HomeMy Public PortalAboutRES-CC-1989-15Resolution
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The following resolution was passed at the 516C/
meeting of the A145.01LWlendL
whereas: recreational use of the Public Lands in Grand County,
Utah has increased dramatically over the past several
years and,
fdt, 1989
whereas: recreational use of the Public Lands in Grand County is
contributing significantly to the revitalization of the
economy of Grand County and has great potential for
additional growth and,
whereas: the accumulation of human waste and trash at undeveloped
recreation sites has the potential to reduce the growth
of tourism and recreation in Grand County and,
whereas: the Bureau of Land Management does not have the staff or
budget to properly maintain the hundreds of undeveloped
campsites in Grand County, and
whereas: the Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee with members
representing the Grand County Commission, the City of
Moab, the Town of Castle Valley, Moab Chamber of
Commerce, the Grand County Travel Council, outfitters,
recreation -based businesses, the Utah Department of
Transportation, the Utah Division of State Parks, the
Utah Division of State Lands and Forestry, the Bureau of
Land Management, the Forest Service, and the National
Park Service was formed to developed recommendations and
implement direct actions that would allow for the
continued growth of tourism and recreation, and
whereas: the Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee in addition to
it's cleanup and public education activities has
recommended the installation of public sanitation
facilities along with a program of regular maintenance
and a one-year site -punning contract with an estimated
cost of $203,000 and,
whereas: the Bureau of Land Management as the administrator of the
affected Public Lands is in the best position to oversee
the program recommended by the Grand County Blue Ribbon
Committee
be it therefore resolved:
that the Bureau of Land Management's recreation budget
be increased as soon as possible to provide the
facilities and services recommended by the Grand County
Blue Ribbon Committee.
FACILITIES NEEDED TO REDUCE
THE WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATION OF HUMAN WASTE AND TRASH
ON THE PUBLIC LANDS NEAR MOAB
Recommendation of the Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee
Approved August 21, 1939
BACKGROUND
Rapid Growth of Visitation to the Public Lands
Recreational use of the public lands near Moab, Utah has increased
dramatically over the past few years. Visitors are attracted by
Canyonlands and Arches national parks, the Colorado River, red -
rock canyon scenery, Indian rock art, and numerous (72 planned for
the next 12 months) community sponsored special events.
Already well known for its white water rafting and hiking,
publications such as Mountain Bike Magazine and 4-Wheeler have
proclaimed Moab to be a national center for mountain biking and
jeeping. In 1989, the week-long Moab Jeep Safari brought over 900
vehicles into Grand County --with safari participants doubling the
population of Moab. In October of 1988, the Canyonlands Fat Tire
Festival attracted 2,000 cyclists for a week of riding and
activities. In March of 1989, the Slickrock bike trail was used by
over 5,000 cyclists compared with a total of 1200 for all of 1983.
In the first two weeks of August of 1989 (low season) bike trail
riders came from 30 states and 4 countries.
Community leaders have promoted recreation and tourism to make up
for the loss of mineral industry income and employment. Public
awareness of Moab's canyon country has been bolstered by an active
film industry and widespread exposure in the print media. As
examples, the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
were filmed in Arches National Park and BLM-administered public
lands, and the May 1989 issue of Outside magazine listed Moab as
one of the 15 "greatest sporting towns in North America".
Thanks to the efforts of the Utah Travel Council, the film
industry, and outfitter advertising, recognition of the attributes
of the canyon country is growing in Europe. The combined number of
European travelers to Moab is now only surpassed by visitors from
Utah, Colorado, and California in visitation. Private and public
lands near Fisher Towers have been selected as the training center
for Marlboro of West Germany's Adventure Team. In 1989, over
300,000 Europeans applied for positions on the team. Now in it's
fifth year, this competitive event has increased European
awareness of Utah's Canyonlands. Sixty European journalists and
photographers covered the event in 1989.
Inadequate Facilities on Public Lands
While the community of Moab is expanding visitor service
facilities in response to demand, many visitors prefer to camp at
scenic sites convenient to outdoor activity areas. Existing public
campgrounds at national and state parks are capable of
accommodating only a fraction of the visitors. Arches National
Park staff estimate that 120,000 persons were turned away from the
park campground during 1988 and that half of these people camped
at undeveloped sites on public land. Users have now established
hundreds of informal campsites at undeveloped sites near Moab.
These sites are concentrated along the Colorado River and at
popular activity areas such as the Slickrock Bike Trail and Kane
Creek Canyon off —highway vehicle use area.
Construction and maintenance of recreation support facilites has
not kept pace with increased use. Existing sanitation facilites
are inadequate in number and generally of poor quality. Temporary
fiberglass toilets installed ten years ago at such heavily used
areas as Big Bend Picnic Area (the largest campground along the
Colorado River) are badly deteriorated, of insufficient number,
and present a poor image to the visiting public.
