Utah Campaign: Boulder Mountain area, Dixie National Forest
The Dixie National Forest is currently midway through the process of designating a network of roads and motorized routes for the first time. Wildlands CPR is partnering with local activists to influence this plan. We have helped organize and train locals to conduct citizen field work, gather oral histories and testimony from locals, and spread the word on conservation management to their friends and neighbors. We are also set to participate in a collaborative committee that will review the draft Travel Plan to make sure it reflects the best scientific and site-specific knowledge of the conservation community.
The Boulder/Escalante area (south of Boulder Mountain) has long been a flashpoint for rural conservation issues. The Garfield County Commission has been pushing ORV trail systems and events on the scenic east side of the county. Garfield County contains spectacular destinations such as Boulder Mountain, the Death Hollow Wilderness, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The small, remote towns of Boulder and Escalante increasingly have been thrust into the spotlight as “undiscovered” recreational destinations. Cautious about the changes that extensive tourist development would bring to their rural communities, these towns are seeking a “third way”—a way out of the usual forced choice between industrial tourism and damaging extractive industries. While keeping their populations small and their land undeveloped, many locals seek to have low-impact economies based on ranching, growing food, telecommuting and family-owned businesses catering to small-scale quiet recreation. Wildlands CPR is committed to helping them advocate for sustainable land management.
TAKE ACTION
Submit Travel Plan Comments. The Dixie National Forest is not currently accepting official comments regarding their Travel Plan. However, they are preparing their Draft Plan, and the public can still make unofficial comments regarding ORV and recreation management on the Dixie National Forest.
To learn more about the plan, go to the Dixie NF website.
To submit comments to the Forest Service, choose one of these ways:
Email: comments_dixie_motorized_travel_plan@fs.fed.us
U.S. mail: Motorized Travel Planning, Dixie National Forest, 1789 North Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, UT 84720
Fax: 435-865-3791 (please include "Motorized Travel Plan" in your subject line)
If you do submit comments, we'd appreciate it if you'd send a copy to our Utah Coordinator:
laurel [AT] wildlandscpr [DOT] org
You can also visit the Boulder Community Alliance website to hear about local happenings in the Boulder Mountain area.