Jeep Safari 5 year permit and EA

[greenjeep]

Well, we finally got it. It has been a year and 2 weeks since I turned it in, but now we have it and we got almost all, like 99%, of what we asked for, INCLUDING EXCLUSIVE USE OF BEHIND THE ROCKS, CLIFFHANGER, GOLD BAR RIM, GOLDEN SPIKE, MOAB RIM, POISON SPIDER MESA, AND PRITCHETT CANYON ON ANY DAY THE RED ROCK 4-WHEELERS HAVE THAT TRAIL SCHEDULED; AS WELL AS ONE-WAY USE OF KANE CREEK CANYON, HELL'S REVENGE AND STEELBENDER DURING THE ENTIRE SAFARI.

You can view all of the BLM's documentation at: www.blm.gov/utah/moab

Thanks to all for their support and comments.

FYI:
Trail closures for the Easter Jeep Safari to the general public

Behind the Rocks: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Big Saturday
Cliff Hanger; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Big Saturday
Gold Bar Rim: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Big Saturday
Golden Spike: First Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Big Sunday
Moab Rim: First Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Big Saturday
Poison Spider: Fist Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Big Saturday
Pritchett Canyon: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Big Saturday


The one way trails are Hells Revenge, Kane Creek and Steel Bender.

Hells Revenge will only be one-way from Dump Bump to the radio towers.

Kane Creek will be from Kane Creek Road to Highway 191.

Steel Bender will be from the golf course to Ken's Lake.

PLEASE HELP US GET THIS INFORMATION OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID A LOT OF CONFUSION AND FRUSTRATION AT THESE TRAILS!!! THANKS.

[greenjeep]

BLM greenlights Easter Jeep Safari
Backcountry driving: Activists say the popular, long-standing event harms sensitive lands near Moab

By Lisa J. Church
Special to The Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune


MOAB -The Bureau of Land Management has renewed a Moab off-road club's permit to hold the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Grand and San Juan counties.
The decision met with harsh words from environmentalists who contend the federal agency did not do enough to protect sensitive lands from damage by off-highway vehicles.
Now in its 40th season, the Jeep Safari annually draws more than 1,500 participants from around Utah and the nation. But the nine-day event also coincides with spring break for many college and high school students who flock to Moab for backcountry recreation, including off-highway driving.
In recent years, county officials have estimated that as many as 10,000 OHV enthusiasts who were not associated with the Jeep Safari have crowded into town and onto the area's backcountry trails throughout the week.
This volume has caused law-enforcement headaches. And environmental groups have long complained that the event attracts thousands of "renegade" off-highway users who do not follow the rules. Some property owners also complain.
A San Juan couple have battled in court for two years to close a section of the Strike Ravine trail that passes through their property. A judge has ruled the Red Rock 4-Wheelers can continue to use the trail - at least temporarily - and this week the case appeared headed for appeal after the judge declined to vacate his decision.
Dan Kent, director of Red Rock Forests, called the BLM Monticello Field Office's decision to permit a guided trip into Arch Canyon during Jeep Safari "a sham." A perennial stream running through the canyon is home to native fish and makes it unique to southeastern Utah, Kent said.
Two years ago, Arch Canyon was awash in controversy when a San Juan County commissioner and the San Juan sheriff led a group of off-road vehicles down the eight-mile trail after the BLM denied a permit to an off-road event.
Ber Knight, public-information officer for the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, said a one-day trip into Arch Canyon will not cause notable damage to the area.
About 2,000 people submitted written comments on the BLM's environmental assessment for the event's 33 proposed routes covering about 670 miles of backcountry roads in southeastern Utah.
The BLM has included some major changes aimed at reducing vehicular damage to sensitive lands, according to Katie Stevens, an outdoor-recreation planner for the Moab BLM Field Office.
For example, the BLM altered routes in Onion Creek and Bartlett Wash to keep vehicles out of streambeds. The agency also granted requests from the Red Rock 4-Wheelers to limit specific trails to one-way travel only on days the group will be using the trails.
And the BLM agreed to give the group "exclusive" rights to use a handful of trails on specific days, Stevens said.
Liz Thomas, an attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) hopes the changes will be effective.
"Exclusive use and one-way travel on trails will have to help. But who's going to enforce that?" she said. "I'd like to be optimistic. The analysis has probably fallen short, but we'll just have to see what happens."

[e-mail]

www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3435165

[tracyj]

Dave, I'm glad to see that the EJS permit was finally approved, and for people who are eco-friendly wheelers, the new "stipulations" shouldn't be too big a hassle for us (i.e. one way routes and exclusive routes), but in your own opinion and "off the record", do you think these new rules will help or hinder the reasons why RR4Ws put on EJS each year? I have my own thoughts, but will share them later.

