Community partnership benefits Tabeguache Trail

GRAND JUNCTION, CO—The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office benefits from numerous long-term working relationships with its community partners. One such invaluable partnership, with the Western Slope ATV Association (WSATVA) and Colorado State Parks, will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Thursday, December 1, 2005, at the Bangs Canyon trailhead off Little Park Rd. BLM will install a new sign thanking the WSATVA for adopting the Tabeguache Trail and securing the State Parks grant, which funded the initial trailhead development.

“This sign is a symbol of our partnership,” Recreation Program Manager Britta Laub said. “With all of the energy the ATV Association dedicates to this special place, it’s time to restore the sign to honor those who have worked so tirelessly for their public lands.”

The ATV Association adopted the Tabeguache Trail in 1990 and regularly sponsors clean-up projects on the trail. Local ATV dealers, who support BLM public lands through the Stay the Trail campaign, will join BLM in recognizing the efforts of the WSATVA and Colorado State Parks.

“The Western Slope ATV Association is made up of a great group of people,” John Summers, owner of All Sports Honda, said. “They’re people who care about the places they like to ride and prove that through their actions.”

Stay the Trail is a coalition of responsible users interested in preserving the opportunity to ride. The mission is to reinforce and highlight responsible OHV use, and to modify and mitigate irresponsible use in an effort to minimize resource damage on public land. Stay the Trail cooperators, including BLM, hope to create a statewide culture of responsible OHV use that will continue beyond the life of the project, effectively creating a stewardship ethic among all Colorado OHV recreationists.

Information on the Stay the Trail campaign can be found at www.staythetrail.org.
For more information about the Tabeguache Trail, contact BLM Transportation Planner Jim Cooper at 970-244-3047.

“Stay the Trail” is a trademark of the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition.

-BLM-

Editor’s Note: For directions to the Bangs Canyon Trailhead off Little Park Rd, please call Mel Lloyd.