Public Concern About the Adverse Impacts of Recreation Use
Bureau of Land Management staff and others have been concerned
about the impacts of increased use at undeveloped sites for
several years. During the spring of 1989, this concern became
widespread in the community of Moab. Citizens disturbed by the
amount of human body waste and trash at recreation sites brought
the issue before the Grand County Commission and the Bureau of
Land Management. The media quickly picked up on this issue. One
article in the Deseret News titled Moab Dislikes 'Smell' of
Success alarmed local recreation and tourism businesses as
customers called to inquire if they should cancel river trips and
other outings.
The Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee
After consultation with the BLM, the Grand County Commission
appointed community leaders and agency staff to serve on a Blue
Ribbon Committee chartered to resolve issues related to increased
visitation. P".embers of the committee represent Grand County, the
cities of Moab and Castle Valley, the Moab Chamber of Commerce,
the Grand County Travel Council, recreation business interests,
the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the
Forest Service, the Utah Department of Transportation, and the
Utah Divisions of State Parks and State Land and Forestry.
The purpose of the committee is to develop, obtain long—term
funding sources for, and implement a program that makes the
protection of public health and safety and the maintenance of
environmental quality values an integral part of the growth of
tourism and recreation in the Moab area.
PROPOSED FACILITIES AND SERVICES
The Grand County Blue Ribbon committee developed a set of
objectives that was presented and approved at a public meeting in
Moab on July 14, 1989 (see attached). The objectives provide
guidance for a coordinated, multi -year program in support of the
local tourism and recreation industry.
After evaluating the situation, the Grand County Blue Ribbon
Committee initially proposes a to:
construct and maintain 20 outdoor toilets,
install 5 large dumpsters,
provide and maintain additional trash cans, and
install information/education signs.
complete additional site planning
The facilities are the minimum needed to support existing
recreation use. Installation of the facilities would coincide
with the on -going public education program initiated by the Grand
County Blue Ribbon Committee during the summer of 1989.
In addition to the installation of these facilities, there is a
need to identify recreation sites suitable for long-term
management, determine additional facilities needed at these sites,
and prepare design standards and site plans. This action would be
carried out by letting a contract to a landscape architect.
The proposed program, which would cost $203,000 for fiscal year
1990, is described below.
Permanent Public Toilets
Toilets are proposed for all semi -developed recreation sites such
as picnic areas and boat launches (all of these areas also have
dispersed campsites) and for locations within convenient walking
distance of 6 or more dispersed campsites.
Construction Cost for 20 pre -cast toilets $130,000
First Year Maintenance cost for toilets $24,000
(includes twice/week service, materials, and pumping)
Tras-1 Disposal Units
Large dumpsters for trash collection are proposed at five
locations.
Four dumpsters are needed along the Colorado River (2 along Utah
Highway 128; 1 along UT Highway 279; and 1 at the mouth of Kane
Creek). A fifth dumpster is needed at the Slickrock Bike Trail.
First year maintenance cost for 5 dumpsters $8,000
Conventional trash cans are needed at each toilet location to
minimize the dumping of trash into toilet vaults.
First year maintenance cost for trash cans $5 , 000
Information Signs
Information signs and exhibits are needed to explain the program
and direct visitors to disposal facilities.
Construction cost for signs $6,000
Site -planning Contract
Site suitability and planning services are needed to resolve
existing conflicts and provide for future recreation use. Existing
informal recreation recreation sites have been haphazardly
located. Site planning is necessary to promote visitor safety,
minimize resource conflicts, and effectively utilize public and
private funds.
Cost of site planning contract $30,000
Total Program Costs
Construction $136,000
Annual Maintenance $37,000
Site Planning Contract $30,000
Total First Year Cost $203,000
RELATED COMMUNITY EFFORTS
The above program would be supplemented by an on -going community
effort to achieve the objectives of the Grand County Blue Ribbon
Committee.
Public Education
During the summer of 1989, the Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee
initiated a user education program to reduce visitor impacts.
Members of the publicity sub -committee produced a series of local
radio and television announcements designed to inform visitors
about the need to practice low -impact behavior at recreation
sites. These announcements are played at intervals on the local
radio station and appear on the TV "roll-over" information channel
in motels. During the fall of 1989, the publicity sub -committee
will arrange media interviews of members of the Blue Ribbon
Committee. These interviews will provide visitors with additional
information about low -impact recreation use.
Direct Action
In June of 1989, at the request of the Blue Ribbon Committee, the
Canyonlands Natural History Association printed 10,000 "Camping at
Undeveloped Sites" brochures. These brochures describe specific
low -impact camping techniques.
