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Maybe this is old news to all of you but I just heard about it today...
TAKE ACTION!! MOAB JEEP SAFARI PERMIT RENEWAL UNDER REVIEW
The Moab BLM office is currently analyzing the Moab Jeep Safari
permit renewal application. The Moab Jeep Safari is generally
considered the "granddaddy" of all jeep, ATV and other ORV events in
Utah. This event draws thousands of jeepers, and highly-modified
truck and rock crawler enthusiasts to the world-famous redrock
canyons surrounding Moab where machines are driven up rock ledges and
domes, through crystal clear creeks, across sensitive soil crusts,
and over just about any natural obstacle that looks challenging.
The Moab Jeep Safari has contributed significantly to the motor-sport
mania that has erupted in southern Utah over the past 10-15 years.
Although the sponsors of the event claim that the "official"
participants are not doing much of the damage that occurs on public
lands during this 9-day event, the fact that there are thousands of
"unofficial" participants that converge on the Moab area during the
event cannot be seen as mere coincidence. There is no doubt that the
Jeep Safari event is responsible for drawing the jeeps and rock
crawlers to the area, and there can be little argument that damages
to the public lands, some of which are proposed for wilderness
designation, are a result of the event - either directly or
indirectly.
This permit was last renewed in 2001. The number of jeeps, trucks
and rock crawlers that come to test their machines against natural
obstacles (i.e. fantastic geology and scenic landscapes) has
increased since that time. BLM now has a chance to do the right
thing and take a hard look at the impacts - direct, indirect, and
cumulative - of this event, and analyze other alternatives to the
proposed routes.
PLEASE! Take a moment and email, FAX, or mail a short comment letter
to BLM voicing your concern of the natural resource impacts and
associated conflicts with other public land users that Jeep Safari
imposes. Suggested comments include:
1- BLM must analyze the environmental effects of this event
(including the impacts of the thousands of "unofficial" participants
that tag along during the 9-day event) in a comprehensive
Environmental Impact Statement, rather than a superficial, less
comprehensive Environmental Assessment. The Jeep Safari has
significant long-term impacts on the world-famous redrock canyonlands
in the Moab area, including canyon streams, critical wildlife
habitat, and sensitive soil crusts, as well as creating conflicts
with other public land users. In addition, the Jeep Safari creates
precedent for other such events in the Moab area and around southern
Utah in general.
2- BLM must consider a range of alternatives in its environmental
review, including an alternative that would preclude Jeep Safari
routes within areas in America's Redrock Wilderness Act including:
*Goldbar Rim, (the proposed route traverses a dramatic rim directly
across the road from Arches National Park, which is one of the most
outstanding and scenic hikes near Moab. Use of this route generates
considerable conflict with non-motorized recreationists)
*Labyrinth Canyon and Duma Point (routes are proposed adjacent to the
Green River, as well as in washes and mesas above the river)
*Dome Plateau (proposed routes are user-created and weave across
mesas and through canyons north of Arches National Park)
* Behind the Rocks (the proposed route travels over a vegetated sand
dune area that has been steadily denuded of plant life due to
illegally pioneered routes during past JS events)
*Arch Canyon (on cultural resource-rich Cedar Mesa, this route
involves 59 creek crossings during a one-way trip up the canyon)
*Nokai Dome (this proposed route cuts through canyons and over mesas
in the proposed wilderness area adjacent to the Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area).
This alternative is a fair and reasonable alternative, and would
result in approximately 92% of the proposed routes being approved and
only 8% of the proposed routes being omitted from the permit.
3- BLM must not approve a 5-year permit for this event, as the Moab
BLM is in the midst of revising its long-term resource management
plan, and a 5-year Jeep Safari permit would preclude BLM from
seriously considering route designation alternatives in the long-term
plan that would conflict with the 5-year permit.
Please send your comments to the Moab BLM office by Friday, June 10,
or soon thereafter. Apologies for the short notice, and THANK YOU!!
