Colorado grant funds taken by the feds to limit access to off-roading routes
February 9, 2015
By Marjorie Haun | Watchdog Arena
In Colorado– the iconic home to lovers of the great outdoors– the doors may be closing to historical trails that have been open to the public.
Millions of dollars in Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) grant monies have been going to the federal government via the state “ATV” grants programs. “ATV” grants from the state are awarded to various federal agencies and a few non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for a variety of projects, usually directed at upkeep and general management of trails.
Ironically, the CPW ATV grants, which are partially funded by ATV permit funds paid by private users, are being applied to the closure of historical routes to ATVs and other off-highway vehicle (OHV) traffic.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently in the midst of a years-long project, creating new Resource Management Plans (RMPs), which, if implemented, will close 2,180 miles of OHV routes to public access in the Grand Junction, Colo. area alone.
According to state law, many of the routes and trails targeted by the BLM match the definition of a “public highway.” Nevertheless, the BLM is using grant monies to close and decommission routes that have been open historically to off-road enthusiasts.
In 2014, Colorado Parks and Wildlife awarded an $80,000 grant to the Grand Junction Field Office of the BLM for their “Good Management” project. The grant summary for the GJFO Good Management Plan indicates the $80,000 awarded would be applied to “implement approved federal Travel Management Plans,” as well decommissioning, and possible rehabilitation of “non-system” routes.
In a nutshell, the BLM is using Colorado CPW grant monies to limit access to certain areas of the state by closing roads, which have been open to the public and enjoyed by ATV and other OHV users for decades.
During 2013-2014, Colorado Parks and Wildlife awarded most of their grant monies, over $3 million to federal agencies, comprising 71 percent of the total grants awarded, with just a few hundred thousand going to non-governmental organizations such as “Thunder Mountain Wheelers” and “Colorado Motorcycle Trail Riders Association.”
The Public Land Access Association (PLAA), which researches Colorado road statutes, has asserted that the BLM’s use of state funds to close off access to public roads is in violation of state law. According to Brandon Siegfried, the President of PLAA, the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), asserts that the federal government has no authority over routes built prior to Oct. 21, 1976, and such routes remain under authority of the state.
In response to the revelation that the BLM is using ATV grants to decommission routes in the Grand Junction area, Siegfried said, “[the BLM] is preparing to close 65 percent of the remaining [OHV] routes in the Grand Junction Travel Management District, and my ATV Permit Fees are subsidizing the [federal] government’s actions.”
This article was written by a contributor of Watchdog Arena, Franklin Center’s network of writers, bloggers, and citizen journalists.
http://watchdog.org/198600/atv-colorado-public-access/
