Take Action To Protect Your Access to Public Lands
Efforts by the Federal Government to restrict access to our public lands has never been as vicious and threatening as it is now. There are 12 Utah Travel Management Plans coming in the next 12 months, as well as the devastating BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.
Who Will These Affect? SUWA and other extremist environmental groups have long focused on the elimination of motorized off highway vehicle use, these actions will affect every user of public lands in Utah. Equestrians, hikers, rock climbers and other recreation groups that have welcomed expansion of wilderness areas will begin to understand that their journeys to their favorite areas will become much, much longer, as the road network they use to reach their staging areas are closed by designation of Wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Lands with Wilderness Character, and ACECs are expanded.
What should I do?
- We all must take some time to understand the rules of the game if we expect to win.
- UPLA provides a series of 1-2 minute videos to educate you on the importance and methods to craft “substantive” comments that make a difference. You can find these videos on our Youtube channel, and also on Instagram and Facebook.
- Understand the definition of substantive: most definitions of substantive include that they have a “firm basis in reality and being therefore important, meaningful, or considerable”-none of the definitions include opinions not supported by facts Learn more on our educational videos and articles.
- Search for educational articles at https://utahpla.com/news/
- Join or subscribe to UPLA https://utahpla.com/help/ to get our free newsletters
- Learn and Use TrailSaver. Get out and use the OHV roads and trails important to you and report using UPLA’s TrailSaver. Order Stickers for yourself, your friends, clubs, and events. TrailSaver.com will organize your comments and provide reminders when they are needed for a particular plan, along with suggestions to make them more effective and specific instructions on how to submit them.
- Establish and enhance personal relationships with BLM and Forest Service staff in your area. Invite them to go on a ride with you. Ask them what their concerns or issues are and help them find a solution, and then recruit volunteers to execute the project. Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care; it’s far easier to show them on a trail ride than in an office or conference room.
- Contact elected officials about your concerns, including County Commissioners, Members of the State Legislature, and Congressional members. Letters are great, but when hearings or votes are scheduled, phone calls are the best motivator to send your message.
- Support your local clubs and access protection groups like Utah Public Lands Alliance and BlueRibbon Coalition. Join or subscribe to their news alerts and share their social media posts with your friends. We can depend on organizations like BlueRibbon Coalition to fight for us in the courts, but if we don’t step up our action by submitting effective comments, we are impairing their ability to win.
Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket, we need YOU to get engaged on every front with us.