Mountain bikers got involved and made their voices heard, speaking in opposition to a proposed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plan that would lease land parcels for oil and gas extraction near iconic trails such as Porcupine Rim, Amasa Back, Barlett Wash and Tusher Canyon, turning sections of trail into heavily used access roads. Public outcry led the BLM to withdraw the vast majority of leases near these world-class trails.

According to IMBA, “The BLM’s decision reflects a growing understanding of recreation as a valuable public lands resource, but it may be a temporary victory because the leases haven’t been permanently closed. Moab advocates, including former IMBA Board President Ashley Korenblatt and others, will try for a lasting solution to this issue while also keeping an eye on remaining open leases near areas like Tusher Canyon.”

A hearty tip of the helmet goes to all those mountain bikers who took the time to get involved and voice their opinion on this matter.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 8:18 am and is filed under Access & Advocacy, Fresh Dirt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.