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ORV Management Plan For Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Draws NPCA Criticism

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National Park Service officials have settled on an off-road management plan for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that, if approved, would carry adverse impacts for soils, vegetation, and paleontological and archaeological resources and lead to increased safety issues for visitors.

The plan was quickly condemned by the National Parks Conservation Association, which said it was "alarming that the National Park Service would move forward with a new management plan that poses broad and significant environmental impacts" on the NRA, which covers more than 1.2 million acres in southern Utah and northern Arizona.

“The proposed final plan opens up more than 300 miles of paved and unpaved vehicle routes within Glen Canyon to off-road vehicles, including street legal ATVs," said Erika Pollard, the park advocacy group's senior Utah program manager. "It’s even more alarming that the Park Service would implement this plan given their acknowledgement of the direct and adverse impacts increased vehicle access would have throughout the park site.”

The plan, nine years in the making, is laid out in a final Environmental Impact Statement that runs more than 700 pages. In the executive summary, Park Service officials said that under the preferred alternative "resources would be protected and the visitor experience enhanced by identifying and designating specific areas capable of supporting off-road use, while prohibiting such uses in areas where resources and values may be at risk."

Glen Canyon Superintendent Billy Shott said the plan was developed in cooperation with the southern Utah counties of Garfield, Kane, San Juan, and Wayne.

“I’m very pleased with the response we’ve had to developing the Off-road Vehicle Management Plan,” Shott said in a release. “We gathered input and comments from the general public at numerous venues, received input from the Bureau of Land Management, and had input from the Utah counties that border our park. I think the plan we’ve prepared together is very representative of the balanced approach we need to manage off-road use in Glen Canyon.”

According to the park's release, the preferred alternative "maintains many of the off and on-road recreational opportunities that are currently available at Glen Canyon, though some routes and areas not designated under the plan will be closed and restored. It also includes provisions to develop a comprehensive communication plan that will improve signage and route markings, inform visitors about park regulations concerning off-road vehicle use, and educate visitors on the unique resources in the park and ways they can help protect them. A permit system will be implemented to facilitate communication with visitors, and recover costs associated with monitoring routes, providing visitor safety, and mitigating damages to natural and cultural resources."

According to the EIS document, the preferred alternative, if approved, would:

  • Allow "conventional motor vehicles and street-legal ATVs would be authorized for use at 16 areas only by permit, subject to water-level closures and seasonal restrictions."
  • Create a "vehicle-free area ... at Lone Rock Beach and two accessible shorelines (Bullfrog North and South and Stanton Creek)."
  • Open 14 "areas (12 existing areas plus Nokai Canyon and Paiute Farms) ... for use by conventional motor vehicles and street-legal ATVs, only by permit, subject to waterlevel closures. Eight areas (Blue Notch, Bullfrog North and South, Crosby Canyon, Dirty Devil, Farley Canyon, Red Canyon, Stanton Creek and White Canyon) would be closed to street-legal ATV use from November 1 through March 1.
  • End off-road use at Warm Creek.
  • Designate "vehicle-free zones (no vehicles of any type would be allowed in this zone) at Bullfrog North and South and Stanton Creek during seasons of highest use and would vary the size and location of these zones in relation to the lake level."
  • "No OHVs or streetlegal ATVs would be authorized for use in the Orange Cliffs Unit, except on approximately eight miles of roads (Route 633 proceeding north to Route 730 and proceeding west to the park boundary) which are part of the Poison Spring Loop."
  • Cause "(D)irect, adverse impacts from crushing, shearing, compaction, and erosion on 250 acres of soil at Lone Rock Beach; 180 acres at Lone Rock Beach Play Area, and approximately 6,175 acres at 14 accessible shorelines; and along approximately 21 miles of ORV routes.
  • Have "(B)eneficial impacts on soils at Warm Creek from discontinuation of off-road use with other beneficial impacts on eight shorelines from seasonal closures and a vehicle free zone at Bullfrog North and South and at Stanton Creek."
  • Lead to approximately 888 acres of low to moderately erodible soils (being) directly disturbed at accessible shoreline areas and approximately 44 acres along designated ORV routes.
  • Have a direct impact on approximately 3,808 acres of vegetation at 14 accessible shorelines.
  • Have direct, adverse impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat at Lone Rock Beach, Lone Rock Beach Play Area, and approximately 6,175 acres at 14 accessible shorelines as a result of disturbance, displacement, vehicle-wildlife collisions, noise, and habitat destruction. Beneficial impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat at Warm Creek as a result of discontinuation of off-road use with other beneficial impacts on eight shorelines from seasonal closures and a vehicle free zone at Bullfrog North and South and at Stanton Creek.
  • Have adverse impacts on special-status species at Lone Rock Beach, Lone Rock Beach Play Area, and 14 accessible shorelines as a result of habitat destruction, vehicle-wildlife collisions, and species disturbance and displacement.
  • Have direct impacts as a result of noise generated from conventional motor vehicles, OHVs, and street-legal ATVs total 272,797 acres of land (21.8% of the Glen Canyon land area). These areas could potentially experience a 3-dBA increase in natural ambient sound level due to motorized vehicle operations.
  • Lead to increased beneficial impacts for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a result of continued and increased access (by conventional motor vehicles, OHVs, and street-legal ATVs on Hole-in-the-Rock Road) to the Hole-in-the Rock.
  • Have adverse impacts on paleontological resources stemming from erosion as a result of motor vehicle use on 250 acres Lone Rock Beach, 180 acres at Lone Rock Beach Play Area, approximately 6,175 acres at 14 accessible shorelines, and along approximately 21 miles of ORV routes.
  • Have adverse impacts on health and safety as conventional motor vehicles, OHVs and streetlegal ATVs would be allowed to operate together at Lone Rock Beach, Lone Rock Beach Play Area, at 15 accessible shorelines, along GMP roads, and along designated ORV routes.

