The effort to remove access for Off Highway Vehicle Use is not just a movement, it is an all out assault plan that is well orchestrated between Extreme Environmental Groups and Top Management at the BLM and Secretary of the Interior.
To win a war, you must fight on several fronts simultaneously with different strategies and resources. Here’s a brief recap of what’s being done in Utah.
BlueRibbon Coalition serves as our early alert system to keep us abreast of the latest in developments. Many times actions taken in other states are precursors to what we will see next in Utah. BlueRibbon will fight for us in the courts, a very recent example of that is the Federal lawsuits to reverse the Labyrinth Canyon Travel Management Plan. Everyone should be a member of BlueRibbon Coalition, and when submitting comments on land actions, submit them personally and through BlueRibbon by copying them at landuse@sharetrails.org
Utah Public Lands Alliance is focused on preserving access for ALL User groups in Utah and surrounding areas. UPLA hired our first employee recently, Rose Winn, as our Natural Resource Consultant to help us craft both professional comments and provide training for our members. UPLA has been working very closely with BlueRibbon Coalition to develop a comprehensive strategy to take preemptive action against closure efforts. We are focusing on using the same rules that SUWA has employed for years to achieve their success to our favor. To score points in a game, you must have a strong offense strategy, we can’t just play defense..
UPLA recognizes that we have many great employees at BLM and Forest Service that we’ve been working with for years to improve, protect, and preserve our public lands, and we want to enhance and grow those relationships. One of our immediate focuses is to educate our members and subscribers on how to be more effective in commenting, which will influence more favorable decisions initially by Land Managers, and provide a basis for legal action when it’s needed. If you live or recreate in Utah, you should join and support Utah Public Lands Alliance.
Your local Clubs and other User Groups-It’s important that you join and support your local clubs and organizations. They are the glue that holds the fabric of the OHV and related user groups together. Many OHV members are also users of public lands in other activities such as hunting, fighting, equestrian, mountain biking and many others. Share your concerns with these groups as well about overreaches by the Federal Government, go to their meetings to explain yourself. If you need help preparing, reach out to UPLA or BlueRibbon for assistance.
State of Utah-Our State is fighting back hard against overreaches by the Federal Government with several factions of government:
Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (PLPCO) is the agency that is leading the administrative fight in keeping access to our public lands. They have been fighting for our RS2477 roads for years, but have also now turned their attention to include B and D Class Roads in the fight. PLPCO was also the first to produce intelligible maps for the San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan.
Legislative-We were fortunate to have both Utah Senator David Hinkins and Speaker of the House Mike Schultz visit with us at the Big Ride on evening. The focus of the 2024 legislative session was on taking back control of our state from the Federal Government. Of particular note were 2 bills (H.B. 471 and S.B. 57 passed and signed by the Governor that will test the limits of the 10th Amendment in the powers granted by the US Constitution to the Federal Government, with the remaining rights being the jurisdiction of the State.
County Governments-County governments are very important in our fight, and counties with public lands, especially with OHV access have gotten very involved in the fight. Reach out to your local County Commissioners and let them know why public access is so important.
Judicial-The State of Utah currently has more lawsuits filed against the Federal Government than at any other time in our history, and this aggressiveness will accelerate as we move ahead. In addition, the state is seeking to build a coalition with other Western States to fight together against these overreaches. With the Supreme Court balance we now have, this is the best opportunity we’ve ever had to reign in the expanding bureaucracy of our Federal Government.
Together, We Can Win
But We Can’t Do It Without You!
This is not a single skirmish, we must get and stay engaged for the long haul. We have broad support from many organizations and government agencies, but we can’t really make a difference without your personal support and involvement. Let’s all Join the Fight to Win and Don’t Give Up!