Email: maggie_wyatt@blm.gov
FAX: 435.259.2106
Mail: Maggie Wyatt, Manager, Moab BLM Field Office, 82 East Dogwood,
Moab, UT 84532
TAKE ACTION!! MOAB JEEP SAFARI PERMIT RENEWAL UNDER REVIEW
The Moab BLM office is currently analyzing the Moab Jeep Safari
permit renewal application. The Moab Jeep Safari is generally
considered the "granddaddy" of all jeep, ATV and other ORV events in
Utah. This event draws thousands of jeepers, and highly-modified
truck and rock crawler enthusiasts to the world-famous redrock
canyons surrounding Moab where machines are driven up rock ledges and
domes, through crystal clear creeks, across sensitive soil crusts,
and over just about any natural obstacle that looks challenging.
The Moab Jeep Safari has contributed significantly to the motor-sport
mania that has erupted in southern Utah over the past 10-15 years.
Although the sponsors of the event claim that the "official"
participants are not doing much of the damage that occurs on public
lands during this 9-day event, the fact that there are thousands of
"unofficial" participants that converge on the Moab area during the
event cannot be seen as mere coincidence. There is no doubt that the
Jeep Safari event is responsible for drawing the jeeps and rock
crawlers to the area, and there can be little argument that damages
to the public lands, some of which are proposed for wilderness
designation, are a result of the event - either directly or
indirectly.
This permit was last renewed in 2001. The number of jeeps, trucks
and rock crawlers that come to test their machines against natural
obstacles (i.e. fantastic geology and scenic landscapes) has
increased since that time. BLM now has a chance to do the right
thing and take a hard look at the impacts - direct, indirect, and
cumulative - of this event, and analyze other alternatives to the
proposed routes.
PLEASE! Take a moment and email, FAX, or mail a short comment letter
to BLM voicing your concern of the natural resource impacts and
associated conflicts with other public land users that Jeep Safari
imposes. Suggested comments include:
1- BLM must analyze the environmental effects of this event
(including the impacts of the thousands of "unofficial" participants
that tag along during the 9-day event) in a comprehensive
Environmental Impact Statement, rather than a superficial, less
comprehensive Environmental Assessment. The Jeep Safari has
significant long-term impacts on the world-famous redrock canyonlands
in the Moab area, including canyon streams, critical wildlife
habitat, and sensitive soil crusts, as well as creating conflicts
with other public land users. In addition, the Jeep Safari creates
precedent for other such events in the Moab area and around southern
Utah in general.
2- BLM must consider a range of alternatives in its environmental
review, including an alternative that would preclude Jeep Safari
routes within areas in America's Redrock Wilderness Act including:
*Goldbar Rim, (the proposed route traverses a dramatic rim directly
across the road from Arches National Park, which is one of the most
outstanding and scenic hikes near Moab. Use of this route generates
considerable conflict with non-motorized recreationists)
*Labyrinth Canyon and Duma Point (routes are proposed adjacent to the
Green River, as well as in washes and mesas above the river)
*Dome Plateau (proposed routes are user-created and weave across
mesas and through canyons north of Arches National Park)
* Behind the Rocks (the proposed route travels over a vegetated sand
dune area that has been steadily denuded of plant life due to
illegally pioneered routes during past JS events)
*Arch Canyon (on cultural resource-rich Cedar Mesa, this route
involves 59 creek crossings during a one-way trip up the canyon)
*Nokai Dome (this proposed route cuts through canyons and over mesas
in the proposed wilderness area adjacent to the Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area).
This alternative is a fair and reasonable alternative, and would
result in approximately 92% of the proposed routes being approved and
only 8% of the proposed routes being omitted from the permit.
3- BLM must not approve a 5-year permit for this event, as the Moab
BLM is in the midst of revising its long-term resource management
plan, and a 5-year Jeep Safari permit would preclude BLM from
seriously considering route designation alternatives in the long-term
plan that would conflict with the 5-year permit.
Please send your comments to the Moab BLM office by Friday, June 10,
or soon thereafter. Apologies for the short notice, and THANK YOU!!
Email: maggie_wyatt@blm.gov
FAX: 435.259.2106
Mail: Maggie Wyatt, Manager, Moab BLM Field Office, 82 East Dogwood,
Moab, UT 84532
