Scoping is underway for the proposed Land Exchange for the Washington County Water Conservancy District to obtain 1050 acres of land from the Western portion of Sand Mountain OHV area near Warner Valley. Part of this may be to provide land for the new reservoir, to which we have no objection, but we are in opposition to the addition of the land east of Warner Valley Rim which would affect West Rim and Ridgeline Trails. You can learn more about the latest details at www.UtahPLA.com

What is Scoping? The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to involve the public in the planning process and seek their input through a scoping process, which is one of the first steps of the process. It will be followed by BLM’s preparation of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) , and you will have another opportunity to add substantive comments. Effective NEPA scoping comments for BLM should ask these kind of questions, some thought starters have been included in italics, but come up with your own questions, please don’t just copy this list, put it into your own words.

1. Provide specific information about the proposed action, including its location, purpose and need, and potential environmental impacts.
   1. We understand the purpose of the reservoir use, but what is the purpose of the large acquisition east and north of the reservoir?
   2. We asked the Water Conservancy District and City of Washington what they plan to use the land for, and their response has been they have no plans or it’s too early to have thought about it. BLM should demand a clear direction from the City of Washington as to their involvement and precise plans for the future.
   3. How will it affect visitors and their economic impact to the region?
   4. Adjoining lands that are managed by different agencies often cause conflicts because of differences in rules governing that use, and law enforcement. If the “dispersed” camping is eliminated at Washington Dam, law enforcement issues may rise with those people desiring free camping will arise in other areas, i.e. our Waddy’s Corral staging area may have people trying to camp there, especially after we pave the road to it. Much of the increase in OHV recreation has come from UTV/ATV users, who need staging areas to unload and park their machines. Where do they go if Washington Dam is closed?
   5.  What will be the Visual Resource Impacts of the change. Currently, most of Sand Mountain is classified as Class 2, but it appears from Map 2.14 in the BLM St George Field Office 1999 Recreation Management Plan that the West Rim is classified as Class 3. How will you ensure that the basic characteristics and visual appearance will be maintained if the exchange is approved?
2. Identify any alternatives that the BLM should consider, including no action, and explain why they would be preferable or less impactful.
   1. What other locations may have been considered for the exchange located north and east of the reservoir?
   2. Have you considered alternatives that eliminate the areas east of the reservoir.
   3. Have you considered replacing our area of concern with land to the south of the proposed reservoir location, where WCWCD is planning for recreation already.
   4. What other alternatives have you considered for acquiring the 89 acre Non Federal parcel.
   5. If no action is recommended as an alternative, please provide precise details what that means.
3. Highlight any potential significant impacts that may result from the proposed action and suggest ways to mitigate or avoid them.
   1. Without knowing what the new use will be, how can you clearly analyze potential impacts or mitigations.
   2. How do you propose to resolve impacts such as user conflicts between OHV and development or noise or traffic concerns.
   3. Although a State Park, California’s Oceano Dunes OHV users have been attacked by new residents building communities adjacent to the Dunes because of User Conflicts. What consideration have you given that the transfer could lead to even further losses if undetermined future users complain about current OHV use such as noise, traffic, or blowing sand.
4. Provide relevant scientific data, studies, or other sources of information to support the comments.
   1. Oceano Dunes is a great example of how user conflicts were created that led to further losses to OHV.
   2. In many communities, airports have come under attack from new communities built around them that complain about the noise, ultimately resulting in the closure of 378 airports since 1990, almost 7% of the total.
   3. How will the appraisal reflect the value of Recreation?
5. Address the scope of the proposed action, including any indirect or cumulative effects that may result from the action.
   1. How will access to the public lands on top of Warner Ridge and West Rim be accomplished.
   2. What will be the impact of the loss of staging and dry camping in the area?
   3. What will be the impact on OHV traffic patterns from the recently constructed Waddy’s Corral Staging area.
   4. Why are you giving more land than needed for the reservoir?
   5. Where will the people that use the disbursed camping sites on Pipeline Road go to?
   6. Where will the campers using Washington Dam free camping area go?
   7. There are often many conflicts when different land managers are in charge of adjacent areas, who is going to manage the acquired land, and what is their experience at working with BLM?
   8. How will the view sheds from the West Rim trail and above be impacted by the change?
   9. The OHV Area loss from this is 1050 acres, plus an additional loss of almost 400 acres if the reservoir project proceeds in a future request. This is in addition to the indirect and direct cumulative effects from various options from the 2016 Lake Powell Project proposal, ranging from 60 to 290 additional acres of land being closed to OHV use. This brings the total OHV loss to 1740 acres from the Sand Mountain SMRA. What other options have you considered?
6. Identify any potential environmental justice concerns that may arise from the proposed action, such as impacts on low-income or minority communities.
   1. How will the loss of free and disbursed camping affect users of lower income?
7. Discuss any potential cultural or historical impacts on Native American tribes or other affected communities.
   1. What cultural, anthropological, and historical impacts will result from this Proposed Exchange?
8. Offer specific suggestions for how the BLM can address public concerns and incorporate feedback into the decision-making process.
   1. While we appreciate the extension for comments of 6 days, there are many visitors that come at different times of the year, and it will take time to get the word out to people interested in the outcome. Have you collected user data by month to see what the most frequent periods the land is used? What do you need to justify an extended comment period for future comments?

