Our region comprises some of the most outstanding scenic landscape in the country. Tourists travel from around the world to experience the stunning beauty of the Escalante canyons - the remoteness, the wildness, the peace and quiet, and the clear air, lakes and creeks, and starry skies. Such pristine qualities represent a priceless asset to visitors who cherish the quiet and solitude, and also to the various residents who have settled here and established livelihoods and businesses in the area.
There are increasing threats of commercialism which could rapidly compromise the unique qualities of this region and our local economy, the most alarming of which is the widespread promotion of motorized recreation. We seek to work collaboratively to evolve a tourism policy that focuses on the quieter forms of recreation which have thus far defined our region, and shaped our local businesses. Together with business owners, residents and landowners, we believe that the nationwide promotion of
ATV / OHV tourism in the Escalante River basin region will prove to be a disastrous policy. We have researched many stories of other communities that are struggling with the many impacts of motorized tourism. There is evidence that it does not bring the economic benefits that are projected; rather it imposes a burden on local residents, stresses voluntary emergency services and enforcement personnel, compromises existing local businesses, creates physical damage to ranch lands, forests and wild lands without funding to restore them, and so on. As a Grand County Commissioner quoted in the 1980s, “We went fishing for a little tourism, and hooked a great white shark.”
ATV recreation has grown considerably in recent years, and is here to stay. Many of our local ranchers depend on
ATVs to access range land and irrigation ditches. We support that use, and likewise the responsible use of ATVs on designated trails by
receptionists, hunters and fishermen. However the concentration of users, such as at jamborees, or in areas where motorized trails dominate non-motorized trails, can impose unmanageable impacts on scenic land and local communities.
The story so far …. there follows a summary of our engagement in both County and Dixie National Forest initiatives regarding motorized travel planning.
Tags: atv, challenge, ride, vehicles
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