MOAB, Utah — 317 miles of trails are now closed in the Labyrinth Rims Gemini Bridges area of Moab as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s new travel management plan, sparking controversy between environmental concerns and access to public lands.
“Ski season's on everyone's mind,” said Ben Burr, the executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. “This would be like closing 30 percent of the routes at Snowbird or Alta, some of our most popular ski resorts. That's how popular these trails are.”
The BRC has taken the BLM to federal court in a lawsuit to open the trails. Additionally, multiple Utah legislators are sponsoring bills that would restrict funding to the agency if they keep trying to close trails, said Burr.
“We don't want to see the state of Utah spending money, giving money to the BLM through grants, to build infrastructure that they're just going to close down through a radical travel plan,” he said.
Those defending the BLM’s decision argue the trails need to be closed to protect Moab’s precious resources, said Laura Peterson, a staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
“They are required by law to minimize damage to natural and cultural resources, including riparian areas, cultural sites, wildlife habitat, soils,” she said.
Peterson is confident that legislators won’t support attempts to open the trails.
“There's been a lot of sort of ‘Sky is falling’ rhetoric saying that the agency cut off access, and that's just not accurate,” she said. “There's still thousands of miles of off-road vehicle routes in the greater Moab area.”
Meanwhile, the BRC continues to gain support in its legal battle, recently receiving a $100,000 donation from the Utah Public Lands Alliance.
“We consider this to be a way of life for those of us that like to go out and recreate this way,” said Burr. “And so for the BLM to close that down is really just taking away some really cherished experiences that people have built generations of love around.”
