Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** New travel plan for Moab area public land prioritizes conservation
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Monday, October 2, 2023
The Green River flows through Labyrinth Canyon near Moab, Utah. Credit: le fromage, Flickr ([link removed])
A new Bureau of Land Management travel plan for more than 300,000 acres of public land in southeast Utah prioritizes conservation and protects wildlife habitat and cultural resources ([link removed]) . The plan, which is supported by local officials and the boating community, closes around 400 miles ([link removed]) of dirt roads in the planning area, leaving over 800 miles available to off-roaders.
The plan ([link removed]) seeks to balance recreation and conservation in a much-visited area that has seen a surge in off-road vehicle use in recent years, according to High Country News ([link removed]) . The land included in the plan surrounds popular destinations ([link removed]) like Labyrinth Canyon, a 49-mile segment of the Green River that is federally protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges area travel management plan is one of 11 travel management plans covering more than 6 million acres of public land in Utah the BLM (http://, covering more than 6 million acres in eastern and southern Utah,) must complete ([link removed]) by 2025 (http://, covering more than 6 million acres in eastern and southern Utah,) due to a lawsuit brought by environmental groups over plans completed during the George W. Bush administration. The Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges plan is the third of these plans. One hundred percent of the land ([link removed]) within the Bush-era Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges plan was within two miles of an off-road vehicle route, while 94 percent were within a half-mile of one, according to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, which was involved in the lawsuit.
Farewell to conservation champion Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein died at age 90 last week. Feinstein helped protect (http://) millions of acres ([link removed]) of California public land. She led efforts to elevate Death Valley and Joshua Tree to national park status and create Mojave National Preserve, areas that are home to ([link removed]) bighorn sheep and desert tortoises as well as petroglyphs.
“Dianne Feinstein was one of America’s great conservation champions,” said Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala ([link removed]) . “She knew that conservation victories were the result of hard work and years of negotiation—getting stakeholders who might not see eye-to-eye around a table for dozens or even hundreds of hours to hammer out an agreement. That kind of commitment and work ethic should serve as a model for everyone who cares about protecting America’s natural treasures for future generations.”
** Quick hits
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Gold mine near Yellowstone purchased to avoid development
Billings Gazette ([link removed])
Misinformation stokes public outrage at BLM plan for Rock Springs, WY area
Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])
Yellowstone National Park reports robust wolf numbers going into fall
Yellowstone Public Radio ([link removed])
Drivers behaving badly in Colorado backcountry, outdoor officials say
Denver Post ([link removed])
Zion National Park shuttle buses are ditching propane, going electric
KUER ([link removed])
Forest Service tentatively approves Crazy Mountain land swap
Montana Free Press ([link removed])
Fossil fuel rules catch Western towns between old economies and new green goals
NPR ([link removed])
How Dianne Feinstein helped preserve the California desert
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
USDA review of Hotshot program recommends changes to ‘unsustainable system’
Boise State Public Radio ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” This is a long-overdue update of our oil and gas rules that will make a huge difference on the ground for the future of so many communities... If the regulations don't keep up with actual market needs, you create this strange place where the communities are not winning from either recreation or oil and gas.”
—Ashley Korenblat of Public Land Solutions, N ([link removed]) PR ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@Interior ([link removed])
"But Moooooom, I'm not tired!" Don't worry, young cub — you still have time to snack on berries, nuts, fish and meat before winter drives you into your den.
Photo by Eric Trefney
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