retain their membership for life without any further subscriptions.

Effective July 6 all new members will become Annual Members at the same fee of $25 except it will automatically renew each year. For Members that want to step forward and be recognized for making a huge difference, a Benefactor Lifetime Membership will be available for $500 as a one time donation.

What Do You Need To Do?

If you are already a UPLA member, you do not need to do anything, you will automatically become a Charter Member on July 6.

If you are not currently a member, sign up for the Lifetime Membership by July 5 and you’ll automatically become a Charter Member, meaning you’ll never have to pay membership dues again.

Together, We Will Win

But We Can’t Do It Without You

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invites the public to play an important role in helping the BLM identify where motorized transportation on public lands in eastern Utah will be allowed. Today, the BLM Vernal Field Office announced the beginning of a 30-day scoping period to inform the Book Cliffs Travel Management Plan as well as the dates for online open houses to learn more.

The Travel Management Plan will help the BLM to provide a public motorized transportation network to serve visitors and local communities while protecting natural resources. While the 2008 Vernal Resource Management Plan considered public motorized vehicle uses on a landscape scale, this plan focuses on managing individual routes. It will determine whether routes are open, limited, or closed for public motorized use on a route-by-route basis.

The Book Cliffs travel management area in eastern Utah covers approximately 813,446 acres in Uintah County, 5,518 acres in Grand County, and 1,906 miles of routes.

“We look forward to hearing from the public during the Book Cliffs Travel Management Plan scoping period,” said Vernal Field Manager Roger Bankert. “Information submitted at this stage will help inform the initial draft of the travel management plan and environmental assessment. The most helpful comments are specific in nature and provide new information.”
The BLM will host online open houses on Wednesday, June 23, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. MST, and Thursday, June 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, meeting access, log in details, and/or commenting online, please visit the BLM’s ePlanning website: http://go.usa.gov/xNKuZ. Relevant maps and materials are posted on ePlanning, including a map with the complete route inventory for the Book Cliffs travel management area. Please note, the includes routes being evaluated for potential inclusion in the Book Cliffs TMP. It does not imply that those roads are available for use under travel management decisions in the Vernal Resource Management Plan.

Comments will help the BLM to formulate issues and alternatives included in the travel management plan. Specific information on the use of route, resource impacts from an existing route, and/or new information about the area is especially useful at this stage in the planning process. The Travel Management Plan will address topics related to motorized travel, including recreation, cultural resources, wildlife and fisheries habitat, soils and water quality, and wilderness characteristics.
The BLM requests public input during a 30-day scoping period starting on June 8, 2021 and ending on July 8, 2021. Comments must be submitted on or postmarked by July 8, 2021, through the BLM’s ePlanning website, by email, or by mail. Please reference “Book Cliffs TMP” when submitting comments.

ePlanning: http://go.usa.gov/xNKuZ
Email: BLM_UT_VN_Comments@blm.gov
Mail: 170 South 500 East Vernal, UT 84078

Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

People that use public lands in this area should review the documents on the ePlanning site, and write personal comments about specific reasons this area is important to you.

If you would like more about how to write relevant comments, please check out this resource. HOW_TO_WRITE_SCOPING_COMMENTS

Here is the scoping map that shows the current road inventory

I would like to thank everyone that submitted comments during the scoping period of the Labyrinth Canyon/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan (TMP). As of last Friday, there were 8077 comments filed from all over the United States, and I’m sure that number grew substantially over the weekend.

The Bureau of Land Management is required to go through this review of their 2008 TMP as a result of a settlement agreement they entered into with SUWA. Being a Federal Agency, the BLM is required to follow the procedures laid out in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This process is required to be completed within 6 years from the settlement date, so it will be ongoing until 2023 through the various processes. In addition, there will be 9 other TMPs that are also required to be reviewed during the next few years.

A common question is, can I make a difference? The short answer is Yes. As an example, the San Rafael Desert released the finalized version of the TMP and it resulted in an increase of authorized trails from 300 miles to more than 765 miles.

UPLA will be providing education on how to make the NEPA process work in our favor, but it will require the ongoing participation of our members and subscribers for several years to come. We will try to provide updates as comments periods open, and how to best structure your comments to be effective.

Marcus from CORE did an excellent video last week that talks about the Moab TMP that will give you an understanding of the process.

New Moab Noise Ordinance can get you 6 months Free Lodging!

UPLA just learned that Moab is poised to pass a new noise ordinance tonight that can levy penalties of 6 months in jail and up to $1,000 fines. The standards that are being considered are much more restrictive than Federal or most other municipalities that have adopted ordinances. This ordinance was put together hastily, largely without public input. UPLA believes that the City of Moab should solicit participation from relevant stakeholders and hold more public hearings and comments before this ordinance is passed. This not only will affect off roaders, but also hotels, campgrounds, and restaurants-everyone in the hospitality industry.

As Grand County has already passed a similar noise ordinance that is subject to revision, once again we ask you to take action to send your comments to all 3 of the following TODAY!

Commission@GrandCountyUtah.net
City-Council@MoabCity.org
Landuse@Utahpla.com

Here are some suggestions on possible comments you may want to include:

• Please do not excessively restrict vehicle sounds on the streets and dirt roads surrounding Moab.
• 4WD and car enthusiasts appreciate the opportunity to visit Moab and its iconic landscape, and we expect everyone to visit with respect. However, limiting automobiles to 92 dB (at twenty inches) by J1492 is too strict, as the five states (CA, WA, MT, MI, ME) that limit automobiles by J1492 or older stationary-test methods set the limit at 95 dB.  A 95 dB limit sufficiently captures problem mufflers, and it would largely resolve noise concerns. A 92 dB limit unnecessarily prohibits most modified vehicles (including rock crawlers that access the famous 4WD trails) that simply are not bothering people when driven normally.
• Moab City’s proposed reduction from 92 dB to 85 dB at night would essentially ban the use of modified vehicles and even many stock vehicles from 10pm to 7am (and 9am on Sundays). They are often used for other purposes beyond recreational driving. Stationary sound limits are a type of equipment requirement, and they should not change by time of day.
• The city and county’s pass-by sound limits (at fifty feet) of 74 dB during the day and 72 dB at night are also too severe. The global standards that automobile manufacturers follow are generally 80 dB. While these standards involve hard acceleration that can usually be avoided in everyday use, non-stock tires and other common accessories add to the total sound, so the pass-by limits should be increased by 6 dB and specify a recognized test methodology or specify that pass-by limits are only for screening to identify which vehicles are stopped for a stationary test.
• The suggested limits of 95 dB by J1492 and 80 dB at fifty feet would resolve noise concerns effectively and practically for everyone involved. These limits are in line with the other jurisdictions that are actually enforcing their sound standards. They would make 4WD and car drivers fix their share of the noise problem. They are worth trying in the Moab community.

Read another Overview of the Noise Ordinance here…https://utahpla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Moab-noise-overview.pdf

Read the proposed ordinance here…. https://utahpla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Proposed-Ordinance-for-42721-approval.pdf