• RME Gear & Apparel

EJS 2021 Canceled (update: it's back on)

anderson750

anderson750

I'm working on it Rose
Location
Price, Utah
cruiseroutfit said:
:(

So odd. Here we are in California at King of the Hammers surrounded by tens of thousands of people and maybe 5% of them wearing masks and Utah can't have the Jeep Safari.
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And I was out there 2 weeks ago to the west off of Camp Rock Road for a race and it was pretty much the same with about 1/10 the people. IMO, this is mainly a power play by the Grand County Council to choke down the motorized community. Moab has so much national park tourism that it would probably survive just fine on that. Sure it would see a drop, but not enough to kill most of the businesses that cater to both crowds.
 
glockman

glockman

I hate Jeep trucks
Location
Pleasant Grove
anderson750 said:
And I was out there 2 weeks ago to the west off of Camp Rock Road for a race and it was pretty much the same with about 1/10 the people. IMO, this is mainly a power play by the Grand County Council to choke down the motorized community. Moab has so much national park tourism that it would probably survive just fine on that. Sure it would see a drop, but not enough to kill most of the businesses that cater to both crowds.
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In the last 10 years MTB in Moab has EXPLODED. I think that, the national parks, the base jumpers, the rock climbers and the Overlanders parking in the campgrounds will easily keep the town afloat.
 
moab_cj5

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
The Village of Kay
As part of an event I am helping plan in Moab, one of our guys found this info

There's a guy on Facebook named Creighton Boorman who has tracked down where the 250 person limit came from. It's from Grand County ordinance #623 passed on Dec. 20, 2020. The part that limits us to 250 people is here:

250-limit.png


From Mr. Boorman:

"After further communication from Moab City Atty, I believe the problem does in fact lie solely with Grand County. Their ordinance # 623 which was adopted Dec 20th (with almost no public input) during the quietest part of the year in Moab and also during covid19 restrictions, is being used in spite of the state/ county health dept saying they would certainly issue permits for EJS and actually want to encourage such events. The county's own specific order for special events has a laundry list of requirements beyond what's reasonable or affordable for RR4W with only 250 participants able to attend for the entire event, which must include all of the staff and volunteers, etc required to run the event. All in the name of 'health' yet without the consent or support of any actual health department! This is a sickening overreach by the local govt and unelected officials, who are not health experts and it must be addressed! This event has historically brought many millions of dollars into Moab and has put it on the map for being the 'Off-Road Mecca' and for many of these people who come here with Jeeps, we also come for rock climbing, hiking, rafting, hotels, concerts, car shows, camping, restaurants, with sxs/atv's, other special events and more. Because we love Moab and OUR public lands that surround it! For the city council to pretend that it's the state restrictions, regional or local health department or RR4W that are the problem, is a blatant lie. The state office and the local office for the Health Dept both say there is no restriction from them that says 250 max that could apply to the Easter Safari. They both said they would encourage the event and want it to continue. So, the local authorities in Moab (not the health dept) are the ones stopping it, in spite of their denials. We need to get that ordinance #623 rescinded, because it specifically targets events such as EJS for destruction. I believe the order is illegal and therefore it is a huge liability for local govt if it is challenged in court. Especially the arbitrary 'health' restrictions of 250 people, etc which do NOT agree with our actual health departments' requirements. It is also causing untold damages to local residents, businesses, events and visitors."

I feel bad for those in Moab and Grand county that DIDN'T vote for these representatives. Those that did vote for these clowns are getting exactly what they wanted.
 
moab_cj5

moab_cj5

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
The Village of Kay
Also found this:

"
From George Schultz (RR4W admin):

With the cancellation of EJS 2021 also came the prospect of another difficult spring with hundreds of people canceling hotels and other lodging and businesses being left holding the bag for tens of thousands of dollars of goods purchased to sell to attendees and to help them repair their vehicles, tow rigs, and so on. We are so happy to see that many of you still plan to come and wheel here and enjoy our trails, our town, and our incredible landscape. We welcome you!

