Recapture Utah!

Broads Recapture Utah! campaign is about protecting slick rock canyon country and forested sky islands in the public lands of San Juan County in southeastern Utah. Comprising the “backyard” of Broads’ national office, these lands have extraordinary biodiversity, world-class cultural sites, ecological integrity, and feature endless blue skies, majestic vistas, capricious precipitation, fragile soils, and intense weather. Substantial damage to wild, fragile ecosystems occurs daily on these public lands due to irresponsible off-road vehicle use, damaging livestock grazing practices, and increased public demand and use. With few residents, and fewer locals who favor wilderness, Great Old Broads for Wilderness and their partners are making a difference in a stunning part of Utah that has few local voices calling for land protection.

The campaign to Recapture Utah! promotes sensible policies that will provide long-term protections and restore ecological health to an extraordinary landscape. Through new and existing partnerships, we monitor for illegal motorized uses, advocate for healthy rangelands and of course our advocacy supports Congressional passage of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act or a San Juan County specific land use/wilderness bill. We encourage and support agency enforcement of existing policies including resource management plans, travel plans, rangeland health guidelines, grazing permit rules.

Our Recapture Utah! work includes:

Recapture ATV Trail (the poster child for ORV abuse in San Juan County)

• Work with BLM, National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), San Juan County, area tribes (Hopi, Utes) and others to resolve the criminal trespass issue/illegal route construction and plans for future use
• Provide volunteer labor to rehabilitate closed portions of trail (ideally entire trail)
• Monitor trail conditions following implementation of BLM decision

San Juan County Land Use Bill

• Collaborate with partners to secure sustainable, protective elements (wilderness, national conservation areas, park expansion) in the land use bill
• Organize local residents/business owners to provide conservation input into the bill

• Continued participation with planning meetings and field trips as they occur
• Work with BLM, USFS and NPS to implement bill provisions
• Publicize to our members and others issues/actions they can take to ensure a good bill

Livestock Grazing Issues on arid lands of SE Utah

• Work to reduce animal numbers on permits due for upcoming permit renewals
• Promote permanent retirement of grazing allotments/buyouts from willing permittees and collaborate on restoration projects including rest, exclosures and monitoring
• Work with Grand Canyon Trust(GCT) to develop grazing impact monitoring protocol for Healthy Lands Project database
• Create Comb Wash Restoration Demo Project with permittee, BLM, and others.
• Educate public to consequences of poorly managed grazing in arid areas (desertification, dust on snow, etc.) through media, newsletter, public meetings
• Encourage science based management of livestock grazing to allow for recovery of ecological systems

General Travel Plan issues

• Monitor public lands motorized impacts with HLP using trained staff/interns/volunteers
• Continue partnerships with SUWA and Red Rock Forests to minimize motorized impacts
• Pursue necessary actions to successfully implement travel decisions OR challenge negative, ineffective or non-existent travel plan decisions and implementation
• Identify unauthorized, redundant, poorly situated and/or resource damaging motorized routes; document conditions, recommend them for closure/management and assist with restoration
• Providing Healthy Lands Project (HLP) volunteer opportunities for citizens to become actively engaged in monitoring, restoration projects, and service for their public lands.

Following is a sampling illustrating some of the activities of Recapture Utah! Great Old Broads along with SUWA, Grand Canyon Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and others are using technology and advocacy to protect public lands from illegal off-road vehicle use in San Juan County, Utah.

• November 2006 – After receiving notice of illegal ATV route construction in Recapture Canyon, just east of Blanding, UT, we initiate HLP monitoring of the route, constructed by persons unknown, most likely local..
• April 2007 – Broads monitor and inventory miles of unauthorized ATV routes in San Juan County.  Information is used by BLM to initiate criminal investigations into the route construction
• September 2007 – Recapture Wash and adjacent Jenny Canyon are closed by BLM to motorized use after Broads’ monitors discover and report to BLM fresh vandalism in the Recapture Great House site. BLM begins preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) in response to San Juan County’s Title V Right of Way application to “resolve” the trespass.
• 2008 and 2009 –Broads monitor and record the conditions during the BLM’s closure to motorized travel. The illegally constructed ATV “trail” is returning to its natural state.
• Spring 2009 – Broads actions in Utah are highlighted in an AARP Magazine lifestyles article reaching 35 million.
• Spring/Summer 2010 – Staff participate in Section 106 Consultation meetings in Monticello, Utah regarding San Juan County’s ATV route Right of Way application and the BLM’s Environmental Assessment

Here’s a video of a field trip into Recapture Canyon that was part of the Section 106 meetings. It was posted on YouTube by Utah Wilderness. Associate Director Rose Chilcoat is one of the participants.

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With your support, we will affect and improve implementation of healthy land management decisions and protect wilderness and wild lands in SE Utah for future generations.