SALT LAKE CITY – Today, BlueRibbon Coalition, Sage Riders Motorcycle Club, and Paul Wells filed a complaint in federal court to challenge the closure of 665 miles of popular trails in the San Rafael Swell. These closures were finalized by the Bureau of Land Management in the final days of the previous Administration, and the decision to close these trails was signed by a political operative in the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. – bypassing the input of local BLM officials.
The closures will eliminate public recreation access to popular campsites, dirt bike trails, river access points, historic sites, scenic viewpoints, biking/e-biking trails, and exploratory off-road routes. The closures have created tens of thousands of acres of new de facto wilderness areas without Congressional approval. The complaint raises concerns that BLM ignored public feedback and failed to adapt the plan to recent court decisions that have invalidated BLM regulations for environmental reviews.
The coalition of off-roaders opposing this decision, is asking the federal court to issue a preliminary injunction that will prevent the decision from going into effect while the litigation is ongoing.
“The lame duck decision by a political appointee in Washington D.C. to lock up hundreds of miles of our favorite trails and campsites needs to be struck down,” BlueRibbon Coalition Executive Director, Ben Burr said. “We’ve already lost critical access to over 600,000 acres of some of the best parts of the San Rafael Swell, when the Dingell Act designated much of the area as wilderness. Our members submitted thousands of comments in favor of keeping the remaining multiple-use lands open for recreation, but BLM leaders ignored our feedback and ignored the law. This was a reckless decision that was signed at the last minute, by a political appointee who has likely never spent any time in the San Rafael Swell. Hopefully the court will set aside this decision and give the BLM another chance to get this right.”
Read the Full Complaint Here: https://blueribboncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/San-Rafael-Swell-District-Court-Original-Complaint-1.pdf
