Resource Management Plans
Determining the Fate of 11 Million Acres of Public Land in Utah

 

Moab

Price

Vernal

Labyrinth Canyon Price RMP Thumbnail Vernal RMP thumbnail

Kanab

Richfield

Monticello

Kanab RMP thumbnail Richfield RMP thumbnail Monticello RMP thumbnail

In its waning hours, the Bush administration put the spectacular redrock lands of southern Utah on the chopping block, cementing its legacy of rolling back protections on public lands, increasing oil and gas drilling at all costs, and catering to the single-minded demands of off-road vehicle (ORV) enthusiasts.  After seven years in the making and millions of dollars paid to contractors, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released six Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that now dictate how 11 million acres of iconic canyon country will be managed for the next two decades (to learn more about the areas affected, click on any of the field offices above).  At stake are some of the state’s most stunning landscapes—places like Desolation Canyon, the Book Cliffs, Fisher Towers, the San Rafael Swell, Parunuweap Canyon, Indian Creek, and many more.

One of the most high profile consequences of the BLM’s rushed planning effort in Utah was the controversial December 2008 lease sale, which threatened scenic landscapes near several national parks and put more than 100,000 acres of wilderness at risk.  Equally insidious, though less reported on, is the fact that along with its approval of the six RMPs, the BLM also approved travel plans for each field office.  These travel plans designated specific trails as open to motorized vehicle use (e.g. ORVs) on some of the state’s most sensitive public lands.

With the Obama administration, we have an opportunity to revisit and hopefully reverse these terrible planning decisions before it's too late.

 

What has happened since the Utah RMPs were finalized?

 

Learn More

 

Photos of Wilderness Threatened by BLM Management Plans

Upper Desolation Canyon

View this Album ...

Fact Sheet Summarizing Impact of all Six Final RMPs

Final RMP Fact Sheet Thumbnail Image

Fact Sheet: BLM Travel Plans Endanger Cultural Resources

BLM Travel Plan Fact Sheet Cover

Editorials Blast BLM Plans:

New York Times Editorial: Last Minute Mischief, 10/18/08

Washington Post Op-Ed: Saving the Desert Southwest, 10/18/08

Salt Lake Tribune Editorials:

Moab RMP: BLM plan for Moab: Agency's notion of balance shorts protection, 08/04/2008

Kanab RMP: Too much fun: OHV overuse could harm Kane, Garfield counties, 07/22/2008

Monticello RMP: Open invitation: BLM Monticello plan invites destruction of relics, 09/08/2008

Vernal RMP: Inviting plunder: Vernal BLM plan caters too much to OHVs, 08/29/2008

Richfield RMP: No management plan: BLM makes gift of land to offroaders, drillers, 08/11/2008

Price RMP: Drill, drill, drill: BLM plan for Carbon, Emery counties goes for the gas, 09/08/2008