The camping at undeveloped sites brochure is being distributed at
visitor centers and agency offices. The BLM has also recruited
volunteers who are distribuiting these brochures and other
informational materials directly to campers as part of a "Welcome
to Moab" campaign. In August of 1989, BLM will install a roadside
information station at the junction of U.S 191 and UT 128 and
another at Dewey Bridge. These stations will include area reaps and
dispensers for the camping at undeveloped sites brochures.
Two local businesses have funded the cost of a providing a
dumpster at the Slickrock Bike Trail parking area. The Blue Ribbon
Committee will be seeking additional private sector support for
the fail of 1989.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is coordinating a series of clean-up
actions. Students from the Grand County Middle School working with
the Utah Department of Transportation will be picking up trash
along the Colorado River. The Moab Pizza Hut will be providing
food and beverages for participants. Outward Bound participants
will be cleaning up a portion of the Kane Creek area. Local
outfitters have volunteered to conduct an end -of -the -season clean
up along the Colorado River.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is also working to make clean-up actions
a part of multi -day special events. This coming October, a
portion of the Fat Tire Festival will be devoted to cleaning up
the area around the Slickrock Trail. Prizes in the form of cycling
equipment will be awarded to individuals finding the most unusual
trash, most valuable trash, most trash etc.
Funding Sources for Maintenance and Operations
The Grand County Blue Ribbon Committee recommends creation of a
non-profit Utah corporation for the purpose of generating and
disbursing funds for the improvement and maintenance of recreation
sites located on State and Federal public lands located within
Utah. The corporation, to be known as the Utah Recreation
Foundation, would initially confine its operations to Grand
County, but would be chartered to operate elsewhere within the
state as funds permit.
Upon incorporation, the first major fund raising action of the
Utah Recreation Foundation would be to design and market "Utah
Care Stickers". Care stickers would be sold for a $10 donation to
individuals using public lands for outdoor recreation purposes.
Care Stickers would be issued by the foundation on an annual
basis. The stickers produced each year would include high quality
artwork displaying a significant public land recreation site such
as Corona Arch or Fisher Towers. It is envisioned that Utah Care
Stickers would become collector items that users would proudly
display on vehicles. Care stickers would be sold at recreation
equipment outlets, visitor centers, and agency offices.
OBJECTIVES OF THE GRAND COUNTY BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE
Adopted JulY 14. 1989
The purpose of the committee is to develop, obtain long-term
funding sources for, and implement a program that makes the
protection of public health and safety and the maintenance of
environmental quality values an integral part of the growth of
tourism and recreation in the Moab area.
Short Term Objectives (remaining 1989)
A. to foster the development of a low -impact recreation ethic
among recreation users
B. to make it easier for visitors to follow low -impact use
procedures
C. to more effectively utilize the Moab area's capacity to
accommodate tourism and recreation activities 1
D. to educate local, state, and federal decision -makers about
the importance of recreation and tourism to Grand
present and future economy,
the magnitude of visitor -related impacts upon the
the extent of community support to reduce adverse
potential solutions, and
the need for additional funding to implement the solutions.
County's
public lands,
impacts,
E. to accomplish the above objectives in a manner that does not
sensationalize the the negative aspects of increased
visitation or harm Grand County's tourism and recreation future
II. Medium Term Objectives (within the next year)
A. to continue and expand actions implemented during the short
term as appropriate
B. to secure additional funding to construct, administer, operate,
and maintain outdoor recreation facilities
C. to develop mechanisms that allow visitors to the public lands
to pay the cost of operating and maintaining recreation
facilities and to participate directly in the mitigation of the
impact of their use of the public lands as a positive aspect of
their recreational experience
III. Long Term Objectives (within the next 5 years)
A. to develop and implement permanent actions
-- that reduce the impact of recreation use upon the public lands,
-- that enhance the ability of the public lands to accommodate
recreation activities, and
-- that fund, provide, operate, and maintain the quality
facilities necessary to host Moab area visitors
B. to accomplish objective III A, while
maintaining Moab's strengths as a tourism destination area 2
protecting the environmental amenities and values of the area,
and
maintaining reasonable opportunities for the continued use and
development of the natural resources of the Moab Area
The Moab Area is defined as areas of Federal and State land
along UT 128 from Dewey Bridge to Moab, along UT 279, Kane Creek
from the Colorado River to the Hurrah Pass junction, the Sand
Flats area as far east as the radio tower junction, the portion of
UT 313 within Seven Mile Canyon, Onion Creek, the Negro Bill
Canyon trailhead area, the Mill Creek Canyon trailhead area, and
affected areas of the LaSal Mountains including the Loop Road.
2 These include the opportunity for a wide variety of recreation
opportunities and freedom from excessive restrictions.