Scoping is not about stating opinions or venting, it’s about developing the questions that should be answered in the EA or EIS. Framing your comments into questions are the best way to elicit consideration for that question to be addressed in future evaluations. No comment is worthless, but comments that are very broad such as “I don’t want this exchange to happen” are not very helpful if not supported by specifics. If you have detailed and specific comments, I encourage you to submit comments using Option 1 below. If are limited in time and want to make quick comments, I suggest you make your comments using the Blueribbon Action Alert Option 2, it has an excellent set of comments that cover a wide range of subjects. When you submit using the Blueribbon Action Alert, copies will be sent to BLM and Congress. The best option is to submit them both ways.

Now is the time to submit your comments, visit www.UtahPLA.com for the very latest information.  

• Submit Your Comments Electronically using your choice of methods:
  1. By email sent to blm_ut_sgfo_comments@blm.govwith a copy to StopSandMtnSale@gmail.com
  2. Visiting Blueribbon Coalition’s Action Alertat https://www.sharetrails.org/stop-the-sale-of-sand-mountain/#/104/

Comment Period Closes at Midnight on April 19, 2023

Start Now, and Get your Comments Submitted!

There’s little doubt we made headway in our meeting yesterday, but we are still in the first inning of a game that may well go into overtime. Let me recap what changed this morning, and what steps we need to take…

What happened this morning with the Water Conservancy? Jeff Bieber, Casey Lofthouse and I met with WCWCD’s Zach Renstrom, General Manager, and Morgan Drake. We showed them the maps we prepared, and explained that our main concerns were:

• Continued use of the area east of the reservoir in the same manner it has been used for years, Open OHV.
• Restrictions that would not allow any development east of the Reservoir.
• Access from the Washington Dam via Ridgeline Trail, or some route in that area.
• Staging and Camping in the Washington Dam area.

Zach committed that he was agreeable to executing some type of agreement like a deed restriction, that would guarantee OHV Open Access would continue permanently. He also said he would also agree to a permanent restriction that would prevent any development in the same area, other than perhaps a water tank and pipeline. He also agreed that WCWCD would ensure that either the Ridgeline Trail, or a replacement trail WCWCD would construct would keep access from Washington Dam.

He explained that the last issue was more complicated because the Water District was not, and would not be in the recreation business, their interest was solely in the reservoir. Their presumption is that they would retain ownership of the land north of the reservoir, but would contract with a recreation manager,  such as State Parks or either the Cities of Washington or Hurricane. They would not select a partner until they began the process of actually building the reservoir, so it is impossible to say how it would be managed or if it there would be a fee area. He added that because the land is fairly limited between the 7 and the reservoir (there is no plan yet for where to place the dam), most of the recreation opportunities would be on the west and south sides of the reservoir.

We think there may be a way to get a fee free staging area northeast of the dam. As we were told many years ago, the large free camping area will become a thing of the past once dam construction begins.

The commitments made by WCWCD cannot be accepted without a healthy degree of skepticism, and there is no binding written agreement to rely on, but UPLA and DRATS will continue discussions with WCWCD, and begin to consult with attorneys on the best way to ensure these commitments are binding. Once those binding assurances are granted, we hope to be able to withdraw our opposition to the exchange.

