Moab needs our help

from Jeff Slavens Racing... they are trying to close more of Moab trails to motorized traffic.

Hello Fellow Off-Road Enthusiast:
Once again our trails are under attack! I've been enjoying the Moab area for more than 40 years and I'm very angry at this latest attempt by elitist, self-entitled tree huggers to block motorized access to this area. The Moab area is a gem that can never be duplicated or replaced and should remain open to all types of motorized use. We contribute millions of dollars annually to the Moab area economy via the consumption of fuel, maintenance, food and lodging and our exit will devastate the local economy.
Please use the link below to provide a polite, unemotional comment that expresses your concerns. Threats, curse words and emotional comments will not promote our cause.
Please send in your comment NOW! Time is of the essence. Comments must be submitted by this coming Monday, April 26th.
Talking points for your comment submission:

• Our positive financial impact on the local economy
• Our volunteer work to build new trail systems
• Our volunteer work to maintain and improve jeep roads, ATV and MC trails
• Our financial contribution to the area trails via purchasing off-road stickers - millions of dollars annually - hikers and bicycle riders contribute nothing
• Our right as taxpayers to use public land
• How you, your family and friends use and enjoy the area

Regards,
Jeff Slavens
Motorized off-road enthusiast,
Our trails in Moab are being threatened! Southwest Utah Wilderness Alliance is trying to shutdown 330,000 acres of motorized recreation access in the Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridge Special Recreation Area outside of Moab. This includes every trail west of Highway 191 and north of town to the interstate. Affected trails include: Gemini Bridges, Rusty Nail, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim, Golden Crack, Poison Spider, Monitor & Merimac, Seven Mile Rim, Bull Canyon, White Wash Dunes, 10 Mile Canyon, Bartlett, Tusher, Determination Towers, Mashed Potatoes, Secret Spire, Dubinky, 3D, Dead Cow, The Tubes, and all the atv/single-track surrounding the dunes.
Make your voice heard! Visit https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2001224/510. Click the green box on the left that says "Participate Now" and then click on the green box on the right that says "Participate Now". Follow the submission process and urge the BLM to keep this wonderful area open. Submissions are open until 4/26/21. Please feel free to share this link to anyone who enjoys riding in the beauty that is Moab!
Slavens Racing

 

submitted. Thanks!

 

This kind of stuff happens everywhere. People damage property, litter, trespass, commit various other crimes. With how popular over-landing is and how many people are wanting to go off-roading. Moab will look like a auto repair shop floor from the 30s that’s never been cleaned or maintained. I’m no tree hugger but people ruin everything, so do you blame them from trying to protect it? Just my two cents

 

I understand your viewpoint and truly believe all the "overland" exposure many areas have gotten is truly for the worse, but having been in opposition to their policies towards other Utah OHV areas as well as saving certain mountain biking areas, SUWA as an organization is truly malicious in terms of anti-4x4 goals and opposition to finding common ground.

 

That's what happens when you destroy shit and don't take care of it and litter. Same as what happened at the Dunes in CA

 

^^
What he said... general off-roading isn't the issue, it's the absolute disregard for the environment, wrecking what's out there
that is getting people mad. When I see video's of 4-wheelers doing donuts, climbing and destroying hills I know it's a matter
of time before they shut it down for everyone. You go out to BLM Land where targeting is allowed and you see 100's of shell
casings lying around, glass bottles broken, pop and beer cans littered all over the place, signs shot to hell, what do you expect?

 

Yeah, this is one of those issues where I can definitely see both sides to the argument. Personally, I think that side by sides/UTVs are the worst thing to ever happen to the off road community as a whole. Sure, they're tons of fun, but they make off roading way too easy, which introduces a ton of disrespectful people to the "sport". I'm a Park Ranger with the BLM, and it's astounding how torn up/trashed places have gotten in the past 10 years. I wish some of the "millions of dollars" raised by off roading could go directly to paying salaries for more park ranger type positions.

 

You dk... lol

 

So true and drives me bonkers. I live out in the desert and one of the reasons I bought a lifted 4x4 was so that I could access spots to shoot that are more difficult to get to because idiots ruin the good close in spots.

 

We don’t speak of them

 

I see it as we better try and protect it and clean it up so it stays open from my experience once they close stuff it’s hard to get it re opened it usually never does.

 

What irks alot of folks is offroaders driving down the middle of pristine trout streams with no respect. Sometimes you can even see an oil slick drifting down the river from either excessive grease or oil leak etc. They don't give a $hit and do alot of damage.

For that reason alone I will not support your initiative. You see alot of these idiots on Instagram trying to prove they are so cool.

 

As someone who accesses BLM in my vehicle and mountain bikes in Southern UT every year I'm torn

I hope the irony in this sentence is not lost on anyone.

 

I would like to see them stay open. However, I am more with the majority here in that idiots ruin everything. If that's the way to stop the idiots, I'm all for it.

 

It was bound to happen.

When I first got into wheeling around, I was taught some very basic rules on not being a dick:

Don't blaze new trails.
Minimize tire spin. If you can't climb it controlled, then you shouldn't climb it.
Leave mud alone. Don't rut out the trail.
Wildlife always has the right of way.
Keep it muffled, minimize noise.
Pack out more trash than you packed in.


I don't think those rules exist anymore, and I would wager that half of off road users would even give a shit if they knew them.

 

Yeah, I use FS roads to access cell sites for work. I can't tell you how many times I've had to get out and hoof it on foot, because the access road has been torn up with deep ruts, because "offroaders" like to purposely blast down these roads and tear them up... I'm not opposed to limiting access.

Edit: If you need an example, Mt Emily in Eastern Oregon (outside of La Grande) is a classic example.

 

I was a backpacker did the Utah thing other places across the US. Beautiful country we have be nice to keep it open but after some of the shit I’ve seen people leave behind it blows the mind. I totally agree on the utv thing really got the worst kind of people into the outback where they are now screwing the rest of us. Thanks utoob and the internet for making everyone with a phone an internet sensation.

 

When I pilgrimaged to mountain bike Moab I was shocked by the motorized disrespect for the environment by a lot of folks, but NOT all motorized. Its a complicated situation but no matter where you are douche bags will ultimately ruin it. Shit it happens with the mountain bike trails all over the country as well.
Horse people hate bikes, runners hate horses, motorized tear shit up, bikers blaze new trails they shouldn't
Damn humans will ruin or tear down everything wild.

 

Why is this in the 3rd gen section?

This needs to be made more public.