September 25, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUWA Statement on the Release of the Henry Mountains/Dirty Devil Travel Management Plan Draft Environmental Assessment – 9.25.24
Contacts:
Laura Peterson, Staff Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) (801) 236-3762; (laura@suwa.org)
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Salt Lake City, UT – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a draft environmental assessment for the Henry Mountains/Dirty Devil motorized vehicle Travel Management Plan. Below is a statement from SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson and additional information.
“Spanning from Capitol Reef National Park to Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the remote and stunning landscapes encompassed within this planning area are at the heart of Utah’s redrock country,” said Laura Peterson, SUWA Staff Attorney. “The BLM’s previous travel plan for this spectacular area was heavily skewed in favor of motorized use at the expense of natural and cultural resources, as well as other users seeking a quieter experience. This new plan is an opportunity for BLM to bring a more balanced approach to where motorized vehicle use should and should not occur. We look forward to reviewing the draft and encouraging our members to speak up and make their voices heard.”
Additional information:
The area included within the plan encompasses roughly 1,450,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands primarily within the Richfield Field Office’s Henry Mountains Field Station. It is made up of several distinct and renowned landscapes, including the Dirty Devil Canyon complex, the Henry Mountains, and the stunning badlands surrounding Factory Butte.
In May, the BLM released preliminary alternatives, which provided an initial look at the different route networks the BLM analyzed for the draft environmental assessment. As part of the travel planning process, the BLM must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). A draft environmental assessment analyzes the varying impacts of each alternative travel network the BLM is considering designating.The BLM is accepting public comments on the plan through October 26, 2024.
The Henry Mountains/Dirty Devil Travel Management Plan is one of 11 travel plans the BLM is completing over the next few years as part of a 2017 court-supervised settlement agreement between the agency, conservation organizations, and ORV groups. Covering more than 6 million acres of BLM-managed lands in eastern and southern Utah, these plans will determine where motorized vehicles are allowed on some of Utah’s wildest public lands. To date, the BLM has completed three of the 11 plans, with others underway. Read more about SUWA’s litigation to ensure these travel plans follow federal laws to protect public lands and resources.
Conservation groups challenged BLM’s 2008 Henry Mountains/Dirty Devil Travel Management Plan and a federal court ruled that the plan failed to minimize damage from motorized vehicles and failed to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The Henry Mountains/Dirty Devil litigation ultimately led to the 2017 court-supervised settlement agreement.
###
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
