Environmentalists seek to shut OHV access in Canyonlands area

By The AP
Monday, July 11, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY — A coalition of environmental groups is pushing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to restrict off-road vehicle use on more than 1,000 miles of trails surrounding Canyonlands National Park.

The groups are sending a letter to BLM Director Robert Abbey to protect 1.2 million acres of land surrounding the national park from vehicle use and other threats.

The chair of the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club Marion Klaus says the trails used by off-road vehicles cross archaeological sites, wetlands and other sensitive areas.

The letter is in support of a petition filed by the Southern Utah Wilderness in March with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The area includes landmarks such as Fiddler Butte and the Dirty Devil River.