UPLA, DRATS, Trail Hero, Ride Utah and many others are recommending to Oppose the Exchange. With continued negotiations, we hope to be able to withdraw our opposition, but not now.

What Do I Need to Do Next?

The Land Exchange is still a very real threat, and we need to double down on our efforts with the Scoping and EIS comments as if there is no other verbal agreement. It would be foolish to count on that to save us.

What we need to do now is as simple as 1-2-3

• Show Up for the meeting Tuesday- Be respectful and learn not only the proposal, but how to submit comments that make a difference.
• Submit Your Comments Electronically using your choice of methods:
  1. By email sent to blm_ut_sgfo_comments@blm.gov with a copy to StopSandMtnSale@gmail.com
  2. Visiting Blueribbon Coalition’s Action Alert at https://www.sharetrails.org/stop-the-sale-of-sand-mountain/#/104/
     The deadline has been extended till Midnight April 19, 2023
     We recommend you put your thoughts together, and hold off a few days before submitting them until we get more information, which we will post here.
• Stay Engaged. We are only in the first inning of an overtime game. If you’re not getting the UPLA and DRATS Emails, sign up for them today to stay informed.

The momentum created by the OHV community has been phenomenal so far, we need to be repeating that again each day in the future.

Together, We Can Win,
But We Can’t Do It Without You!

Big Positive News About Today’s Negotiations!

Scoping is underway for the proposed Land Exchange for the Washington County Water Conservancy District to obtain 1050 acres of land from the Western portion of Sand Mountain OHV area near Warner Valley. Part of this is to provide land for the new reservoir, to which we have no objection, but we are in opposition to the addition of the land east of Warner Valley Rim which would affect West Rim and Ridgeline Trails. You can learn more about the details here at www.UtahPLA.com

Recent Development  Monday Morning-VERY IMPORTANT
We had a meeting with the Washington County Water Conservancy District this morning to discuss our concerns about losing both access and Open OHV recreation on the area east of the proposed reservoir waterline. We reached an agreement a verbal agreement that WCWCD would stipulate that the area will be restricted against any development activity and that it would remain designated for Open OHV forever, regardless of who might be managing the property. In addition, they agreed to also ensure we have either continued access via the Ridgeline Trail from Washington Dam, or will cut in an alternate access. This was the outcome we were hoping for, and greatly reduces our concerns. We will take steps to ensure this stipulation is well documented. At this point, we still are taking the position to oppose the Exchange until we get further assurance. We need everyone to show up at the meeting tomorrow to show your support, 

What is Scoping? NEPA requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to involve the public in the planning process and seek their input through a scoping process, which is one of the first steps of the process. It will be followed by BLM’s preparation of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and you will have another opportunity to submit comments. Effective NEPA scoping comments for BLM should answer these questions, some thought starters have been included in italics, but come up with your own questions.

1. Provide specific information about the proposed action, including its location, purpose, and potential environmental impacts. We understand the purpose of the reservoir use, but what is the purpose of the large acquisition east and north of the reservoir? We have asked the Water Conservancy District and City of Washington what they plan to use the land for, and their response has been that it’s too early to have thought about it. How will it affect visitors and their economic impact?
2. Identify any alternatives that the BLM should consider, including no action, and explain why they would be preferable or less impactful. What other locations may have been considered for the exchange located north and east of the reservoir? Include alternatives in the EIS that eliminate the areas east of the reservoir.
3. Highlight any potential significant impacts that may result from the proposed action and suggest ways to mitigate or avoid them. Without knowing what the use will be, it is impossible to clearly analyze potential impacts or mitigations. Some impacts could be things like user conflicts between OHV and development or noise or traffic concerns.
4. Provide relevant scientific data, studies, or other sources of information to support the comments.
5. Address the scope of the proposed action, including any indirect or cumulative effects that may result from the action. How will access to the public lands on top of Warner Ridge and West Rim be accomplished. What will be the impact of the loss of staging and dry camping in the area? What will be the impact on OHV traffic patterns from the recently constructed Waddy’s Corral Staging area. Why are they taking more land than they need for the reservoir? Where will the people that use the disbursed camping sites on Pipeline Road go to? Where will the campers using Washington Dam free camping area go? There are often many conflicts when different land managers are in charge of adjacent areas, who is going to manage the acquired land, and what is their experience at working with BLM. How will the view sheds from the West Rim trail and above be impacted by the change?
6. Identify any potential environmental justice concerns that may arise from the proposed action, such as impacts on low-income or minority communities. How will the loss of free and disbursed camping affect users of lower income?
7. Discuss any potential cultural or historical impacts on Native American tribes or other affected communities. What are the potential cultural, anthropological, and historical impacts?
8. Offer specific suggestions for how the BLM can address public concerns and incorporate feedback into the decision-making process. Please extend scoping period to give more interested parties time to get more information and make comments. We have a large number of visitors that come at different times of the year, it will take awhile to get the word out to people interested in the outcome.Scoping is not about getting answers, it’s about developing the questions that should be answered in the EIS.

