Monticello Resource Management Plan

"The Bureau of Land Management under the Bush administration is trying to make a clean sweep of it before President Bush leaves office, issuing management plans for Utah public lands that favor all-terrain vehicles and energy development over wildlife, water, scenic beauty and archaeological treasures."
--The Salt Lake Tribune, September 8, 2008  Read editorial

Tucked into Utah's southeast corner, the Monticello district boasts some of the most extraordinary ancient cultural sites in Utah, including granaries, cliff dwellings, and rock art.  Here, one can still enjoy undeveloped vistas and find solitude in remote, seldom-visited canyons.  These experiences are slowly disappearing, however, as off-road vehicle use becomes increasingly popular, and oil and gas development rapidly enroaches on prisine areas.  Spectacular Arch Canyon, with its rare perennial desert stream, has already seen devastating ORV damage.  Meanwhile, speculative oil and gas exploration occurs at the doorsteop of Hovenweep National Monument, leaving lasting scars near the Utah-Colorado border.

Status: Final RMP released September 5, 2008. Protest Period ended October 6, 2008.

Wilderness in the Monticello BLM District

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