Do you live or recreate in the following central Utah counties: Wayne, Juab, Millard, Sevier, Sanpete, and Piute? Right now, the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation is developing a long-term recreation plan and they’re seeking input! This is a chance to speak up for Utah’s wild places and help shape how federal, state, and local governments manage recreation across this vast and important landscape.
The area covered by this plan includes tens of thousands of acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-managed wilderness study areas and other wilderness-quality lands included in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, as well as parts of Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (see map).
According to the Utah Central Region Recreation Master Plan website, this plan will provide “a vision for the future of recreation in the region and will direct state investment in outdoor recreation.” These investments could include recreation projects and developments on public lands managed by the BLM and National Park Service.
There are two ways to participate:
- Complete this survey by October 31—it only takes about 10 minutes. The survey is also available in Spanish.
- Use this interactive map to place pins and provide information on your favorite places—including areas you’d like to see protected, where recreation improvements may be needed, and where new facilities and/or trails may be appropriate. The interactive map is also available in Spanish.
However you participate, we encourage you to call for science-based recreation management. This means prioritizing the protection of wilderness values and sensitive resources in remote or less-used backcountry areas, while focusing recreation improvements and access in previously impacted frontcountry areas. According to our Recreation Report, “concentrating visitor use in previously impacted or hardened sites and trails will likely be a successful management strategy, while dispersal strategies may result in a proliferation of recreation disturbance.”
Be sure to complete the survey by Friday, October 31. Thank you!
