UTAH (and Surrounding Areas) BS Thread

Next Wednesday is the first day of Spring....forecast is saying a high of 60.....WTF is going on here?

 

We did indeed, but I think wi’ll still be solid.

Not happy about the loss to end the season. That could be a problem going into the BYU game

 

I walk around and stare at people and do nothing all day.

 

Yeah it will be weird to have the rivalry the first game of the season. Nobody knows how their teams are going to play, could be a disaster on both sides haha

 

That’s why there bald, 35 are $$$$

 

LOL! - management?

 

Hell no! If I was in management, I'd be in A/C heated building with a desk and a secretary to bring me my booze and tell me I did a great job every day. Hahaha!

 

Have you guys been following this? Huge bummer for the Swell, and around Goblin Valley SP. At least for us. SUWA is thrilled. https://www.ksl.com/article/46509650/trump-signs-massive-lands-bill-with-key-utah-provisions

And if you can stomach SUWA, here's the map.
https://suwa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=fe945411e7684dddab3dc53dac3596b0#

 

So basically we have to have more human powered adventures instead of vehicle powered?

 

That's kind of the rub I am getting. Kurt linked a good article on it's ins and outs on UTOR last night.

 

Link? I deleted my facebook awhile back. Too much family drama. I miss the toyota pages.

 

I'll find it at lunch for you. It came from Expedition Utah, but I can't find it on their website.

 

So I've been trying to understand what the changes meant for offroading. Maybe because I'm so new to the community. Does the new Wilderness Area = no more trails in those areas?
or is it that the new swell area = no more trails in those areas?

 

Dedicated Wilderness areas typically mean no motorized travel.

 

Here's a copy/paste of Kurt's post (if this is what we're referring to)

As the dust settles on this land use debacle I would hope we can all catalog a few take-aways from what has turned into a major social media frenzy. Sadly, these situations often just briefly highlight the issues at hand rather than educate and we find ourselves taking sides rather than taking a stance together. While I don’t condone, appreciate or respect what was done in Moab this last week… I do understand that there are far bigger land access issues that the motorized community as a whole faces. We just lost 70+ miles of OHV routes in the San Rafael Swell. Did you submit a comment? Many of Utah’s BLM districts underwent Resource Management Plan overhauls in the last decade, deciding the fate of thousands of miles of OHV routes. Did you participate in those plans? Each year National Public Lands Day has motorized user groups working with federal land managers to proactively address issues on OHV trails throughout the state. Were you there? I do not want an answer from each and every one of you, rather I’d love for at least some of you to take your visible passion (as shown by the heat of these threads) and work on something bigger picture. Peer enforcement has its place and while not all enjoy these threads, I think many in fact learn from them. But let’s dig deeper, let’s all take a look at our travel on public lands.

Is your travel/impact legal? Have you spent time doing your due diligence? Is the route you plan to take on a legal motorized vehicle use map (Forest Service ands) or Travel Management Plan (BLM lands)? Is the route in an open cross-country travel area? While there is much debate on state vs federal levels about what is open and closed, there are still resolute answers available from the current land manager. The Forest Service, BLM and National Park Service maintain quite decent maps of all legal routes in the state of Utah, have you looked at them? Do you need a permit to film or host a large group event? Do you need to engage the BLM or FS on your planned activity? Can you work a service project or trail cleanup into your planned trail ride?

Is your travel/impact ethical? It can be completely legal to drive a route but perhaps not ethical. This would be the case of doing irreparable damage to a wet road or perhaps tearing up a groomed snow trail used by the snowmobile community. Will your travel disturb wild life? Furthermore will your travel put yourself or someone else at risk?

Will your impact be appreciated by others? This could be trash left in a fire pit, names on rocks, human waste near popular recreation areas or even loud music in a camping area. Put yourself in the shoes of other recreationalists whom can also lay claim to our “public lands”, do your actions deter from their enjoyment? Can common ground be found? User conflicts are a common back country occurrence and it’s naïve at best to assume all users will appreciate the travel of others. If you’re following the law, being respectful and working to respect the use of other user groups, it’s my experience that most of these conflicts can be avoided or deescalated.

So how can you get involved? Great question, I was hoping you would ask. First and foremost, join a 4x4 club or Association with a track record of involvement in these issues. Does your club do service projects on public lands? Do they host training? Become a Utah State Trail Host. This program enables OHV users to be positive peer role models and educators amongst our fellow users and offers you the tools to solve complex issues. Join and support Tread Lightly!, not just through your $$$ but also through your actions, many of which I’ve touched on above. Most importantly, listen for the call and need when important land use issues need your voice. For example just recently the Emery County Land Use Bill was working its way through the political process; post after post was made all over social media asking that OHV enthusiasts make an official comment to the involved politicians. I was impressed by the many letters and comments I saw and can only imagine how much more impact we could have had if twice as many had become involved. If you have a specific recreation area you love to spend time in, join a Trail Working Group (or similar) with the land manager of that area. For example we meet each summer month with the Pleasant Grove District Forest Service staff to discuss access and user issues in the American Fork Canyon area. Working together we have made some great impact and education improvements. I'd love to see that happening at Knolls, Bountiful B, 5MP, Uinta trails, Little Moab (state land fwiw) etc.

About me for those still reading or just questioning “who the hell is this guy”, I’m happy to offer some background on my involvement and passion for Utah’s public lands. For nearly 20 years now I’ve been involved in the Utah land use scene advocating for motorized access to our public lands on local, state and federal level. I’ve served as a land-use officer for several Utah groups, the President of the Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association, a certified Trail Host and a Tread Lightly! Master Trainer. On behalf of the U4WDA I personally worked on 6 of the 11 BLM Resource Management Plans, plans that could have led to thousands of miles of closures on Utah public lands. Through many shoulders, letter writing parties and meaningful research by many, the losses on those RMP’s were minimal enough that anti-motorized groups have taken them to court, we can consider that a win. Let me be clear that certainly don’t know everything and I’m still learning how the system works, how we can best work with users and government agencies to keep public lands accessible to motorized users. I’m happy to hear any comments, questions or complaints you might have.

Relevant links:

 

Nice, I bought my truck there and MM has been good to work with to date. Although I keep bouncing around to different service advisors. PM me any recommendations if you have any.

Also, am I safe leaving all 3 of my RCI skids on if I take my truck in to MM for fluid changes or will I get it back with massive pools dripping off the skids? I’ll likely hit my 60K service later this year. I have more $ than time at the moment, hence paying to have it done by a dealer (nice for dealer to have records of all service as well for future trade in).

 

That’s perfect

 

Now just picture that in front of your truck, making sarcastic remarks and drinking all the beer, while you attempt greatness.

 

zscott, Welcome to the Long Travel Club. Saw your updated thread the other day.

I might trade in my chaos kit for that Dirt Designs LT kit someday. Or maybe convert my spring under to a 3-link with panhard bar. We should have a Long Travel Meetup.