Well I attended the trail ride and the BLM's RMP meeting here in Salt Lake City.
I have read (dry reading) the whole RMP plan and think we are in trouble.
With the four major purposed plans that there considering one is fatal to motorized traffic in the wilds of Moab for the next 20 years! (plan B) One will close certain area's currently available to us. (Plan C)
Moab needs your help take a look at this article from the Utah BLM.
"Moab Utah—August 27, 2007—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its draft resource management plan and environmental impact statement (RMP/EIS) on Friday aimed at providing direction for how BLM-administered public lands in Grand County and in the northern third of San Juan County, Utah will be managed in the future to sustain their health, diversity and productivity.
The draft RMP/EIS analyzes four alternatives covering a broad spectrum of management options. BLM has also selected a preferred alternative that the agency developed to provide the most reasonable and balanced approach to managing the public lands resources and uses. This alternative emphasizes protecting important environmental values and sensitive resources while allowing for commodities development. It considers protection of important natural resources and commodity production, as well as offer a full range of recreation opportunities.
Under the preferred alternative, five Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (approximately 63,000 acres) would be specially managed to protect relevant and important values. Additionally, portions of three rivers (the Green, the Colorado and the Dolores) would be recommended as suitable for Wild and Scenic River status.
The release of a draft RMP represents a significant step in public lands management. The Moab Field Office and its cooperators have been working on the effort for the past four years.
This planning effort will result in a comprehensive resource management plan for 1.8 million acres of public lands administered by the Moab Field Office. The draft plan identifies how various programs like special designations, travel management, recreation, minerals, non-WSA lands with wilderness characteristics, wildlife, and livestock grazing would be managed in to the future.
As provided by Federal planning regulations, the public is welcome to comment during the standard 90-day comment period that ends on November 30, 2007. The Moab Field Office has planned four public meetings in Moab, Monticello, and Salt Lake City, Utah and in Grand Junction, Colorado to provide information and answer questions from the public. The meetings will be held at the following times and locations:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 6-8 P.M.
Grand Center
182 N. 500 W
Moab, Utah
Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 6-8 p.m.
Monticello High School
164 S. 200 W.
Monticello, Utah
Thursday, September 27, 2007, 6-8 p.m.
Two Rivers Convention Center
159 Main St.
Grand Junction, Colorado
Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 6-8 p.m.
Salt Lake City Main Public Library
210 E. 400 S.
Salt Lake City, Utah
The draft RMP/EIS is available online at:
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/planning.1.html This website also contains background information about the plan, as well as an electronic public comment form. Comments may also be mailed to the BLM Moab Field Office, 82 East Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532, or emailed to
UT_Moab_Comments@blm.gov.
Copies of the draft RMP/EIS are also available for public review at the Grand County (Moab) Library, the San Juan County (Monticello) Library, the Salt Lake City Public Library, the Mesa County (Grand Junction) Library and the University of Utah Library. In addition, copies may be viewed at the Moab, Monticello and Grand Junction BLM offices, and at the BLM Utah State Office in Salt Lake City.
For further information or to obtain a copy of the draft RMP/EIS, please contact the Moab Field Office at (435) 259-2100 or at the above address."
Moab needs your help...I ask you all to take a look, send a small note to the BLM office telling them you have or wanted to visit Moab to go wheeling given an opportunity or how you would like them to accept either plan C with some modifications or plan D.
Every note or letter will help!
We need to keep Moab open to four wheeling or its a first step in the closing of the western trails for good.