As Kane County crows about the roads that the BLM and we agree are RS 2477 rights of way, you gotta wonder – what’s all the fuss about? One of the routes is a paved road that leads to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. There was no dispute about this road or the other three, which were well-maintained dirt roads outside the areas proposed for wilderness protection. No one ever tried to close these routes or halt maintenance (although both BLM and SUWA are on the same page that the County is not entitled the 66-foot width they’re hoping for). Talk about much ado about nothing. Absolutely nothing changes as a result of the BLM’s agreeing to what everyone already knew.
It’ll be another story, though, for the routes inside WSAs and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. There, the County has claimed that rough, often impassable tracks are actually “highways.” The BLM has rightfully said “no” to these claims, and we’re backing them up on that.
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