The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Richfield field office recently released its Proposed Resource Management Plan after several years of intense work.  One of the planning priorities included determining areas for off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and designating specific routes as open or closed to OHV use.  Travel management goals include providing OHV recreation opportunities and access while protecting public land resources; considering public safety; minimizing conflicts among the various public land uses; and providing support for the local economy. 

By improving off-highway vehicle management through the land use planning process, the BLM aims to minimize impacts to wildlife habitat, reduce the spread of invasive weeds, lessen conflicts among motorized and non-motorized recreation users, and prevent cultural resource damage resulting from expanding routes on public lands.

Outdoor recreation in southern Utah has grown in popularity in recent years, bringing with it a demand for greater variety and availability—including a growing need for motorized routes for OHV use.  Off-highway vehicle use is one of the fastest growing outdoor recreation activities in the country.  In Utah, an estimated 32.5 percent of the state’s population recreates on OHVs annually, and the state has seen a 300 percent increase in OHV registrations in the state over the past ten years.

Beginning in 2002, the Richfield field office conducted a route inventory, which was then scrutinized by an interdisciplinary team comprised of BLM experts and county cooperators to make recommendations for official route designation and closure.  In making recommendations, the team applied factors such as environmental sensitivity, wildlife habitat and cultural resources to the baseline of inventoried routes.

In Richfield’s proposed resource management plan, roughly 9,890 acres in six areas would be open to cross-country travel 1,908,210 acres would be limited to designated off-highway vehicle routes and 209,900 acres would be closed to vehicular travel.  Under the proposed plan, 3,739 miles of off-highway vehicle routes will be designated for motorized use and 538 miles of designated routes will have seasonal closures and vehicle size and width restrictions. 

Total open area acreage represents less than one percent of BLM-administered lands in the Richfield planning area yet accommodates both existing OHV use and future growth of unique OHV riding experiences. Factory Butte Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) would establish three open play areas: the Factory Butte Play Area, the Swing Arm City Play Area and the Caineville Cove Inn Play Area, providing for an unequaled OHV riding experience on the Mancos shale badlands. Additionally, the Factory Butte SRMA would limit travel to designated routes on 11,300 acres and close 4,600 acres to protect rare vegetation and significant scenic resources. Under the proposed plan, the following areas would be designated and managed as open areas:

• Factory Butte Play Area (5,800 acres)
• Swing Arm City Play Area (2,600 acres)
• Caineville Cove Inn Play Area (100 acres)
• Big Rocks Trials Play Area (90 acres)
• Glenwood Play Area (1,000 acres)
• Aurora Play Area (300 acres)

Until a Record of Decision on Richfield’s proposed plan is reached and the associated management infrastructure is put into place and developed, the current OHV restriction throughout the entire Factory Butte area remain in force.

Moving toward a thoughtful, well-planned travel management system based on a network of designated roads and trails protects – rather than inhibits – recreational access to the public lands.  Over the long term, the Richfield resource management plan will provide the strong, rational foundation needed to prevent road and trail closures and restrictions stemming from preventable resource damage or user conflicts.

Supporting its multiple use mandate, the Bureau of Land Management is challenged to manage an increasingly complex mix of resources and uses on public lands.  Richfield’s proposed plan plays a vital role in managing that mix to create recreation opportunities for a wide variety of users, while minimizing conflicts between those users and potential impacts on other resources.

Cornell Christensen
Richfield Field Office Manager