The BLM’s Canyon Rims Travel Management Plan designates routes for public motorized use while protecting resources
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MOAB, Utah – The Bureau of Land Management has finalized the Canyon Rims Travel Management Area Environmental Assessment, which will provide for motorized recreation opportunities in the Canyon Rims area while protecting important resources.
The Canyon Rims Travel Management area covers approximately 90,954 acres of BLM managed lands in northern San Juan County, Utah encompassing two distinct areas: the western portion of the Canyon Rims Special Recreation Management Area and the Shafer Basin area south of Dead Horse Point State Park.
“The Canyon Rims Travel Management Plan will provide certainty to motorized recreators within this world-class scenic area in southeast Utah’s redrock country,” said Moab Field Manager Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt. “This decision will not create new routes, but will improve experiences for visitors while protecting natural and cultural resources. We appreciate the public’s input and involvement throughout this process.”
As a result of public comment, an additional five miles of route were removed from the chosen alternative in the decision record, resulting in 226.6 miles of route open to off-highway vehicle use. The decision record for the travel management plan does not include any designations for non-off-highway vehicle use of the routes, does not authorize any new surface disturbing activities, or address new route proposals. Routes closed that were closed by the chosen alternative in the decision record were closed to off-highway vehicle use if the route no longer exists, is being reclaimed by natural processes, lacks connectivity or purpose, is redundant with another route, or if off-highway vehicle use may negatively impact sensitive cultural, riparian, and biologic resources.
The decision record, finding of no significant impact, final environmental assessment, implementation guide, and final route reports are available to the public on the BLM’s NEPA Register/ePlanning website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/113775/510.
Cooperating agencies for this planning effort include San Juan County, Utah, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.