Your liberty is at stake with lands bill

In the late 1980’s while camping down by Cedar Mountain, my husband, Gary, and I were visited by some BLM folks. They were doing a “survey” on the use of the San Rafael country. Today neither Gary or I remember the questions, but had we known what was coming, we surely would have paid more attention. It wasn’t much later that the battle began for use on the San Rafael.
 Castle Country Off-Highway Vehicle Association (CCOHVA) was born in September 1999. Just before that, the Southeastern Utah OHV Club came into existence. And before that, the Sage Riders Motorcycle Club was on board with public lands issues.
There have been good men involved with “planning processes” over the years. Scott Wheeler, Wade Allinson, Clif Koontz, Paul Anderson, and Alan Peterson have always been on board, giving information to our public land managers, and elected officials and even trying to educate the general public about what is at stake. Along with other club members, they installed hundreds of signs and fences for the BLM, not to mention Wheeler creating a user-friendly map that BLM and Emery County utilized.
Over the years, we’ve watched as it all became a symphony that we would learn was orchestrated against us. Gone was our freedom to roam. Every grain of dirt became precious, so precious that certain people were plotting to keep motorized users from enjoying the area the way we had for generations. We had to learn this new language being forced on us…ACECs, WSAs, Wild and Scenic Rivers. We always knew it was Wild and Scenic, but they redefined those words to exclude us.
In addition to motorized users, cattlemen eventually became a target, and mining, gas, and oil were on their hit-list. Anything that you and I knew as “normal life” became a sin.
We would learn about the massive Red Rock Wilderness Act, which in turn prompted the Utah Public Lands Initiative throughout eastern counties. It was the locals direction that was sent to Washington as a balance that would leave some room for traditional uses. Not good enough for the “environmental movement.” It was, and still is, all of what they want, nothing of what we want.
We’ve watched as millions of taxpayer dollars get spent on court costs because the likes of SUWA, Grand Canyon Trust, and the Sierra Club (which is what’s left of the Utah Wilderness Coalition) hauled our counties to court, all the while declaring that they (from all over the country, mind you) know what’s best for Utah.
They claim over three million members, but how many of them know the issues (let alone the places) beyond what they’re spoon-fed? Here in Utah, there are more than 200,000 registered OHVs. Where are these people? And why are they not letting their voices be heard? 
We have elected officials who should be directing the show, but many of them know little about land use. Perhaps they just get weary from having to run this monster around and around. Two decades and more we’ve been trying to resolve this. Then along comes legislation that is superfluous in its assurances to access public lands. Motorized users are largely left out, or at least, dodged by just changing a few words.
Well, believe you me, there are people out there who really read these documents and notice when their recreational interests are being hung out to dry.
We’ve watched as the wilderness fanatics couldn’t get the Red Rock Wilderness Act through, then came other designations, like the proposed Greater Canyonlands National Monument, the Bears Ears National Monument, the Grand Staircase National Monument, etc. DO NOT THINK FOR ONE MINUTE that the San Rafael Swell will not become a monument.
The bottom line is liberty. We grew up here. We know what is here. We need to stand up and be counted for our rights and not bow before the giant.
Remember that David stood against Goliath and won. Get involved and get vocal for the recreation you love. You know we motorized recreationalists torque millions of dollars each year into the economy. Surely you understand that every time you pay the registration on your machines, put fuel in your gas tanks, go to the grocery store for goodies, buy clothing and safety gear, you are pumping money into some tax base.
The new Emery County Public Land Management Act is about to hit the floor in Washington, DC. Previous bills were full of hope and reasonable expectations, based on many years of thinking and planning put forth by local input. In contrast, the current bill sweeps motorized recreation under the carpet. Proposed amendments have been carefully thought out, but you won’t know about the wording unless you read it at the CCOHVA or Sage Riders websites.
Get involved. Write to Emery County officials, and your congressmen and senators.
If you don’t, plan on selling your machines and buying golf clubs.