Utah is a state blessed with spectacular scenery and a breathtaking landscape that is unlike anything else in the country. A lot of this is public land that can be enjoyed and used by members of the public. These public lands need to be protected, preserved and enjoyed and that’s what the Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) does.

Our mission at UPLA is to take steps to preserve Utah’s public lands and maintain them for public use. We do this in coalition with all other land user groups mainly through raising public awareness and also cooperating with various regulatory agencies e.g. the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), state and federal officials. Our focus is on all aspects of land management including access, enforcement, improvement and protection.

Why Public Lands Matter To Us

When you think of Utah, you think of Bears Ears National Monument, The Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. These are just some of the public lands we strive to conserve and protect. The National Parks and monuments, wildlife refuges, national forests, rivers, canyons, cliffs, and desert lands belong to all of us.

These lands ensure that Americans have plenty of places to pursue a number of recreational activities including hiking, fishing, climbing and off-roading. You can also head to these places to find solace, tranquility or just rest and commune with nature. Our public lands are not only a source of beauty and inspiration but also help support a robust outdoor recreation economy that in turn supports different local businesses.

Public Lands are Under Constant Threat In The States & Utah

Imagine a Utah without all these open spaces, pristine environment and scenery that we love. A Utah where we and our children have no access to these lands and we can’t enjoy or use them.

The truth is our public lands are under constant threat of closure or loss in various ways. This can be through legislation that restricts public use, through acts of nature that degrade the land or even through people’s carelessness.

Regardless of the cause, losing our public lands would be devastating and a blow to both the humans and wildlife that depend on them.

How to Help Us Protect Utah Public Land

To further our course, we encourage you to become a member of the UPLA by choosing any of our membership options. Alternatively, you can help us preserve Utah’s public lands by sharing about us and the projects we’ve done on social media. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to keep abreast of important events and any special land issues that require the public’s attention.

We would also appreciate it if you would contact us should you encounter any parcel of Utah’s public land that’s threatened by closure or loss. We take such issues seriously and will always do our best to ensure that our public lands remain accessible to all.

We have had some concern from local OHV folks about some construction going on inside the fence line south of the southern parkway.

This construction is the installation of a drainage pipe system that runs from Dixie Springs to a Retention Pond in lower Warner Valley. The project is being done by Washington County Water Conservancy District, and is necessary for flood protection.

The district contacted St George BLM, UPLA, and Desert Roads And Trails Society – Desert RATS about this issue 3 years ago and we worked with them to make sure this construction would have minimal effect on on the Open OHV area.

During the installation, please be cautious around the excavation sites, as there will be temporary blasting, heavy equipment, and open trenches involved. Once the installation is completed, there should be no remaining negative effect on the OHV area. In fact, it may be an opportunity for a new access trail to southern Warner Valley.

The key mission of the Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) is to preserve Utah’s public land for all to enjoy and use.

Utah is home to some of the most stunning and bewitching landscapes in the world. This includes dozens of national monuments, wilderness protection areas, and state parks. The state’s public lands encompass canyons, cliffs, rivers, forests and pristine desert environments with notable natural treasures such as the San Juan River, the Wasatch National Forest, Fischer Tower and Big Cottonwood Canyon, among others.

We value our public lands for not only the beauty and the inspiration they provide but also for supporting a thriving outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor recreation is a huge part of Utah culture and each year thousands visit our state to fish, hike, camp, climb, bike and take part in various off-roading sports.

We at UPLA strive to preserve Utah’s public lands because we want people to get out and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us and we also want to protect it for future generations.

Who is UPLA?

The UPLA is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization that was formed in 2014 to represent all users of public lands in Utah. We strive to keep these public lands for public use in coalition with all user groups and believe that working cooperatively as public land users will help us maintain access and recreational use of these lands for generations to come.

We focus on all facets of land management including improvement, access, enforcement, and protection.

