Is Moab in danger???

[phines]

I just saw this on USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...#uslPageReturn

Does anyone know if the trails around Moab are in danger of being closed? I can't imagine they would let that happen. Would they? Could they?
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[ZEUS]

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...eferrerid=1999

Moab is always in danger... There is now talk of a Wal-Mart going up south of town.

[newthings]

Didn't I read there is a big mound of radioactive mine tailings in Moab?
Roy

[nfpgasmask]

As the sayings go:

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em"

"Going to Hell in a handbag"

Etc...

Etc...

Seriously though, I honestly have mixed feelings about the subject myself. I LOVE off roading and getting out into nature in my vehicle. But at the same time, I love the nature and the animals. This is just an example of a few spoiling it for all. It's not going to change either. Only going to get worse. Obviously, there is a happy medium, but like I said, there will always be people who violate the "rules" and ruin it for everyone.

Bart

[Moncha]

Didn't I read there is a big mound of radioactive mine tailings in Moab?
Roy

Moab actually got it's start in the late 40's, early 50's due to the high concentrations of uranium found in the area causing a boom of sort. Laura's (Ms Moncha) dad and some of his friends came out and staked a claim that we late went back through the records and tracked down and was actually able to find. Funny thing was, they did the trails that we all think are so cool in an old Chevy Stationwagon.

[BigSwede]

Yes, you can see the uranium mining tailings pile near the intersection of US191 and UT279, right by the Colorado River.

A VX guy is/was working there, I forget his name...he said they were trucking the tailings up to the high desert to get it away from the river.

[JoFotoz]

Yup...thats "Crager 34"....

Yes, you can see the uranium mining tailings pile near the intersection of US191 and UT279, right by the Colorado River.

A VX guy is/was working there, I forget his name...he said they were trucking the tailings up to the high desert to get it away from the river.

...he was , not sure he still is.

jo

[Ldub]

Yup...thats "Crager 34"....






...he was , not sure he still is.

jo

His job took him to SC... http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...36&postcount=1

[handeeman]

Moab actually got it's start in the late 40's, early 50's due to the high concentrations of uranium found in the area causing a boom of sort. Laura's (Ms Moncha) dad and some of his friends came out and staked a claim that we late went back through the records and tracked down and was actually able to find. Funny thing was, they did the trails that we all think are so cool in an old Chevy Stationwagon.

I hope T4B doesn't read the part about the old Chevy stationwagon. I can see him showing up next year at Moab driving an old "Nomad" with monster off-set terra graplers.

[tom4bren]

Naw, I plan on arrivin in style:

[SlowPro48]

Does anyone know if the trails around Moab are in danger of being closed? I can't imagine they would let that happen. Would they? Could they?

Dude you can't be serious. But then I guess you guys in the West have so much off-roading available you don't notice it as much when an ORV area closes.

There are numerous entities with very deep pockets bent on eliminating all motorized recreation so it's not a matter of IF Moab will be closed but WHEN. The question is will it happen one trail at a time like Uwharrie? Or will it be accomplished in one fell swoop like Tellico? Like Bart said - smoke 'em if you got 'em.

I don't totally agree with the assertion that a few scofflaws spoil it for all though. It might be a small piece of the puzzle but scofflaws can be managed and their damage can be nipped in the bud. The folks shutting down our trails want us to believe scofflaws are a problem that can't be controlled because that way they can shut down more trail. But really they are the root cause. I don't know if BLM does it in the West but here in the East, USFS will shut down trails/roads, converting them to "linear wildlife habitat", squeezing us into smaller and smaller areas, then instead of patrolling and enforcing they sit back and wait for the user-made trails to appear, then point to the "damage" as evidence to shut down more trail, squeezing us into even smaller area and the cycle begins all over. Bottom line is we are losing trail every year. I have a feeling though that even if all follow the rules, our trails will still be shut down.

There is an agenda...

[nfpgasmask]

SlowPro, I totally agree with what you said. I was just saying that those folks that do cut new trails are the ones that give a bad name to us all. Not every Rottweiller is a man eating attack dog. You know what I mean?

It's just politics. I love nature too. And I want to enjoy it. The greenies just want ALL human interaction with nature to be 100% primitive or not at all. In some cases, I think protecting certain areas is very important, like endangered species habitat and such.

But here is what REALLY kills me. The greenies focus their attention on the OHV riders and NOT on the REAL problem. They focus on us because they see us in our "Jeeps" enjoying the land right next to them and they see the percieved "descruction". But the REAL fight should be on the urban sprawl front. New neighborhoods. New strip malls. More freakin' people spreading out everywhere. THAT is the problem. Not people out there soaking up the rays and enjoying the fresh air and lovin' life. Big business, corrupt governments, and Octomoms are the real threat to nature. GREED is the problem, not people on ATVs.

Hell.In.A.Hand.Bag.

Bart

[phines]

Dude you can't be serious. But then I guess you guys in the West have so much off-roading available you don't notice it as much when an ORV area closes.

There are numerous entities with very deep pockets bent on eliminating all motorized recreation so it's not a matter of IF Moab will be closed but WHEN. The question is will it happen one trail at a time like Uwharrie? Or will it be accomplished in one fell swoop like Tellico? Like Bart said - smoke 'em if you got 'em.

I hear ya. I'm new to the west (just a few months). For the last ten years I lived a few hours away from you. It was really depressing how difficult it was to find decent places to off-road. It made me sick to my stomach when they closed down upper Tellico. That was, by far, the best place to off-road in the east. If they close off all of Uwharrie, that would be a serious blow to your region. Those are the only two places I knew of when I lived there!

IMO, Moab is a lot different than those OHV parks though. Shutting down the trails would be like shutting down the whole town! That's probably an exaggeration because there's tons of other things to do in Moab, but again, just my opinion.
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[ZEUS]

There is a place in the Moab area known as "Area BFE" - that chunk of land was auctioned off a couple years ago. A school district wanted it I heard but so did some avid wheelers.... luckily they all got together quick enough to pounce on it and they won the auction! There are several great trails out there for us and while a few of the original buyers have sold to others, as long as that core group can afford to keep it we should all benefit. The Desert Rocks Festival has been held out there a few times and during the EJS they get some attention and donations. they also host the annual RC Crawling International Championships. If more land goes up for auction in that area it would be nice to get involved in a rally to purchase it.

[crager34]

Yup...thats "Crager 34"....

...he was , not sure he still is.

jo

Yeppers.... it was me. Was out there 1.5 years and as said earlier, Uranium mining is what put Moab on the map. Now I am in South Carolina where they took that Uranium and processed into weapons grade material for nuclear weapons.

Anywho..... when I was out there there was indeed a big push for drilling that would put alot of prime 4x4 trails on the closed list. Ahhhhh... the progress of man.