  • With the 96-dBA limit, 8.9% of proposed wilderness areas would be directly affected by motor vehicle noise.

NPCA officials said that throughout the nearly nine years it has taken to develop this management plan they have urged the Park Service "to prohibit off-road vehicle use on designated park roads to maintain the remote, wilderness quality of the Glen Canyon backcountry, protect the park’s important cultural and natural resources and ensure visitor safety."

The advocacy group also questions whether the Park Service used "up-to-date information and appropriate analysis of air quality and noise impacts of increased ORV use in the recreation area when making this important decision."

In addition to its potential impacts to Glen Canyon, NPCA warned of harm to the adjacent Canyonlands National Park.

“I’m disturbed that a portion of the Orange Cliffs, which is a remote and special backcountry area of Glen Canyon, will be opened to ORV and ATV use with very little ability to enforce illegal use,” said David Nimkin, senior regional director for NPCA's Southwest region. “With more than 30,000 miles of designated ORV routes already existing on Bureau of Land Management land throughout Utah, this decision by the National Park Service to allow ORV use in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is simply unreasonable and unnecessary.”

After a waiting period of at least 30 days, the National Park Service will issue a Record of Decision documenting the alternative that has been selected. The chosen alternative will then be adopted as a special regulation governing off-road use of motor vehicles, as well as on-road use of off-highway and all-terrain vehicles at Glen Canyon.

Comments

 

Utah/Arizona ATV Club

Kanab, Utah 84741

 

Date April 16, 2018

 

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

ORV Plan/DEIS

P.O. Box 1507

Page, AZ. 86040-1507

 

This Letter of Response to the recent GCNRA ORV Plan/DEIS public comments and is submitted by the Utah/Arizona ATV Club of Kanab, Utah on behalf of the collective members authorizing this letter in accordance with the Clubs bylaws and voting procedures.

The UT/AZ ATV Club has established a local reputation of completing various projects in partnerships with the BLM Kanab Field Office, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kane County and Kanab City (including funding) for the promotion of responsible motorized recreational use on public lands via ATVs (UTV's) and contributing to the establishment of the economic benefits that this recreation brings to our local area.

This letter is intended only as a reference to indicate prior activities and promote discussion points at or for future decisions to be made by the GCNRA as a potential partnership user group in establishing mitigation and educational activities as indicated in the GCNRA mechanized recreational planning.

 

The GCNRA ORV Plan/DEIS is presented as a limited scope planning document and as such does not, in our opinion, address the known needs to provide for the increasing public desire for motorized access within the GCNRA, To whit; To "drive for pleasure to see and recreate in outstanding scenery" is acknowledged by the USNFS (US National Forest Service) as the number one recreation use on the USNFS and the nation. (National Visitor Use Monitoring 2009).

