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Articles: Utah
Nearly 14,000 acres of free dispersed camping outside Zion National Park are set to close under the BLM’s SR9 decision. BRC has filed a formal appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals, built out of the agency’s own record and impact statements from our members and supporters. Here is what we argued and how you can support the legal fight.
The BLM wants to formally designate ten backcountry airstrips in southeast Utah, the same dirt strips that have been around since the 1950’s and allowed search and rescue teams into canyon country when someone gets hurt. Anti-access groups have flooded the record with over 2,500 comments to shut them down. Tell the BLM you support keeping these airstrips open before comments close September 3.
The Bears Ears recreation restrictions were real, they were written down, and almost none of them had been enforced yet. That gap is what lets groups defending the 2025 monument plan claim it never restricted recreation. See what the plan actually said about hiking, OHV, mountain bikes, camping, climbing and dogs across 1.36 million acres of public land.
The operating rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead are settled for about a decade, and recreation access survived the process in better shape than many expected. No operating rule adds an acre-foot to the river, so the reservoirs our communities depend on are still exposed to a deep drought. Here is what the Final EIS does, where it falls short, and what comes next.
Trump reduced two sprawling Utah national monuments, a win for the ranchers, riders, and rural communities harmed by decades of Antiquities Act overreach. BRC is pairing the reduction with legal precedent so a future administration cannot simply redraw the lines. Donate to the Legal Fund and add your voice today to help make this win last.
The BLM has released preliminary alternatives for the Dolores River Travel Management Plan, covering 321 miles of routes just east of Moab. BRC supports a variation of Alternative D, the option that keeps 98% of the network open for OHV riders, hunters, and mountain bikers.
Nearly 700 miles of OHV, hunting, and backcountry access near Dinosaur National Monument are on the table in the BLM’s Dinosaur North plan, and the conservation alternative would close most of it. BRC backs Alternative D to keep these routes open for Vernal and Roosevelt communities. Add your comment before July 22 and tell the BLM to keep this access open.
The BLM’s Trail Canyon Travel Management Plan near Kanab will decide the future of 473 miles of OHV routes in Kane County, and the most restrictive option closes nearly a third of the network. BRC supports a variation of Alternative D, which keeps 95% of trails open. Submit your comment to the BLM before July 22 and tell them motorized access must stay open.
The BLM’s High Desert Trail project would formally designate an 810-mile route across western Utah, using roads and trails already open to the public today. BRC supports the designation and the preferred Alternative B, the longer, more scenic route that brings the most economic benefit. Submit a comment by June 16 backing Alternative B and tell the BLM to choose it.
The 2001 Roadless Rule locked up 58.5 million acres of National Forest land, blocking road maintenance, wildfire mitigation, and reasonable access for 25 years. BRC supports H.R. 7695 and S. 140, two bills that would repeal the rule and return management decisions to local forest managers. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support both bills.