Ensign group closing roads in Tooele county

[Skylinerider]

Dear Tooele County Trails Committee Member—

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, the Tooele County Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing in the Tooele County Courthouse auditorium. The hearing is to take comment regarding proposed county road closures within the East Bench/Foothill Area by The Ensign Group. Any county road closures within this area may or will significantly impact its appeal and use.....if you're available, your attendance at the public hearing would be sincerely appreciated. A display of solidarity amongst trail committee members at the public hearing may help convince the planning commission to deny the proposed road closures. If you know of any friends or colleagues who enjoy using the East Bench/FootHill Area, please encourage them to attend.


Dave Bern
Tooele County Trails Committee

Perhaps someone up there can attend?

 

[Skylinerider]

Letter that the trails committee sent:

June 21, 2011
Tooele County Planning Commission
c/o Chairwoman Julie Pawlak
47 S. Main St.
Tooele, Utah 84074
Dear Chairwoman Pawlak:
The Tooele County Trails Committtee was established 10 years ago by the Tooele County Commission to inventory all trails in the county and develop a master plan for their use. Over the past four years, the committee, which is comprised of volunteers from the community, has identified, categorized and marked
dozens of trails. It has also worked diligently to determine public/private ownership of lands upon which many trails reside, and has collaboratively negotiated agreements with private owners, plus state and federal
agencies, to allow continued public use.
To date the trails committee has established, under the auspices of the Tooele County Commission, numerous trailheads, information kiosks and parking facilities. Many more are planned and will be installed soon.
In addition, countless miles of trails have been signed to help hikers, horsemen, mountain bikers and ATV/OHV enthusiasts to appropriately and safely enjoy these trails.
On behalf of the committee’s 12 members, I want to emphasize that one of the committee’s key purposes is to maintain the public’s right to access and recreate on all existing trails and applicable county roads. The
committee does not condone trespassing on private lands adjacent to trails and county roads. It also does not condone the closure of existing county roads or trails that pass through private and/or public lands.
Which is why the Tooele County Trails Committee wishes to publicly state its opposition to any recommended county road or trail closures as proposed by The Ensign Group, or any other interests, for the East Bench and Foothills area between Stansbury Park/Erda and the Oquirrh Mountains. Unless it can be proven
that these county roads and trails represent a health/safety threat to the general public, the Tooele County Trails Committee cannot support any proposed closures within this unique area.
Thank you. Your consideration of the committee’s position on this matter is deeply appreciated. If you have any questions, I’d be delighted to assist in any way I can.
Sincerely,
Lee Brown, Chairman
Tooele County Trails Committee

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Who is this Ensign Group? All I could find is a nursing home company that is big here in Utah, would that be them?

 

[BCGPER]

I "think" it may be the Ensign Ranch people, a large cattle ranch operation in Tooele county.


I dunno for sure though.

 

[Skylinerider]

I "think" it may be the Ensign Ranch people, a large cattle ranch operation in Tooele county.


I dunno for sure though.

I believe you're right on the money. Can anyone stop in tonight and represent?

 

[Tacoma]

I'll be there. The area in question is, I thought, primarily BLM.... I'll have to double check on that. The access to like, Bates Canyon, etc., is through a gate and down a winding road thhrough the field... there is private land on either side, and some railroad right of way... I'm not real clear on what they're proposing to close at this point.

 

[Skylinerider]

Thanks Tacoma. You're a good egg!

 

[Tacoma]

so here's what went on:

A couple of representatives of landowners-- among them a guy representing Ensign Group and about 10 other development and/or landholding companies-- petitioned Tooele County to vacate pretty much all B and D roads between Pine Canyon to the south, Lake Point to the north, and the railroad to the west. The BLM controls the mountains down to where the field meets them.. I mistakenly assumed it was all BLM land, because of the access gate through some of these private lands that the BLM maintains.
Anyway. The Tooele County Trails Commission has been working (in obscurity hahah) on a trails system that precludes the closure of many of the routes proposed, and some of the routes provide access to BLM land and are therefore to remain open as well. Landowner concerns focused mainly on the abuses endemic to public areas and ROW's-- shooting areas, trash, misuse, extraneous routes, etc. My concerns were that the bench routes, which have apparently been open since forever, would be closed. Historic precedents of use and access should be and are being maintained along these routes.
On U4's behalf, I proposed more involvement with the landowners to deal with some of the landowner's concerns-- signage would help a lot, cleanups would also help. U4's mission is still supposed to be stewardship and education, after all.

At the end of the day, the commission voted unanimously and with several piercing comments against the petition to vacate these roads, so as of tonight, they are all still open, should anyone outside Tooele County care hahahah. I use a lot of these roads when I go where they go-- Bates Canyon, Pole Canyon, and the bench route in particular.

That is all. Good night.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Solid work... You are 7% towards redeeming yourself.

 

[Hickey]

Excellent news. I have explore very little of my county since moving here. I hope to remedy that and I'm glad to hear I still can.

 

[Unimog]

Glad to hear that reason prevailed. I wasn't able to make it to the meeting, but I also use these roads a lot with the truck as well as mountain biking close to home.

Thanks for the representation.

 

[Tacoma]

Glad to do it. Motorized access was well represented by myself, Dave Sutton, the Steadmans, some side-by-side guys, mountain bikers, equestrians, and everyone else. Only one guy was even a little bit on the fence about it, and even then, he was in favor of landowners' rights-- which I fully support, except for the fact that they bought land with existing county roads on it.

Glad to see a good bit of crossover, too-- mountain bikers using ATV's, horse guys taking trucks to the trailhead, etc.

 

[scoutabout]

Tacoma, this brings back memories of the TCTC meeting where we first met. We were so young back then.

 

[jackjoh]

Thanks Tacoma, Steve and Kurt, see things are starting to change. Oh ye of little faith.

 

[MattL]

Thanks Tacoma. Ive been up there a few times and cherish it. Thanks for the work.