The New York Times continues its series on conflicts over public land use with this story about off-roading.
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for overseeing use on large expanses of the American west. These arid lands are under increasing pressure to be opened for oil and gas development, mining and other uses that place added stress on ecosystems that appear hardy but are easily disrupted .
Recently, the Bangs Canyon area out our back door in Colorado went through a planning effort that resulted in closing some trails, restricting others and opening some new routes. Recreational users of all types have access to the area. It seems to be working.
But there's still room for conflict in this big country, and compromise doesn't sit well with everyone. For those accustomed to going wherever and however they want, any restrictions chafe, and those who object to any motorized travel fight to close old roads through wild areas.
Members of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, an environmental group that wants greater restrictions placed on motorized users, have tallied the total miles of motorized trails that would be allowed (about 15,000 miles) and the number of currently roadless acres that would no longer be eligible for federal wilderness protections (more than 2.5 million acres).
Lawyers for the group estimate that 82 percent of the lands in Utah that the Bureau of Land Management said had wilderness character in 1999 are now open for energy, mining or motorized recreation.
“Everybody’s losing something they thought they had,” said Clifton Koontz, an avid dirt motorbike rider and co-founder of Ride With Respect, a group that teaches people about the bikes and how to minimize damage to the environment.
In November, I biked and hiked through some of the Bangs Canyon lands. The slide show will give you a flavor. [Roll over the image to get the controls.]
