Some of you may have heard about BLM’s planned oil and gas lease in the Moab area coming up on December 19th. There has been a lot of noise regarding the proximity of some of the parcels to Arches NP, as one parcel could be in sight of Delicate Arch. Well, there is more. Several parcels are in the areas of both the Porcupine Rim and Cliffhanger jeep trails. If these parcels are leased and developed, it could mean the end of these trails as we know them, due to road improvements that would be required to access the areas with exploration and drilling equipment. Mountain bike trails in the Tusher Canyon and Bartlett Wash areas could also be in danger.
We can help by writing letters to the State BLM office, but the letters must be received by December 4th. Also, the letters must be sent via fax or snail mail (no email allowed).
If these trails are important to you, please take a few minutes to write the BLM. I am including my letter below. The International Mountain Bike Association is also protesting this lease. You can view their action alert at http://www.imba.com/news/action_alerts/11_08/11_19_moab_leases.html.
My letter:
November 21, 2008
Bureau of Land Management
Utah State Office
PO Box 45155
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155 FAX 801.539.4237
Re: December 19, 2008 Lease Parcels: 180, 181,182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 196, 197 200, 217, 218, 219, 221, 222, 223, 224, and 225
My name is Jeff Stevens, and I am a resident of Moab, Utah. I am also president of Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’ (MFFW), a Moab-based four-wheel drive club. We are actively involved in trail maintenance and education, and regularly partner with the Moab BLM Field Office on numerous projects.
Pursuant to 43 C.F.R. 3120.1-3, please accept this letter of protest regarding the proposed lease sale of the above noted parcels.
Parcels 200, 217, 218, 219, 221, and 223, if leased and developed, would require improving portions of the popular Amasa Back (a.k.a. Cliffhanger) and Porcupine Rim trails for access of exploration and drilling equipment. These two unimproved trails are extremely important to both motorized and non-motorized recreationists. Improvement of these trails would destroy the character of the trails, making them completely undesirable to many users. This would diminish our enjoyment of the area, and could cause significant harm to Moab’s tourist-based economy which relies heavily on both mountain bike and motorized tourism.
Parcels 180 ,181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 196, and 197 are in the Bartlett Wash and Tusher Canyon areas, which are managed for non-motorized mountain bike recreation. Development of these areas would greatly diminish their desirability to mountain bikers.
We are also opposed to leasing parcels 217, 218, 224, and 225, which would have adverse affects on Arches National Park and the Moab aquifer.
We understand the importance of domestic oil and gas production, especially in these tough economic times. But we feel that the potential adverse impact to Moab’s recreation and economy far outweighs potential benefits from the lease and development of these parcels.
Sincerely,
Jeff Stevens
Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’
We can help by writing letters to the State BLM office, but the letters must be received by December 4th. Also, the letters must be sent via fax or snail mail (no email allowed).
If these trails are important to you, please take a few minutes to write the BLM. I am including my letter below. The International Mountain Bike Association is also protesting this lease. You can view their action alert at http://www.imba.com/news/action_alerts/11_08/11_19_moab_leases.html.
My letter:
November 21, 2008
Bureau of Land Management
Utah State Office
PO Box 45155
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155 FAX 801.539.4237
Re: December 19, 2008 Lease Parcels: 180, 181,182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 196, 197 200, 217, 218, 219, 221, 222, 223, 224, and 225
My name is Jeff Stevens, and I am a resident of Moab, Utah. I am also president of Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’ (MFFW), a Moab-based four-wheel drive club. We are actively involved in trail maintenance and education, and regularly partner with the Moab BLM Field Office on numerous projects.
Pursuant to 43 C.F.R. 3120.1-3, please accept this letter of protest regarding the proposed lease sale of the above noted parcels.
Parcels 200, 217, 218, 219, 221, and 223, if leased and developed, would require improving portions of the popular Amasa Back (a.k.a. Cliffhanger) and Porcupine Rim trails for access of exploration and drilling equipment. These two unimproved trails are extremely important to both motorized and non-motorized recreationists. Improvement of these trails would destroy the character of the trails, making them completely undesirable to many users. This would diminish our enjoyment of the area, and could cause significant harm to Moab’s tourist-based economy which relies heavily on both mountain bike and motorized tourism.
Parcels 180 ,181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 196, and 197 are in the Bartlett Wash and Tusher Canyon areas, which are managed for non-motorized mountain bike recreation. Development of these areas would greatly diminish their desirability to mountain bikers.
We are also opposed to leasing parcels 217, 218, 224, and 225, which would have adverse affects on Arches National Park and the Moab aquifer.
We understand the importance of domestic oil and gas production, especially in these tough economic times. But we feel that the potential adverse impact to Moab’s recreation and economy far outweighs potential benefits from the lease and development of these parcels.
Sincerely,
Jeff Stevens
Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’