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Amid new frustrations expressed by some Moab residents, U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and former Grand County officials said this week that recent backcountry road closures are the result of decisions made with direct involvement of the public during the planning process for the BLM’s 2008 resource management plan (RMP).
Letters received from the public and published by the The Times-Independent expressed concerns over a “closed meeting” with the BLM that shut down roads throughout Grand County “with no rhyme or reason” and, as one resident wrote, with “total disregard for people who appreciate the backcountry.”
“We’ve been betrayed,” said resident William Cunningham, who penned one of the letters. “Nobody will admit who did it.”
But BLM outdoor recreation planner Katie Stevens, of the agency’s Moab Field Office, said the public was directly involved in the decisions to close roads and the designation of which roads to close as part of the 2008 RMP.
“We had ads in the paper from 2003 on, as well as over the radio, calling for anyone who wanted to give us road information and data as to what roads they used and wanted kept open,” Stevens said. “We had a 90-day public comment period in 2008, and we received 50,000 comments, 90 percent of which were about roads.”
Stevens said road closure signs recently installed on a number of backcountry trails throughout the county are marking routes designated for closure in the 2008 plan. It has taken two years for the BLM to begin installation of those signs, which bear the logos of the BLM and Grand County, she said.
“What people are reacting to is that only now are they seeing the signs go up,” Stevens said. “[The public] is seeing the implementation of the RMP, which is a public process.”
The BLM consulted with the public and with the Grand County Council, and any roads that had a “high purpose and need” or use were kept open, Stevens said. Officials considered most reasons given by the public for the use of the roads as valid, including recreation or pure enjoyment.
“We’ve got a lot of roads that are good for nothing but fun, and we kept them open,” Stevens said. “We didn’t keep the Jeep Safari roads open just for commercial reasons; those are roads that the public want to go on year-round, so they serve a high purpose and need and stayed open.”
Road closures took place when, after discussion with the public and Grand County officials, it was decided that the roads served no known purpose and there was a specific reason to close the road. Those reasons included the need for revegetation to cut down on dust storms, protection of riparian and wildlife populations, and to protect cultural sites, Stevens said.
“We’re putting a lot of signs out there, and once there’s plenty of growth, the signs will come down,” she said. “This is not a permanent step.”
Stevens emphasized that roads were not closed “willy nilly,” nor were any roads closed that prevented access to any type of resource, she said. Roads that were closed often were redundant roads where other, better roads leading to the same destination existed.
“There’s a lot of redundancy out there,” she said.
Former Grand County Council member Jerry McNeely said the county worked closely with residents in designating roads under the BLM plan. McNeely served on the county council from 2001 to 2009 and was the county’s representative in working with the BLM on the resource management plan.
“We had public involvement,” McNeely said. “Everything was open for discussion.”
McNeely said the county and BLM held a series of “scoping meetings” to gather public comments and measure public sentiment on the issue of road closures.
“We set up maps at the Grand Center, and the BLM had people standing next to stations with the maps, taking notes on roads that were pointed out,” he said.
McNeely, who now works for San Juan County, said those who take issue with the current situation should remember the impermanent nature of the current plan.
“The RMP was always considered to be part of an ongoing and open discussion with the public,” he said.
Stevens and McNeely both noted that a great deal of work went into ensuring public involvement and satisfaction with the RMP. The BLM maintains an exhaustive list of maps, records from public meetings, and drafts of all proposals from the planning process on its Moab field office website, and Stevens said she encourages the public to refer back to that resource for information.
While detractors may continue to voice concerns over road closures on public land, officials said the RMP represents a good-faith effort from all parties involved to best meet the public interest.
“I still think we did a really good job with that,” McNeely said. “If you work long enough and put in enough hours, you can come to a consensus.”
Public involvement in road closures on U.S. Forest Service land in Manti-La Sal National Forest is currently sought by Forest Service officials. The Forest Service will hold a public meeting Dec. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss road closures, said Michelle Steele of the Moab Ranger District.
Rangers in Moab have received concerns over road closures in the La Sal Mountains, but “those were not roads to begin with,” Steele said.
The Dec. 13 meeting will address those concerns. The meeting will be held at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, 111 East 100 North, in Moab.
Read more: Moab Times-Independent - BLM closures are result of 2008 plan