What Do You Need to Do? Attend the Public Scoping Meeting and advise them of the questions and concerns you have. next Tuesday, March 21 from 5:00 to 7:00 at the St George Library, Forsyth Community Room B, 88 W 100 S, St George, UT 84770. Drive your 4x4s, machines, and street legal dirt bikes to show support.

We will inform the media of the event and urge them to cover it, so we urge you to drive your 4x4s and street legal machines to the meeting to show the level of concern about this.

Be respectful and professional. We have a great relationship with BLM in the St George Field Office, and it is very important that you are vocal, but respectful during the meeting. Remember, the media may be there to cover it. It is very likely that the crowd may exceed the capacity of the room, so please be patient. Representatives from BLM will meet with small groups of people at a time. They will also provide Comments Forms to you and help you learn how to submit them. UPLA and DRATS will provide more instructions at the meeting via a handout.

Submit your written comments, these are extremely important, way more important than just showing up at the meeting.

To submit comments, you can do it electronically via either of 2 methods:

1. Via email to the BLM at blm_ut_sgfo_comments@blm.gov, with a copy to StopSandMtnSale@gmail.com OR
2. Visit Blueribbon Coalition’s Action Alert You can also mail your comments to:

Attn: Red Cliffs/Warner Valley Land Exchange
Bureau of Land Management
Stephanie Trujillo, Realty Specialist
345 East Riverside Drive
St George, UT 84790

Come to the Scoping Meeting on March 21 and Send in your Comments before April 13.

Together, We Can Win,
But We Can’t Do It Without You

On March 17-18, 2023, volunteers from Utah Public Lands Alliance, Desert Roads and Trails Society, St George Jeepers, and Ride Utah will be meeting at Waddy’s Corral on Sand Mountain to work on several service projects around the area. We are expecting attendance at this event to be unprecedented in scope and size. Combining the resources of 4×4 and UTV/ATV groups working together, along with our partners, the Bureau of Land Management is the way we will win the fight to keep our public lands accessible.

Among the projects we are tackling will be the completion of the staging area fencing, installation of educational street signs and obstacle plaques, cleanup of the Warner Valley and Washington Valley Staging Area, and repairs to the damage to the Competition Hill Composting Toilet.

All Volunteers should report to Waddy’s Corral each day at 9:00 AM for a quick meeting and to split up to tackle one of the projects. Volunteers should bring an assortment of hand tools, shovels, pick axes, trash grabbers, 5 gallon buckets, gloves, water, lunch, and snacks.  Pickups or trailers are very helpful on the cleanup projects.

BLM is providing logistical support including dumpsters and trash bags.

We expect to have media present to cover the event, and we encourage all participants to take photos of the effort and to share them on social media with a hashtag of #sandmtnproject2023

For more information, please email us with your questions

Loren Campbell
President
Utah Public Lands Alliance

Together We Will Win,
But We Can’t Do It Without You!

UPLA is proud to announce our sponsorship of Katelyn Boren in the WEROCK Pro Series for 2023. Katelyn has been competing in rock crawling competitions for 3 years-since she was 13! In 2022, she tied for 1^st place in the Grand nationals held in Farmington, NM

For 2023 the Hurricane resident is moving up from the Sportsman class to the Pro Mod Series.

Katelyn not only has a passion for the sport, but also for taking care of the land. She has been actively engaged in many trail maintenance projects, and will be speaking about UPLA’s mission during the coming year.

We wish Katelyn much luck and success in her competition during 2023. Click here to see our Announcement on YouTube

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