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Coyote Canyon! It's Time.

ret32

ret32

Active Member
Location
Midvale
Just got the following in my Google RSS feeds. Straight from the BLM.

Start commenting!

Spread the word!

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/info/newsroom/2011/august/coyote_canyon_ea_available.html

Coyote Canyon EA Available for Comment

The Moab Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management has released an Environmental Assessment (EA) disclosing the impacts of designating Coyote Canyon as a motorized route. The proposed route is located off the Black Ridge Road, approximately ten miles south of Moab. If designated, the route would add approximately 0.65 miles of route to the Moab Travel Plan.

A thirty-day public comment period is being conducted on the Environmental Assessment. The comment period ends on September 9, 2011. The Environmental Assessment is available online at https://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab.html . Hard copies are also available at the Moab BLM Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532. Comments on the EA may be mailed to that address, or emailed to UT_Moab_Comments@blm.gov.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

For more information, call the Moab Field Office at 435-259-2100.
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drtsqrl

drtsqrl

I luv Pritchett
Location
Moab
Thank you ret32 for posting this. I will be talking with the BLM about this later today. The link to the EA isn't working for me, I will see if I can find out why.)

MFFW has been working on re-opening the trail since it was closed in 2008. Thank you to everyone who wrote in support of Coyote back when this first started, but please take a few minutes to write again. We know there will be opposition, so let's show them how important the Coyote Canyon is to us!
 
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ret32

ret32

Active Member
Location
Midvale
drtsqrl said:
...The link to the EA isn't working for me...
Click to expand...
Not working for me either. It just goes to the main Moab Field Office home page. That seems to be pretty typical of the BLM though. They announce a public comment period without having the public documents posted online. Sometimes it's close to the public comment deadline before they get all the proper documents on their website.
 
Coco

Coco

Well-Known Member
Location
Lehi, UT
DONE!!! Let's get this trail re opened!!!

Can't thank Jeff and MFFW for all there Hard work, without them, many of the Moab trails would probably already be gone!! Thank you all!!!
 
drtsqrl

drtsqrl

I luv Pritchett
Location
Moab
Some more information...

I never have been able to open the link to the actual Environmental Assessment (EA), but I finally got my hands on a copy. It is 27 pages long, and is actually rather interesting reading. The BLM presents two options: open it, or leave it closed. In my opinion, the EA is quite favorable to re-opening the route, but that doesn’t mean we can stop working now!
I have attempted to summarize the EA below, but I do recommend downloading and reading it for yourself. If you can’t download it, PM me and I will email you the PDF. (Disclaimer – The summary below is my interpretation only, yours may vary.)
As the EA states, there were 389 letters “in favor” and 9 “against” during the scoping period. There will undoubtedly be many more “against” now that the official comment period has begun, and we need to make sure we match and exceed those letters! PLEASE take a moment to send an email of support, and note any of your specific concerns. . Comments on the EA may be emailed to UT_Moab_Comments@blm.gov.
Per the BLM: “Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.”
Thank you - Jeff

Coyote Canyon E.A. Summary, August 2011
Comments during scoping period:
· 389 in favor
· 9 against
Comments “For”:
· 11 common issues were raised, 6 of which BLM responded to positively and were “added to need for proposed action”.
· On 4 of the issues, BLM’s response was “issue to be analyzed”. In all cases except one, these issues were found to be favorable in the analysis portion of the EA. The exception was a request to open the route to motorcycles, which was denied in the EA on the basis of excess noise. (In my opinion, Coyote Canyon would be a good “challenge route” for trials motorcycles, which usually are quieter than other off-road motorcycles. While not necessarily impossible for normal dirt bikes (non-trials type), the route would be extremely difficult, and would likely see near zero use by that type of motorcycle.) ATV’s and UTV’s were not discussed in the EA, and the route would presumably be closed to those vehicles.
· One issue (“designation of Coyote would correct omission in 2008 RMP Travel Plan”) was discussed in the EA, and explained that the route was inadvertently omitted from consideration during Travel Plan deliberations.
Comments “Against”:
· 16 common issues were raised in the nine letters received that were “against” Coyote.
· 8 of those issues were debunked and eliminated from further analysis by BLM.
· 5 of the issues were discussed and explained in the EA, and should have no bearing on the ultimate decision.
· BLM’s response on 3 of the issues was “issue to be analyzed”. The first of these issues is increased noise pollution, to which BLM responds “the cumulative effects of adding visual impacts and/or noise by designating Coyote Canyon are so small as to be unnoticeable, given the mitigating measures provided in this EA”. The second issue is “negative impacts on wildlife”, and BLM’s response is “negligible”. The third issue is “negative impact to adjoining homeowners and their property values”. To me, this issue is obviously the trickiest, as it is very subjective and difficult to quantify. Everything that happens in the adjoining area will affect the property owners in some way, but in my opinion the biggest impact by far would be general traffic along Black Ridge Road, be it from general recreation, visitors to Area BFE, hunters, other property owners, etc. I believe that the impact directly related to the designation of Coyote Canyon would be very small in comparison to existing impacts.
Mitigation:
The following stipulations are included in the EA designation of the route:
· Moab Friends-For-Wheelin’ (MFFW) would purchase and install fencing or other barriers to limit travel to the designated route. The route would have one entrance/exit point accessible only from Black Ridge Road, and travel in the lower wash beyond the entrance/exit would be blocked. MFFW would also repair an erosion gully as identified by BLM.
· MFFW would also provide and install trailhead and on-trail signage, including vehicle requirements, rules, and safety information.
· MFFW would perform clean-ups (including human waste) monthly or as required.
· Trailer parking would not be permitted at the trailhead, but rather at the designated OHV parking lot adjacent to Highway 191.
· Travel would be permitted in a clockwise direction only. (Not sure I like this one.)
· Spill kits would be required for all vehicles.
· No motorcycles. (As I said above, I don’t really like this either.)
· Operation would be from dawn to dusk only (no night runs).
· No permitted organized events allowed. (Keep your group informal and small!)
· No winching to trees.
· No designated campsites will be allowed between Highway 191 and the private property just beyond Coyote Canyon.
Comment Period: Ends September 9th, 2011
 
Jinx

Jinx

when in doubt, upgrade!
Location
So Jordan, Utah
:applause:

Way to go Moab friends for wheelin!!!

I haven't read all the way through it yet but so far as of page 13, you guys have done well!!!
 
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