Utah off-road rally revs in river

The seemingly endless back-and-forth regarding who controls the roads and trails in southern Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument boiled up again last weekend with a well-publicized act of public disobedience.

Egged on by local elected officials who proclaimed "We're mad as hell," more than 200 people rode motorcycles and off-road vehicles up and down the middle of the Paria River on Saturday, in flagrant violation of monument regulations.

The protesters are angry with almost everything about the monument, but specifically a ruling last month from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected Kane County's assertion that it owned many of the roads and cow paths in the 1.9-million-acre monument, which is operated by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The court upheld the agency's transportation plan, which does not allow motorized recreation in the river.

According to BLM spokesman Larry Crutchfield, the off-roaders were met by competing protesters who sat in beach chairs arrayed along the riverbanks holding signs admonishing the rebel riders to respect the law. Despite a long history of rancor on both sides of the debate, there were no reported incidents.

The BLM was criticized for allowing the scofflaws to flout the rules with impunity. Crutchfield said he was on hand to give maps of legal OHV trails to all the participants, adding that monument officials were launching a campaign to inform the public about Grand Staircase's transportation policy. Though county sheriff's deputies monitored activities at the river, Crutchfield said officials were careful not to inflame an already tense situation.

Even though there are nearly 1,000 miles of roads and more than 500 miles of off-roading trails in the monument, the protesters were drawing attention to what they and others say are historic roads and traditional routes that ought to be open to recreational riding. The court case, however, disallowed that claim.  

Some locals in Kane and Garfield counties are still sore about President Clinton's 1996 decision to designate Grand Staircase-Escalante a national monument, affording it special protections. Local and state officials complained that the decision was made without local input, and the lingering anti-government sentiment has ensured that anger and lawsuits accompany nearly every decision made by monument officials.
 
 -- Julie Cart

Photo: ATV riders on the Paria River bed Saturday. Credit: Scott Sommerdorf / Salt Lake Tribune

Comments

[Rick]

I do not know which is worse: the elected Utah officials who openly encourage their constituents to violate the law or the BLM's chronic failure to enforce its own transportation plan and route decisions. This is yet another example of BLM caving in to local interests, regardless of the law or the larger public interest. Interior Secretary Salazar needs to appoint a new BLM Director who will have the courage and foresight to implement many long overdue reforms. The status quo continues to prevail, but we voted for change last November. When will it arrive at BLM?

[Rick]

I believe that Utah BLM State Director Selma Sierra probably played a key role in BLM's failure to attempt to stop this blatantly illegal OHV protest ride up the Paria River through a Wilderness Study Area and National Monument, and the apparent corresponding failure to issue any citations or otherwise take enforcement action against the participants. She is a Bushie "drill, baby, drill" promoter, and apparently sees our public lands as commodities to be exploited, not special places to be protected. Interior Secretary Salazar needs to hold her accountable, not only for her own management failures but also to send a strong message to other BLM managers that they are expected to enforce the law.

[Chatter]

How about allowing motorized stuff 3 days/week?

Funny thing about government parkland - once something becomes a park, the first thing that happens is that government closes it. Beaches you can't go for a moonlight walk on, water you can't swim in, or here in NYC Central Park is now closed at night. While ATVs might not be the ideal thing in recreational areas these people have a point about distant bureacries siezing control of local resources.

[cynthia]

Most of you probably haven't been to these wonderful places in Utah that are very fragile but, open to the publics use. We are lucky to have something so beautiful in our country to visit. Too bad there are people who could care less about the environmental damage they cause.
I have seen first hand, arrogant motorized vehicle operators there chew up riverbeds, running over bushes, small trees and squashing plant life that are also home to frogs, turtles, birds and snakes and small animals, breaking down embankments causing horrible erosion.
That the BLM wasn't there to arrest people for the damage they most blantantly were causing, is of great concern. There are so many places where they can ride. But, no, they want unfettered irresponsibility to reign.

[rdale]

This is so typical of the yahoos in southern Utah. They whine about the "gub'mint" taking away their rights, but if it was up to them they'd sell their mothers to a big oil or coal company for a quick buck. Plus they are the worst welfare sucks ever; all those little towns would dry up and blow away without federal money. And now they want to kill tourism, with their little fat-mobiles. Without tourists the whole region would be a howling wilderness, but they can't help but shoot themselves in the foot. So give them what they want: don't go to Kane County, Utah; don't spend a dime down there. Tell the Kane County Tourism Board and the Kane County goverment (their website are easy to find) that you won't be visiting because of stunts like this.

[Tree-hugger and proud of it]

What is wrong with people? Why on earth would you want to go tearing up a riverbed in National Park with your stinking, noisy off-road vehicles??? Why not go up to Alaska and shot wolves from helicopters? How about capture, skin and serve sea otters for dinner? How about target practice on California condors? Cut down the sequoias for kindling? And since this was against the law, WHERE WERE THE COPS???? I know some protesters were supposedly photographing license plates. This is really disgusting.

[Free American]

"I won’t be happy until I get to ride around drunk on my ATV maim machine without a helmet, breaking my skull open on a national monument and then receiving government-subsidized healthcare at an emergency room after a tax-payer funded rescue mission brought me there. That is freedom.The only people worse than ATVers are snowmobilers, but at least those people tend to just plummet through the ice without much of a fuss."

[richard dahlgren]

The BLM has rolled over through out the Inter Mountain west, and has become a lackey of The Blue Ribbon Coalition. They enforce nothing and will say so.

Recently, in Idaho, they planned on destroying a steep hillside and a fragile trout stream with an ATV road, campground, and a boat take out when boats can't be floated on the stream.

I group of 125 people organized and defeated the road. Hillside laws and stream set backs didn't allow it. All comprimised on a mile long foot path as access.

What did BLM do ? They brought in a D-8 and cut the 20 foot wide road anyway.

The group complained, but BLM did nothing.

[I live here]

I live in southern utah and I belive it to be one of the most beautiful pacese on earth. My family andI have been down the paria river road. It is a very beautiful and inspiring place. I also belive it should be experienced by everyone not just shut it off so that no one can use it. Many of the comments on this were made by people who have never been down the paria river wash. It is a beautiful place that should be open for all and I do meen all to enjoy. I own horses, atv's and I hike and I want to be able to choose for myself. Come wit us and enjoy our beauty that surrounds us. but I think we should let everyone enjoy it not just a select few. Goverment has a hard time getting anything right and this is no diffrent.

[richard dahlgren]

Come on folks, Southern Utah has the 900 mile Paiute ATV Trail system to rip around on. Can't you leave a few miles of creek aside for those who are offended by the noise and exhaust ATV machines make?