How We Make A Difference In Utah

Since our inception, we are proud to have made a difference through some notable projects.  Including:

• Working with the BLM and Washington County to ensure that the Saint George Field Office Travel Plan 2014 includes all trails and roads to preserve access.
• Helping to develop and install permanent trail signs for popular trails in Sand Mountain OHV area.
• Collaborating with the BLM and the Desert RATS to construct a new trail (Ridgeline Trail) to access the West Rim trail system.
• Purchasing and installing composting toilets at Sand Mountain.
• Collaborating with the BLM and Moab Friends For Wheelin’ to place “You are Here” signs on Moab trails.  (Ongoing)

Get Engaged With The UPLA Mission

We encourage everyone, especially Utahns, to join the UPLA. Here are 4 ways you can get involved in our course:

1. Joining the UPLA. We offer 4 membership levels– Individual, Organizational, Corporate & Lifetime. When you join, you get benefits such as access to GPS tracks for various trails in the tri-state area as well as access to Trip Reports from St. George and southern Utah locations.
2. Spreading the word by sharing our website on social media.
3. Subscribing to our newsletter so you’ll always be informed of important events and special issues that call for everyone’s attention.
4. Being respectful of the land and all who use it. We encourage you to use all public land responsibly by practicing sanitary and responsible waste disposal, avoiding sensitive areas and staying on designated trails and respecting other public land users.

Public lands should remain public and we will continue protecting it for all outdoor enthusiasts.

March 20th 2019 Update: In our previous status updates regarding the closure of Area BFE, we referred to the current owner of area BFE as the “new” owner.  This was incorrect, as the current owner has been the owner of Area BFE since its inception.  I spoke with him this morning, and his response to was that other than the incorrect referral to him as the “new owner” our reports have been accurate, and fair.  He spoke of the history of Area BFE, and said that “After 15 years of ownership of the property, due primarily to escalating costs of insurance, I decided to develop the area into an OHV park, with improved facilities onsite.”    As we have stated previously, the closure of Area BFE does close a portion of the Strike Ravine trail, and therefore Strike  Ravine trail will not be run as a trail during Easter Jeep Safari.  The Red Rock 4 Wheelers are working with the BLM to create a new portion of the trail that will bypass Area BFE.  This will take some time, but once this new portion is completed  Strike Ravine Trail wil be opened for public use.  Until then, the trail will be truncated and will not be open across Area BFE.  Please respect the private land owner’s decision to develop his property.   – Gil Meacham, UPLA President.

We received an update from the Red Rock 4 Wheelers club (who host the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah) that off roading area BFE is sold, and the new owner will be building a retreat.

This has caused the closure of Strike Ravine run, which has been the subject of much legal maneuvering in the past. The courts found that the Strike Ravine trail is a recognized right of way, and it was reopened, until now.

Up to 2018, Strike ravine was kept open, but now the Red Rock 4 Wheelers have announced that Strike Ravine will not be run for the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari, and that they plan to create an alternative route to circumnavigate the closed private area that has been open until the closure of Area BFE.

• 15 other trails within Area BFE are also closed.

On the the area BFE website (www.areabfe.com) news page, they a have posted the following statement:

“On June 5, 2018, AreaBFE will be closing its doors to the general public to allow construction to start on the property for its build-out.

This means that AreaBFE is closed until further notice.

Special Events will be accommodated in Area BFE during our build-out phase to bring in power and water to the property. This will allow Area BFE to add some much needed facilities such as a bathroom house with showers.

Once reopened, the park will be membership-based, with daily access fees also available. Please watch our website and social media for membership updates.”

UPLA has requested a clarification of the utah public land protection status of this area. Any answers will be posted on the utahpla.com website as they are received.

HURRICANE – What began last Tuesday as a meeting with officials about the broader picture of maintaining access to public lands quickly turned into a debate about a proposed land swap involving a 1,200-acre chunk of the Sand Mountain off-highway vehicle area, a move opponents believe would open the floodgates to development in the area. Read More…

WASHINGTON COUNTY – Within the last seven months, a group of concerned local citizens formed the Utah Public Lands Alliance, an organization whose mission is “preserving public lands for public use” and whose main concern (and the impetus behind its establishment) is a proposed 1,200-acre land swap on Sand Mountain, a place it calls “Your OHV Paradise” on its fliers. Read more…