Get engaged in the Cedar City planning process

The far-flung lands west of Cedar City are some of the least traveled and most remote our spectacular state has to offer.  In the southern portion of Utah’s West Desert, this unique basin and range environment is defined by a series of north-south trending mountain ranges with abrupt front slopes and more gentle back slopes that rise out of arid basins to form one of the most diverse ecosystems in Utah.  One of the most noticeable attributes of these lands is the general absence of development and the “you can see forever” views across the islands of mountains and playas. 

BLM’s Cedar City field office is beginning a planning process for a new Resource Management Plan, or RMP.  The RMP is a tremendously important document that will dictate how BLM manages the region’s public lands, resources, and activities for the next 15 to 20 years.  Decisions made in the RMP will include: identification and management of potential wilderness areas, wildlife habitat areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and Wild and Scenic river segments; designation of off-road vehicle trails and use areas; identification of areas for oil, gas, other minerals, and renewable energy development; and identification of areas where deforestation and livestock grazing can occur.  BLM must consider the effects of its planning decisions on climate change, air quality, water quality and all the other public land resources.

The Cedar City planning process offers unique challenges and opportunities for BLM.  For example, the area holds promise for all three of the major renewable energy sources—wind, solar, and geothermal—yet also has pristine wild lands worthy of protection.  The Cedar City region also faces intense threats from increasing and dispersed off-road vehicle recreation.  BLM must create a long-term plan that effectively and responsibly manages recreational activities, energy development and other uses, while preserving the lands worthy of wilderness protection, including the Paradise Mountains, Steamboat Mountain, the Wah Wah Mountains, the Mineral Mountains, and the Mountain Home Range.

Please help BLM craft a strong RMP that protects these special areas by submitting your comments by December 27^th.