Whether it’s legislation that affects trail access, new rules for river runners, or efforts to restore damaged ecosystems, these stories affect how we live, work, and connect with this place.
Thanks to reader support, we’re investing in more reporting that follows land management decisions, keeps tabs on outdoor recreation impacts, and uplifts the people working to care for this landscape.
Today is the final day to comment on the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, which shapes how 245 million acres are managed across the West. The proposal’s outcome could influence conservation, mining, and recreation decisions throughout the Moab area.
“The canonical story of Glen Canyon is the story of what happens if you let a river die,” said Zanna Stutz, program manager of the Glen Canyon Institute, “but what is less well-known is what is happening in Glen Canyon right now.”
The long-awaited Mud Springs Non-Motorized Trail System opened on November 6, giving riders their first official chance to experience roughly 6 miles of new singletrack before a seasonal wildlife closure begins in December.
Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. John Curtis introduced legislation that would allow OHVs in national parks located in states that license such vehicles as street-legal.
In Grand County, the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program is concentrating on popular trailheads, trying to reduce any accidental damage or vandalism.
The BLM cites Executive Order 14313, “Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission,” as justification for reconsidering the restrictions.
The Bureau of Land Management announced Monday that 211.2 miles of popular mountain bike trails around Moab will open to class 1 e-bikes beginning March 1, 2026, selecting the most expansive option from their environmental analysis. The decision caps nearly a year of public input and continues the sometimes-contentious local debate over e-bike use on trails.
Faith Dickey, owner of Elevate Outdoors Guiding, has been recognized as the Southern Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women’s Business Center of Utah at the recent Exploring Possibilities Conference in Cedar City. The award honors her innovative approach to making highlining—the sport of walking on narrow webbing stretched between high points—accessible to people of all abilities in the Moab area.
The Interior Department characterized the 2024 rule as having “made conservation (i.e., no use) an official use of public lands, putting it on the same level as BLM’s other uses of public lands.”
Under the proposed rollback, areas that could see increased energy development, mining, or grazing include BLM lands surrounding Moab’s recreation corridors, though specific management changes would be determined through future planning processes.
FireBREAK is funded by a $5.2 million national Community Wildfire Defense Grant and targets dense thickets of Russian olive, tamarisk, Siberian elm, and Ravenna grass that create high fire risks, prioritizing vegetation along Mill and Pack creeks and in the Matheson Wetlands. Properties within these waterway corridors and those adjacent to structures receive priority for grant-funded removal work.
