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Resource Management Plans
Determining the Fate of 11 Million Acres of Public Land in Utah
In its waning hours, the Bush administration put the spectacular redrock lands of southern Utah on the chopping block, cementing its legacy of rolling back protections on public lands, increasing oil and gas drilling at all costs, and catering to the single-minded demands of off-road vehicle (ORV) enthusiasts. After seven years in the making and millions of dollars paid to contractors, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released six Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that now dictate how 11 million acres of iconic canyon country will be managed for the next two decades (to learn more about the areas affected, click on any of the field offices above). At stake are some of the state’s most stunning landscapes—places like
Desolation Canyon, the Book Cliffs, Fisher Towers, the San Rafael Swell,
Parunuweap Canyon, Indian Creek, and many more.
One of the most high profile consequences of the BLM’s rushed planning
effort in Utah was the controversial December
2008 lease sale, which threatened scenic landscapes near several
national parks and put more than 100,000 acres of wilderness at risk.
Equally insidious, though less reported on, is the fact that along with
its approval of the six RMPs, the BLM
also approved travel plans for each field office. These travel plans
designated specific trails as open to motorized vehicle use (e.g. ORVs)
on some of the state’s most sensitive public lands.
With the Obama administration, we have an opportunity to revisit and hopefully reverse these terrible planning decisions before it's too late.
What has happened since the Utah RMPs were finalized?
Learn More
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Editorials Blast BLM Plans:
New York Times Editorial: Last Minute Mischief, 10/18/08
Washington Post Op-Ed: Saving the Desert Southwest, 10/18/08
Salt Lake Tribune Editorials:
Moab RMP: BLM plan for Moab: Agency's notion of balance shorts protection, 08/04/2008
Kanab RMP: Too much fun: OHV overuse could harm Kane, Garfield counties, 07/22/2008
Monticello RMP: Open invitation: BLM Monticello plan invites destruction of relics, 09/08/2008
Vernal RMP: Inviting plunder: Vernal BLM plan caters too much to OHVs, 08/29/2008
Richfield RMP: No management plan: BLM makes gift of land to offroaders, drillers, 08/11/2008
Price RMP: Drill, drill, drill: BLM plan for Carbon, Emery counties goes for the gas, 09/08/2008
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