Many questions are being asked on social media about how to participate in trail runs without being under the umbrella of an organized event, and we spent the day getting answers to many of those questions.

First, we learned today that our BLM field office wants you to come and enjoy the trails here. They understand what a crazy and difficult time this is for everyone, and how getting out with friends to enjoy the weather and the trails is a great way to relax.
We, as well as them in addition to all of our wheeling partners, just ask that we all wheel with the spirit of EJS: responsibly, and with care for each other, the land, and other trail users.

For those planning trail runs, consider that small groups are not only more enjoyable, they also reduce congestion at trailheads and on the trails. For those thinking of organizing larger groups, you can do so with up to 24 rigs. Above that number, the law requires each group of 25 or more to obtain a permit. We figure most groups will happily stay below the 24 number because honestly, who wants to be in a group bigger than that? Just sayin’.

Any exchange of goods (like T-shirts or hats) that’s advertised as part of a trail run by a vendor or other business is considered a sponsored activity and would require a permit. So to keep runs informal and not trigger local government to enforce ordinances, trail run participants or leaders are asked not to engage in any sort of business promotion or to promise goods to anyone they’re inviting to go on trails with them.
Regarding meeting places, we understand that many will want to meet at businesses like City Market and various gas stations. If attendance explodes, as it may, meeting at most of these places could quickly cause problems for those businesses and make it hard for them to serve their other customers. Meeting at trailheads and trail nexuses as much as possible could go a long way towards keeping down congestion in town and at businesses with busy parking lots. Three such trail nexuses are the Mill Canyon nexus north of the dinosaur tracks, the staging area many use for the Seven Mile Rim and the Monitor and Merrimac trails just north of the intersection of Hwys 313 and 191, and the Kane Creek staging area at the end of the pavement on Kane Creek Rd.

Because some trails have been very busy in the last year, with long waits and very limited parking, you might consider avoiding the very busy trails and to instead explore other trails to help avoid congestion. Crowded trails in 2020 were Hell’s Revenge, Fins & Things (with some waits of over 40 minutes to get through the Sand Flats booth), and Poison Spider.

Those leading and helping with informal trail runs are free to do so. However, trail leaders and their helpers should know the rules about guiding trails and that it’s illegal to guide without a permit. We don’t claim to know all the details of the laws regarding permits and guiding, but our understanding is that anyone who accepts compensation of any kind - which can include fuel, food, beverages, and clothing - for leading a trail run can be accused of guiding that run illegally if they do so without a guide permit. The BLM will contact anyone reported for such guiding. The consequences for guiding without a permit can be serious, and those consequences can also apply to those who compensated them. For the official word on the rules about guiding and permits, everyone should check out the following

https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/special-recreation-permits/utah

We hope all who come here and wheel this season travel safely, have a great time, and enjoy the new friends they are sure to make."
 
jeeper

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
So... did people jump the gun to announce the cancellation.. or did the outcry of the cancelation make the change?
 
mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
mike thurston said:
Here’s a link to the RR4W page.

Welcome to Red Rock 4-Wheelers - Red Rock 4-Wheelers, Inc.

Red Rock 4-Wheelers Inc. - Moab, Utah.
www.rr4w.com www.rr4w.com
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February 4, 2021 Easter Safari is back on!!





Earlier this afternoon Grand County administrator, Chris Baird and Mike Kelso, President Red Rock 4 Wheelers had a conversation, wherein the county administrator assured the President of RR4W that the county ordinance that was hindering the Easter Jeep Safari event would be amended by the 16th of this month. Which would allow the event to be proceed!



Red Rock 4 wheelers would like to thank the Utah Public Lands Alliance for their efforts that facilitated this dialogue. There are countless other organizations, partners, and individuals that furthered this conversation, and we thank them all, and genuinely appreciate the support.



The Grand County Commission administrator has requested that EJS attendees, RR4W members, and the 4-wheeling community send letters to the county commission in support of the amendment to the ordinance.
 
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