about time

[Guest guest]

Federal Agency Closes Area in Utah to Off-Road Vehicles to Protect Rare Cactus

 

September 21, 2006 — By Paul Foy, Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — To protect two rare species of cactus, federal officials

Wednesday banned off-road vehicles from a large swath of southern Utah's

badlands.

 

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management outlawed off-roading in most of a 222

square-mile area of public land near Factory Butte, a towering monolith that is

one of the state's most distinctive geological formations. Riders can still

travel on designated routes through the remote area.

 

The move is meant to protect two species of cactus, the endangered Wright

fishhook and the threatened Winkler, that are indigenous only to the area.

Environmentalists have complained that motorized vehicles were crushing and

killing the delicate plants.

 

" This was what we consider to be the best solution to protect the cacti and

continue to provide access for motorized recreation in the area, " BLM

spokeswoman Davida Carnahan said.

 

Off-roaders, who come by the thousands each year to traverse the area's

lunar-like landscape, complained about the ruling.

 

" If you could design a landscape that's ideal for off-road recreation, this is

it, " said Rainer Huck, president of the Utah Shared Access Alliance, the state's

largest off-road group. " It's a sad story. We've been working for months to get

this postponed or modified. "

 

Environmentalists welcomed the decision.

 

" Once the (bureau) officials took a close look at the scars, soil erosion and

damage to rare cacti protected under the Endangered Species Act, they realized

that Factory Butte called out for immediate rescue, " said Heidi McIntosh of the

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

 

Source: Associated Press

 

 

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always

glorify the hunter