More off-road vehicle use is coming to Glen Canyon NRA/NPS

A plan to open up more of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah to off-road vehicles has been approved by the National Park Service, which drew criticism for the amount of impacts expected to accompany the plan.

“Our intent with this plan is to increase access for these classes of motor vehicles and also ensure we offer a wide and diverse range of opportunities to maximize all public recreation use,” said Glen Canyon Superintendent William Shott on Monday when the NRA's off-road management plan was approved. “I believe we successfully met these objectives while ensuring we continue to protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources that make the recreation area special. This balance was only possible because of the substantial collaboration from our partners and public.”

The ORV Management Plan authorizes street legal ORV use on the majority of paved and unpaved roads throughout the recreation area and permits off-road use along 14 accessible shorelines, at Lone Rock Beach and Play Area, and on approximately 21 miles of ORV routes.

The Glen Canyon ORV Management Plan allows ORV use on unpaved roads south of the Orange Cliffs Unit that were previously limited to conventional vehicles and street-legal all-terrain vehicles. ORV use is also authorized on approximately eight miles of road in the southern portion of the Orange Cliffs Unit, completing the 100-mile Poison Spring Loop located on NPS and adjacent Bureau of Land Management lands.

Lastly, the ORV Plan includes a permit system for ORVs accessing shorelines, the Lone Rock Beach and Play Area, and most ORV routes. The permit fees will support education and provide cost recovery for administration and monitoring of the program.

Earlier this year, the National Parks Conservation Association said the plan would create "broad and significant impacts on the park’s environment, including on its vegetation, wildlife, and soundscapes..."

"While a Department of Interior official described this plan as ‘prioritizing conservation,’ the final proposal strongly suggests the opposite," Erika Pollard, NPCA's Southwest senior program manager, said when the plan was opened for public comment. "Disturbingly, this proposed off-road vehicle rule ignores the concerns raised over the years, by opening a portion of the Orange Cliffs backcountry region of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to ATV use. Bordered by Canyonlands National Park, the Park Service describes the Orange Cliffs as one of the most scenic areas of the Colorado Plateau region. Why would we put this special place at risk?

“These lands in Orange Cliffs weren’t even on the table for considered ATV use when the rule-making process began, and we are very concerned that the Park Service will be unable to prevent illegal, damaging use in this remote region," she added. "We are equally worried about impairment to the backcountry recreation areas and the adjacent Canyonlands National Park."

Final regulations implementing the approved plan will be published in the Federal Register. Federal law requires any unit of the National Park Service that allows ORV use to develop special regulations to address that use. The proposed regulations were made available for public comment earlier this year. More than 6,000 public comments were received. The park will begin implementation of the plan, including education, in 2019.