[greenjeep]

Personally I think it will gretly improve the event for the paying participants/leaders/gunners. I think a lot of the "spring breakers" are going to be pissed, but frankly, that doesn't bother me too much.

[moabchic78]

i agree with you dave - in the ling run i think it's a great idea and im glad it happened. this being the first year we are gonna have alot of pissed off people who arent tracking this stuff and fin dout the hard way. be interesting to see how they react and whether or not anything public happens.

[drtsqrl]

I posted this on Pirate and RME also:

There has been a lot of good discussion on this topic, both for and against exclusive and one-way use. As a RR4W member, I was involved in bringing this about (as well as attempting to convince the club to move the date), and as such have spent a lot of thought, time and effort on the matter. Will it bring about the desired results? I hope so, but only time will tell. It is certainly not the perfect solution, and a lot of people obviously do not agree with it. But I would like those who disagree to consider a few facts that many people seem to be missing:

Fact: Our motorized trails in Moab are under attack from those who will not stop until they are all closed. This comes not only from the green groups, but also from many individuals and businesses here in Moab. And Easter Jeep Safari is their number one target. If they manage to shut down EJS, how long do you think it will be before they succeed in closing many of the trails permanently? It is an easy scenario to imagine. “If BLM can’t manage the damage from the controlled, permitted events, how can they hope to control casual, unregulated use? The trails must be closed!” Far fetched? I think not.

Fact: Easter week in Moab is getting out of hand. On many of the popular trails, less than 5 percent of the 4x4 traffic is comprised of registered, paying EJS participants. The BLM does not have a problem with the registered participants… their studies show that virtually none of the resource damage is caused by those groups. But the sheer numbers of rigs on the trails DO lead to damage, whether intentional or not. When large groups of wheelers meet on the trail, they must go off-trail to pass. Or people get bored or upset waiting for another group, and someone makes a new route to get around, or creates a new obstacle just to pass the time. These people may be the minority, but it only takes one rig to create damage. And each new case of damage adds fuel to the greenies crusade.

Now, will exclusive and one-way use help to lessen these problems? On the days RR4W is using these trails, YES! Will it force non-registered people onto other trails, only to increase the damage on those trails? That is a distinct possibility. Will it keep some people away from Moab during EJS? I’m sure it will, if not this year, then maybe next year or the next. I believe the best thing that could happen is that EVERYONE who uses the trails during EJS does it as part of an official EJS run. This would drastically reduce the resource damage we now see. No one wants to close down all of the Moab trails to everyone except registered participants (although this kind of thing does happen at some events throughout the country). What we would like to see is to make the official runs much more enjoyable to everyone, so people will WANT to participate in this way. RR4W’s EJS registration has been in decline for several years, while non-registered attendance has skyrocketed. If these new regulations will help reverse this trend, then I am all for it. If we had more paying guests, and a lot less “tag-a-longs”, we could schedule more trails, have smaller group sizes, and make it more fun for everyone.

Personally, I enjoy EJS. I love the camaraderie, the excitement, and seeing all the rigs. I admit that I would usually rather do my own thing, with a few friends, than go with a large group on an “official” run. I have done this in the past, and will surely do so again (as long as no RR4W run is using the trail that day). I also lead and gun official trails during the week. But if EJS is not brought under control, we will eventually lose this event, and then we will lose our trails. I do not see the new permit as being “selfish” or “elitist” as some have said. I see it as being responsible to our event and to the future of 4-wheeling in Moab.

Jeff Stevens
Former V.P. Red Rock 4-Wheelers
President, Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’

[timb]

Well put Jeff.

[greenjeep]

Thanks Jeff, I think that is a perfect way to sum up our reasoning behind the decision.

[moabchic78]

couldnt have said it better myself - thanks for posting it - i was too chicken to post on pirate since im rarely on there -i didnt think id get alot of positive reception.

[greenjeep]

Pirate is pretty cut throat, you gotta be thick skinned to post up there.

[moabchic78]

thick skinnned is not an issue but im never on there so i didnt feel like i had the right to chime on on somethinng so huge lol.

[ToddAdams]

I understand that SUWA has filed an appeal with the courts. They are not going to try to stop this years Safari but we do have another fight on our hands. This will go on until they run out of money or we loose most of our trails.
Todd

[greenjeep]

Yep they did, just like they did in '91; I imagine it will come to the same conclusion too. Lucky for us it is the BLM they are fighting, and on this permit I think they are pretty impregnable.