Tenth Circuit Rules in Our Monument Case Involving Kane County RS 2477 Claims
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
On January 11, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an opinion in a case brought by conservation groups that challenged Kane County's attempt to undermine federal land management of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. In a fairly technical ruling, the court held that conservationists were simply not the right parties to bring the suit because the interests is sought to protect, in the court's view, belonged to the federal Bureau of Land Management, which manages the Monument.

Settlement Reinstates Common Sense Checks and Balances
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Drilling in Special Places Will Be Appropriately Scrutinized While Categorical Exclusions Can Still be Used in Manner Intended by Congress

Press Release: Court Rules Against Kane County in RS 2477 Case
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a Utah county may not override federal rules meant to protect wildlife, streams, archeological sites, wilderness and monuments by relying on unproven highway rights of way.

Interior Report Cites Flaws in Utah Lease Sale Process
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Conservation groups today applauded a new report from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that points to flaws in a December 2008 Utah oil and gas lease sale. The report indicates that among the BLM's shortcomings was a failure to inform the National Park Service of a last-ditch effort that added more tracts of land to the lease sale.

Court Rules that It May Review BLM Decision to Ignore Damage and Allow ORVs in Arch Canyon
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Yesterday, a federal judge sitting in Utah ruled that two environmental groups could sue the Bureau of Land Management to challenge the agency's decision to leave Arch Canyon an archaeological and scenic marvel -- open to destructive off-road vehicle (ORV) use.

Bush Administration Finalizes Legacy of Destruction for Utah's Canyon Country
Friday, October 10, 2008
New, 20-Year Plans Open 80% of Public Lands in Southern and Eastern Utah to Drilling and Turn Over More Than 20,000 Miles of Trails to Off-Road Vehicles

Public Overwhelms Interior Dept with Opposition to Latest Proposed Oil and Gas Project in Nine Mile Canyon
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Last week tens of thousands of Americans from across the nation called on the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reject a Denver-based gas company's plans to drill more than 800 new natural gas wells in eastern Utah's Nine Mile Canyon region, an area world-renowned for its fragile rock art sites.

Survey Reveals that ORVs Comprise Less than 7% of All Moab Area Visitors
Thursday, November 29, 2007
A new visitor use survey for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the Moab, UT region reveals that contrary to local opinion and claims made by off-road-vehicle (ORV) groups, the total number of visitors whose primary activity is off-road-vehicle sports represents less than seven percent of all visitors to the area.

Bush Administration's Newest Strategy for Public Lands Decimates BLM Roadless Areas
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Bush administration has released a series of documents which reveal a new strategy for attacking roadless areas on pristine, scenic public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Utah. These six management documents, totaling over 4,000 pages in length, detail an alarming vision for the future of some of the most spectacular lands in the nation, with little opportunity for the public and advocates to provide alternatives.

Congressional Members Seek Protection for Utah's Prehistoric Archaeological Sites and Roadless Areas
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Ninety-three members of the House of Representatives sent an urgent letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne requesting that he protect Utah's irreplaceable archaeological artifacts and magnificent roadless areas from the damage caused by off-road vehicles.

New Looting in Recapture Wash Confirms Link Between ORVs and Damage to Archaeological Artifacts
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Visitors recently discovered freshly dug pothunter pits in a newly documented archeological site in Recapture Wash. The vandalism occurred in a significant site known as the Recapture Great House near Blanding, Utah, adjacent to an illegal off-road vehicle (ORV) trail constructed over the past couple of years.

BLM Backs Down from Issuing Multi-Year, Multi-Event ORV Permit for Arch Canyon
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Monticello office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) significantly scaled back its proposal to approve eight new off-road vehicle (ORV) events in southeastern Utah's Arch Canyon. The agency's slimmed-down decision approves two ORV events in Arch Canyon, with the agency's decision coming just one day before a controversial jeep event gets underway.

BLM Ignores Request to Protect Arch Canyon's Cultural Resources
Friday, March 16, 2007
After receiving a formal Petition to Preserve Arch Canyon's Natural and Cultural Resources from a broad coalition of conservationists, Navajo Tribal leaders, and local business owners, and supported by independent scientific fieldwork and research, the Bureau of Land Management is taking steps in the opposite direction.

Coalition of Business Owners, Native Americans and Conservationists File Petition to Protect Arch Canyon
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
A broad coalition of organizations, Navajo Tribal leaders, and local business owners has filed a special petition asking the Bureau of Land Management to protect immediately a remote canyon in southeastern Utah's Cedar Mesa region.

Conservationists Applaud Decision to Protect Factory Butte from Off-Road Vehicle Damage
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
On September 20, 2006, the federal Bureau of Land Management will finalize its decision to limit destructive off-road vehicle use on lands surrounding a well-known Utah icon, Factory Butte.

Wayne County Residents, Businesses and Conservationists Seek Protection for Central Utah's Famous Factory Butte
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
A group of Wayne County residents and businesses and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance today asked federal officials to stop the damage off-road vehicles (ORVs) are doing to one of Utah's most singular and photogenic landmarks. The coalition is offering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a solution that protects Factory Butte by limiting off-road vehicles to a manageable ORV area and designated roads.