Utah fighting federal attempt to shut down 317 miles of Moab trails

So crazy!  When will these people realize all you do when locking users out is turn honest citizens into outlaws!  I’ve seen it with Mt Bikes, snowmobiles, motorcycles, etc…

I bet all the businesses near Moab are realizing how much money they stand to lose if recreational off-roaders quit coming round. 

Props to Utah and everyone fighting this bullshit, I really really hope you succeed.

From the UK, where things are unbelievably dire in this respect, do not EVER allow them to fuck with your right to enjoy YOUR public land and trails (or your firearms but that's another non-moto discussion).

Well we had a president recently who was all about giving control back to the states, and out from underneath federal government overreach. 

Especially since it's our land, not theirs.

Sounds about right for our pathetic federal government. 

Moab is on my bucket list. 

That's just as horrible of an idea as closing the trails.

We don't need to go down the rabbit hole here, but if you think States being in control of the land is good for Public Access, Trail Riding, Recreation etc....  it's just not true.

Do some quick searches on how much State Land was sold off to private interests in Nevada for just one example of the travesty it would be if the states got control of the Forest Service and BLM Land.

The Jeep folks are really getting a kick in the nuts..  Easter Jeep Safari in Moab is the biggest off road gathering in the country, they are losing 1/3 of the trails for that event due to this as well.

One of my first thoughts with this is how local businesses are going to suffer, they have relied on the off-road community for revenue for decades.  I am willing to bet the dim-wits pushing for this would just say, this area will flourish more with folks hiking, MTB, and equestrian visitors.  Either way, more of this crap, more freedom lost.  Outdoor activities on public lands is going to be enjoyed on foot or nothing before too long.  This country is feeling a whole lot less free, every day.

The greenies will not stop until motors are banned from public land…and they are happy to do it one inch at a time.  We-meaning ohv users and the entire ohv industry: from race teams and pro riders, to manufacturers to accessory companies to weekend warriors-better wake up, speak up, and show up or we will eventually have nothing left but tiny and over crowded ohv parks to ride.  
 

SXS are our worst enemy in this right now…trail proliferation is a pet term of the greenie groups, and SXS’s have exponentially increased it (I can’t even count the number of trails that used to be single track, but are now basically full on roads because of these stupid machines)…and they seem to attract a far more irresponsible and disrespectful crowd than other OHV genres…I hate them.  And if dealers and manufacturers don’t start educating the buyers of these machines about proper public land use, and OHV users don’t start policing ourselves we are all screwed.

State ownership isn’t the answer…the answer is amending the wilderness act (to more clearly state what qualifies as wilderness), amending the antiquities act (to either prevent the POTUS from being allowed to designate national monuments without the approval of the governor and congressional delegation from the state the monument will be located…or….to require congress to ratify any new monuments), and eliminating the equal access to justice act (which is what funds all these greenie groups-with tax payer money-and encourages them be so sue happy), and change the BLM/Forest service missions to consider  ALL USER TYPES equally.  
 

make those changes and the greenie groups lose a significant portion of their influence…and this slows down.

If nothing changes, and the OHV industry doesn’t get far more involved….eventually public land will be a big museum…look but don’t touch.  

I called out a Shop from California that sells SXS, posting photos and videos on instagram of them all tearing up an area that had already been shut down in NV due to the damage the SXS people were doing.

SXS will be the end of offroad riding...I despise those things 😒 

Not to worry  e-Bikes will save the day because they don't pollute and are quiet.       LMAO.   

Timely thread.  We were just in Moab, rented a Jeep and tooled around Gemini Bridges trails.  

Thanks for posting 

I was at the parking lot at Pinnacles near Arrowhead, when about 10 SxS's turned up. They all stopped and then they started to blast the Notero music I just love (NOT)

At that point I realised riding around Arrowhead/Big Bear etc etc was f'd.

I've even seen SxS's on single track trails.

Ebikes can save closed course riding. Like MX tracks. But when You get out in the trails, noise is less of an issue . And in a lot of cases I could see a silent MX bike being more of an issue on trails that are multiple use.   Like passing hikers . I hope that Dealers learn from the craziness that a lot of SXS drivers cause and have a plan on educating any new riders or even existing riders. So they know the proper trail manners and places that are OK to ride.   

I was thinking about it just now, and a lot of the complaints about SXS's that people have,that ride dirt bikes could be related to by the people who do not want Dirt bikes on trails.  Dirtbikes impact a trail much more than a guy walking. And the SXS impact is just scaled up from an ATV.  The answer to the SXS problem might just be the same as the answer to illegal Dirt bike riding. Give them a place to drive and it will help keep them away from the places they are unwanted. Maybe teaching proper trail manners can help some too,but You'll always have a few people who just do not care. 

