Closing Moab?

[jpljpl]

Just saw this posted on another OHV forum I look at...

Seems like there is a land use bill, well on it's way through congress, that will shut down 9M acres of BLM land in Utah. Most of Moab is on the map to have access removed.

Definitely worth reading up on:

H.R.1925 - America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1925/show

Lots of info out there if you just google up the name of the Bill.

 

[umbertob]

We can do something about it, let's all write our local representative to oppose this bill. Enter your ZIP code here: http://capwiz.com/amacycle/issues/bills/?bill=13274916

 

[Roverine]

Not so fast

This bill would still leave plenty of wheelin' for us here in UT and protect alot of sweet country from destruction by ATV's and other irresponsible off-roaders. This bill will not close most off-roading that we do.

 

[umbertob]

Until the next bill comes along and takes away a little more. And the one after that takes away just a little more... Irresponsible off-roaders definitely give us a bad name and will just keep doing damage to the environment a few miles away where they are still allowed to do so, but it's a slippery slope if we do not make our collective voices heard, however tiny our voices may be. I sent in my opposition, it won't change anything but I feel better.

PS: Map of proposed closings in Utah: http://www.suwa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ARRWAclickablemap

 

[jpljpl]

This bill would still leave plenty of wheelin' for us here in UT and protect alot of sweet country from destruction by ATV's and other irresponsible off-roaders. This bill will not close most off-roading that we do.

This bill will designate 1/6 of Utah as Wilderness area, closed to OHV's.

Definitely something worth learning more about.

I'm all for protecting the country, as I would imagine everyone else here is as well. This wouldnt just be "irresponsible off-roaders" losing access, but mountain bikers and horseback riders as well.

 

[Roverine]

This bill will designate 1/6 of Utah as Wilderness area, closed to OHV's.

Definitely something worth learning more about.

I'm all for protecting the country, as I would imagine everyone else here is as well. This wouldnt just be "irresponsible off-roaders" losing access, but mountain bikers and horseback riders as well.

We may have a philosophical difference of opinion here, but the Red Rock bill covers 5 million acres. That is about 10% of the land area of UT, not 1/6th. It is alot, but there is alot worthy of protection. To qualify as wilderness, the land must be roadless. Believe me, a road in the west is any two track path and county governments, mining and ranching interests fight zealously to keep anything that could be called a road open. Most of the proposed wilderness is inaccessible to vehicles other than ATVs or dirt bikes, so it will not affect wheelin' in an LR3 so much. I guess your viewpoint depends on who you trust to safeguard our wild country. I think wilderness designation offers the best hope for that.