BLM closing around 1/3rd of the trail miles near Moab

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From the BlueRibbon Coalition:

Moab update for our @followers:

We received word that the Department of Interior appeals board denied the petition to stay the trail closures in Moab. They also denied the petition to stay from the State of Utah. This means the trails are now officially closed, and we encourage everyone to no longer use closed trails. This doesn’t mean the fight is over.

Our appeal is still pending, and there is still a lot of work ahead. If we prevail in our appeal, the BLM will be required to reopen the closed routes. We will keep you updated on the progress of the appeal.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=744479227721551&set=a.481031754066301

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Wildman said:
View attachment 478302

From the BlueRibbon Coalition:

Moab update for our @followers:

We received word that the Department of Interior appeals board denied the petition to stay the trail closures in Moab. They also denied the petition to stay from the State of Utah. This means the trails are now officially closed, and we encourage everyone to no longer use closed trails. This doesn’t mean the fight is over.

Our appeal is still pending, and there is still a lot of work ahead. If we prevail in our appeal, the BLM will be required to reopen the closed routes. We will keep you updated on the progress of the appeal.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=744479227721551&set=a.481031754066301

View attachment 478303
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Just once (and maybe again once I saw it) I'd like to see a state really buck up to the feds, like send in their own personnel to open any gates and remove any closed signs, and post state law enforcement to stop BLM personnel from preventing access.

I realize there are legal considerations that I don't know the ins and outs of, and maybe the legal basis isn't there for this particular occasion but the feds overstep on a daily basis so there should be no shortage of opportunities.

What sucks is they have all the states on the dole so doing something like that carries the risk of losing funding on something completely unrelated as a retaliation.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
Just once (and maybe again once I saw it) I'd like to see a state really buck up to the feds, like send in their own personnel to open any gates and remove any closed signs, and post state law enforcement to stop BLM personnel from preventing access.

I realize there are legal considerations that I don't know the ins and outs of, and maybe the legal basis isn't there for this particular occasion but the feds overstep on a daily basis so there should be no shortage of opportunities.

What sucks is they have all the states on the dole so doing something like that carries the risk of losing funding on something completely unrelated as a retaliation.
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Art1 Sec8 and the 10th amendment.
 
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Apparition said:
I posted it so others would watch it and let me know.

I got to the point where the stays were denied.
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Have you been told you're worthless lately??

You can waste your time watching Tox videos & carpet bomb the meme thread but you can't watch this video?
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
Just once (and maybe again once I saw it) I'd like to see a state really buck up to the feds, like send in their own personnel to open any gates and remove any closed signs, and post state law enforcement to stop BLM personnel from preventing access.

I realize there are legal considerations that I don't know the ins and outs of, and maybe the legal basis isn't there for this particular occasion but the feds overstep on a daily basis so there should be no shortage of opportunities.

What sucks is they have all the states on the dole so doing something like that carries the risk of losing funding on something completely unrelated as a retaliation.
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Unfortunately, the way property rights work, if states opened gates to federal lands, and those gates were on federal land, the people opening the gates could be prosecuted for trespassing on a personal, not work-related basis. What governmental employee is going to take that risk? That is the reason why I've been against BHA (Backcountry Hunters and Anglers) push to keep federal lands federal. The feds don't act in the best interest of the land users. They work in the best interest of whoever has the best lawyers. Currently, that is the environmentalists who want no humans to enjoy use of the lands.

If the lands were given to the states, they'd be able to open those gates without being personally cited for trespassing. They would be acting in a professional capacity. The BHA oppose turning it over to the states because they are afraid the states will sell the land to raise money. This fear may be real, but it assumes that the federal government won't sell the land. Many state governments run on balanced budgets (they can have a deficit every year that accumulates). They don't have creditors that will eventually stop lending and demand payment. In contrast, the federal government runs a huge, ever-increasing deficit, with China one of the big note-holders. What do you think will eventually happen if they continue to spend at record levels? Assets will be sold to pay the creditors (or a war will happen to avoid that - neither is good.) What are the easiest assets to sell to efficiently raise billions of dollars? Land, lots of land, wide-open, country land (credit to Cole Porter)...
 
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More Potential Closures Near Moab: Dolores River Travel Planning Begins​

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Another travel plan affecting trails near Moab is being considered by the Bureau of Land Management. The area is East of Moab where the Dolores River crosses over the Colorado/Utah border, and includes popular trails such as Rose Garden Hill, Buckhorn Draw, Hideout Canyon Road, and Dolores Triangle. This plan is in a preliminary stage, and we don’t have many details yet.

The map below shows the routes that are currently inventoried and the routes the BLM will be considering to keep open or to close. If you have experience on these routes or plan to, we need your help to ground-truth this map and including this information in your comments below.
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There is also a push to designate a national monument on the other side of the border in Colorado. Local groups are working hard to prevent this designation, which will greatly affect access. If the Dolores River Canyon National Monument is designated it will most likely bring with it a push to create buffer zones and restrictions surrounding the monument.

The Dolores River Travel Plan is part of the process that led to the closures in Labyrinth Rims and Gemini Bridges. It is also the process that will affect over 10,000 miles of routes across Utah.

You can help us fight to keep all these areas open by becoming a sustaining supporter of the 10,000+ Project
 
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Dangerous Trail Closure Practices in Labyrinth Rims Area​

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This last week we saw many people posting an image of a suspicious trail closure in the Labyrinth Rims area in Moab. If you zoom in on the photo above, you will see that they have strung barbed wire across the cattle guard.

