The new plan will direct the land management of the 300,000-acre area, providing more guidelines and directions on when and where motorized recreational vehicles can be used in the scenic landscape.Here are some of the details about the area and the updated travel management plan framework for the 300,000 acres of public land in Grand County, Utah.96% of Jeep Safari routes will continue to be available for off-road use.
Some travel routes will remain open during certain months of the year and will be closed for use during other months. The focus comes down to regulating where and, at times, when motorized recreation vehicles can be used in the unique area. "It's a really important step forward. It shows the agency is looking more holistically at these travel plans," Laura Peterson, the attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, told the Deseret News. "And recognizing that it is necessary to determine where off-road vehicles are allowed to travel."The decision is signed, but now there will be a protest and appeal period for any opposition that the BLM will then evaluate.
"The plan closes 317 miles of the most popular backcountry roads in the world," BlueRibbon Coalition said in a release. "It limits or prohibits camping access to countless free, primitive dispersed campsites.""Clearly, the Bureau of Land Management didn't listen to the thousands of recreation users who sent route-specific and substantive comments to the agency to keep this area open," BRC Executive Director Ben Burr said in a release.