Closing trails down, and closing MX tracks down are 2 different things. When I talk about electric helping to open up riding, I mean closed course style riding. I know from the years of knowing track owners that when noise is eliminated , that makes things much easier.   I know a guy who had a 2 stroke only track. He had a neighbor 3 miles away across a valley on the other side complain that their windows would rattle from the 4 strokes on his track. And up until he had a 4 stroke on it, He never had any issues. 

What shop?

Dealers are too busy getting the guy with a 520 credit score approved for the oem branded credit card so they can sell them $30,000 offroad booze cruiser with a free knock off yeti cooler to go with it. Wouldn't count on them to be the source of education for anything. 

It’s an absolute shame what they are doing to warner valley…and some of my favorite desert single track trails in the world are outside of mesquite, NV…and they are quickly becoming roads.

SXS belong in the sand dunes, and on the farm/ranch…

part of the reason I changed my offroad focus to hard enduro is that all of the fun, flowy singletrack down lower in the valleys is simply gone from assholes in SXS that blow it out and turn it into a freeway.  Up where I ride now they can't get to, so it's a win/win.  Hate, hate, hate side by sides with passion.  They attract the absolute dregs of society and the people driving them are usually complete assclowns on the trails.  But I guess (like e-mtb) they do allow grandma to get out where she wouldn't otherwise be able to....

Not everyone that owns a SXS is an irresponsible, disrespectful and lazy moron (in fact, I really hope-though I’m not optimistic-it’s just a loud minority of SXS owners that are)…but if someone is an irresponsible, disrespectful and lazy moron, and happen to be into OHV’s, chances are that they own a sxs…and they are ruining off-road riding for everyone else.  
 

No trail is too skinny for these people…I can’t stand it.  

I hear you, and it's true that not all are that way.  But enough of them are that our lower valley singletrack has been obliterated in the past 5 years.  As in - none left.  They travel in these roving gangs, block trails sitting on their fat asses, and are a massive nuisance.  

SXS are ruining so many trails.  The Owhyee front south of Boise is getting f'd too.

On the Hard Enduro front....I don't exactly think that craze is gonna be great for trail access in the long term either.  So many wanna be Cody Webb's out there riding off trail in places they aren't supposed to be. 

Then to make it even better, they gotta go blast it all over the 'gram for all their buddies to see how cool they look launching their bike up some shit they have no business riding on. 

Ammo for the greenies all day.....

So you think that a Republican governor and a Republican legislature - who, by the way, have widely promoted off-road activities in the state with a major marketing campaign - will be less friendly to off-road enthusiasts than lifetime bureaucrats hanging in D.C.

Are they closing that area for mineral extraction? That seems like the usual plan. Lithium? 

I do...and even if they aren't...what happens when some day there is a democrat governor and democrat legislature...who are anti-off road activities?

It's really best the land stay in Federal control...but there needs to be some new laws placed which will prevent the federal government (and even worse unelected federal bureaucrats in the BLM and Forest Service) from making massive and sweeping designation changes to the federal land against the will of the local Americans (Like I mentioned earlier, the wilderness, antiquities, and equal access to justice acts all need to me amended...plus other restrictions). 

Basically, I feel that the Americans who live next to, work next to, and in many cases the survival of their entire communities are dependent on, federal land...should have the MOST say in how its managed.  Local Americans shouldn't be the ONLY voice in how federal land is managed...but they should have enough say to prevent a change in management or designation from being forced their throats (usually by a bill started by a congressman/woman who doesn't live in the West, let alone their state...or by a bureaucrat in the BLM who is from the East coast), which will hurt their quality of life, affect their jobs, and in some cases irreparably harm their communities. 

The ping-pong back and forth that has happened with the Bears Ears National Monument, for example, should not be allowed...the Antiquities Act shouldn't allow for national monuments of that size (without involving congress) in the first place (especially against the will of the vast majority of Utahns)...and then when the next president uses the same act to shrink it, and then the next uses the same act to expand it...it's just wrong. 

In this case, no, its closed to anything/anyone that isn't walking on it. 

100%

Because the Republican Governor and Republican Legislature would be more interested (and rewarded) for helping that land become private land owned by folks who would have zero interest in letting us recreate on it.

This isn't a crack pot theory, it's facts.  Most states in the West have a long and storied history of selling off state managed lands to private interests.  You don't have to believe me, look it up for yourself.  

The worst thing that could happen to the West is to end up like Texas with only 2% Public Land.