The GCNRA should also acknowledge this trend and develop a greater response to provide and manage increased motorized recreation within GCNRA for its outstanding scenery. In addition to the related recreational benefits derived from therein.

The UT/AZ ATV Club disputes this limited OHV planning, as indicated, with the expectation that future proposals for motorized recreational opportunities should be accepted by the GCNRA and given due consideration within the earliest subsequent planning efforts.

For the current planning, the UT/AZ ATV Club prefers, as the first choice ALT. C as it provides additional Street Legal ATV use on roads in the Orange Cliffs area of the GCNRA and therefore increases the quality of the Street Legal ATV rider's recreational experience.

Second choice is to be forced on many to acknowledge the Preferred ALT. E. The (OF COURSE), preferred; mixed-use Alt. E plan which addresses your original intent of the limited planning/scoping as to provide for so called "improved Management concerns", and/or resource protection, and enhanced compliance with the mixed recreation mandates of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and thus enabling the out dated legislation. It also proports to validate the extensive and self-serving commendable efforts of the past and present GCNRA staff members to provide this high quality motorized recreation. However, in our opinion it lacks the equal footing as in other ongoing high-quality recreation opportunities in this area. Plain and simple.

 

Moreover, we believe that these efforts are substantially affected by the misleading terms such as "Off road planning" and "Off road use" of motorized activity throughout the planning document. We are certain that these words become miss-definitions to the general public and thus puts an unfair burden on the motorized recreationalist and permittees to assert that their activity is not unlawful and their intent to responsibly recreate or conduct their businesses is not inherently damaging the resource. The "designated route" management concepts and practices have had a significant affect in managing resource concerns and supporting the protection of all of our public lands. The GCNRA surely has the expertise to elevate this potentially harmful misconception with a change of terminology to cause the public to recognize the intent and effect of the "designated route" management. Some would say that, however, this management RMP concept is conceived by an inherent antiquated methodology that has survived years of; unilateral environmentalist one sided over-reach decisions expressed by prejudiced one sided views of long standing internal management ideas from those within the GCNRA.

We suggest that the GCNRA undertake a specific agency attempt to fully educate all other users of the "lawfulness" of GCNRA Off highway recreational rights and that Off highway vehicles operating in compliance with those lawful management directives have the same rights and privileges to enjoy their chosen recreation or permit as does any other lawful users enjoy. This education may also mitigate incidents of so called "user conflict".

The UT/AZ ATV Club Officers and members, as rightful due process; appetites appreciate the opportunity to engage in this OHV planning and wish to say thank you to all staff efforts and hard work in order to continue to provide ATV Off-highway access to this outstanding area.
With this in mind, with your opined documentation, which again, appears unilateral, by some, and proposes plans where it seems that; another bias is apparent against the mechanize recreationist in favor of the non-mechanized recreationist. So Far, regardless of what is said, it is the motorized recreationist who will again bear the burden of paying for the costs of recreationists such as non-motorized users through the Federal Recreational Trails Program in which those non-motorized contribute nothing. Again, this is a prejudiced one-sided document, and in our opinion, an apparent RMP misguided perception from those who remain in the decreasing fading reamends of government service continuing and grasping the one sided and outdated environmentalist movement which had become so pervasive within the American Government services in the recent years. One must give allegiance to the fact and in doing so, therefore, acknowledge that President Trump was duly elected and remains President of the USA. If this is difficult, then please do honor your position and resign or retire.

Respectfully Yours;

 

Samuel R. Smith, President
Utah/Arizona ATV Club, and
Officers of the Utah/Arizona ATV Club

 

 

 

 

 

 


Mr Smith - Thank you for your own very prejudiced and one-sided document. That was all a lot of words to get down to your final point, which was very non-sequitur and unmentioned earlier in your screed, about Trump.


Thanks for the laugh, Mr. Smith. "One-sided" and "opined"? Pot - kettle - black. The only thing you left out was a reference to R.S. 2477 - talk about outdated.


You've lost me, Samuel.  Could you just give us your point in a sentence or two?  After all, your "duly elected" donald wouldn't be able to follow this many paragraphs, sentences, and words.


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