Because the BLM closed popular trails that had been built and maintained with infrastructure - like cattle guards - it’s going to be difficult for them to close these trails. As long as the cattle guard is there, the public is going to reasonably assume that the trail is an authorized and maintained trail.

It is incredibly dangerous to string barbed wire that is difficult to see across a cattle guard, and members of the off-road community have reached out to the BLM to confirm if this was their method for closing the route. The BLM denied that this was something that they did.

This is why we asked for a preliminary injunction to prevent the implementation of these closures. It would have been harmless to let the public continue to use routes that are so well-established and maintained. Now the public is being put in harms way, because vigilantes are taking it upon themselves to “close” these routes with intentionally dangerous closure methods.

This is also why we’re still aggressively moving forward with the legal challenge to these unnecessary and harmful closures.

Moab Legal Challenge Timeline​

Since our preliminary injunction was denied, we’ve been waiting for the BLM to assemble and send the Administrative Record. This week we received the Administrative Record form the BLM. This is the next step for moving our legal challenge to the closures Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges forward.

Here are key dates for this legal challenge:
  • BRC to file opening brief due - July 23, 2024
  • Federal defendants response due - August 30, 2024
  • Defendant Intervenor brief due - September 13, 2024
  • BRC’s reply brief - October 11, 2024
We appreciate everyone who has supported us so far in the challenge to these closures. We will be spending a lot of our time this summer reviewing records and putting together a strong legal argument to keep these trails open.

Of course, we also know that new fights are likely to emerge. We hope you will continue to support our work, so we can keep fighting for you!
 
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Apparition said:

Dangerous Trail Closure Practices in Labyrinth Rims Area​

This last week we saw many people posting an image of a suspicious trail closure in the Labyrinth Rims area in Moab. If you zoom in on the photo above, you will see that they have strung barbed wire across the cattle guard.

Because the BLM closed popular trails that had been built and maintained with infrastructure - like cattle guards - it’s going to be difficult for them to close these trails. As long as the cattle guard is there, the public is going to reasonably assume that the trail is an authorized and maintained trail.

It is incredibly dangerous to string barbed wire that is difficult to see across a cattle guard, and members of the off-road community have reached out to the BLM to confirm if this was their method for closing the route. The BLM denied that this was something that they did.

This is why we asked for a preliminary injunction to prevent the implementation of these closures. It would have been harmless to let the public continue to use routes that are so well-established and maintained. Now the public is being put in harms way, because vigilantes are taking it upon themselves to “close” these routes with intentionally dangerous closure methods.

This is also why we’re still aggressively moving forward with the legal challenge to these unnecessary and harmful closures.

Moab Legal Challenge Timeline​

Since our preliminary injunction was denied, we’ve been waiting for the BLM to assemble and send the Administrative Record. This week we received the Administrative Record form the BLM. This is the next step for moving our legal challenge to the closures Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges forward.

Here are key dates for this legal challenge:
  • BRC to file opening brief due - July 23, 2024
  • Federal defendants response due - August 30, 2024
  • Defendant Intervenor brief due - September 13, 2024
  • BRC’s reply brief - October 11, 2024
We appreciate everyone who has supported us so far in the challenge to these closures. We will be spending a lot of our time this summer reviewing records and putting together a strong legal argument to keep these trails open.

Of course, we also know that new fights are likely to emerge. We hope you will continue to support our work, so we can keep fighting for you!
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Reminds me of a trail conflict issue in Ashland, Oregon a few years back. Ashland has a beautiful large trail system used by hikers and mountain bikers. As in other locales, the 2 groups have some conflict. Most hikers and bikers are friendly and courteous to one another but there are some jerks in both groups as well. However, one guy (actually a psychologist at the local VA clinic) took jerk to a new level and put a high tension wire between 2 trees at neck height on a high speed section of a mountain bike downhill trail. Fortunately, he was caught in the act. Obviously, he could have easily killed someone. IIRC, he was charged and found guilty but just got a slap on the wrist🙄
 
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Woodrow said:
Reminds me of a trail conflict issue in Ashland, Oregon a few years back. Ashland has a beautiful large trail system used by hikers and mountain bikers. As in other locales, the 2 groups have some conflict. Most hikers and bikers are friendly and courteous to one another but there are some jerks in both groups as well. However, one guy (actually a psychologist at the local VA clinic) took jerk to a new level and put a high tension wire between 2 trees at neck height on a high speed section of a mountain bike downhill trail. Fortunately, he was caught in the act. Obviously, he could have easily killed someone. IIRC, he was charged and found guilty but just got a slap on the wrist🙄
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A guy I worked with in Pendleton, OR was riding his dirt bike in late afternoon and came around a corner and hit a wire across the trail. He was almost decapitated from this and was just lucky he was riding with others who rendered first aid. He was life flighted out and now has to use a voice box to talk with. He was the dispatcher for the Ready Mix company I drove for.
Was PITA to understand sometimes over the radio but I always admired him for not letting it stop him.
 
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Wildman said:
A guy I worked with in Pendleton, OR was riding his dirt bike in late afternoon and came around a corner and hit a wire across the trail. He was almost decapitated from this and was just lucky he was riding with others who rendered first aid. He was life flighted out and now has to use a voice box to talk with. He was the dispatcher for the Ready Mix company I drove for.
Was PITA to understand sometimes over the radio but I always admired him for not letting it stop him.
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That's crazy. What's wrong with people? (rhetorical, of course)
 
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