Update from IMBA's CEO, Kent McNeill:
Happy Friday! This email is to provide you an update on the activity surrounding the upcoming oil/gas lease sale in Moab, Utah that would potentially impact the famed Slick Rock Trail. As most of you may have recently read in various news outlets the BLM has, through an anonymous request, put up for lease sale two parcels one of which crosses the Slick Rock Trail. Currently, there is a No Surface Occupancy (NSO) in place so we won’t see drilling on the trail, however we may see it adjacent to the trail as they attempt to drill horizontally. An important point of note: the Sand Flats is consider a low recovery area, and past exploration has yielded very little resources. Given the high profile, enormous recreation value, and potential low yield coupled with the advocacy work from us and our partners, this has a very low chance of moving forward.
We are currently coordinating with Ashley Korenblat’s outfit Public Lands Solutions, on letters, blog posts, and perhaps a tele-press conference later this month. A comment period opens on Feb. 20, with a protest period to follow. We will likely engage in both if necessary.
One would think that threatening the most iconic mountain bike trail in the US would bring the mountain biking community together, unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case. In the hyper-political world we currently find ourselves in, comments are already popping up furthering this dialogue. Truth is BLM does this often as per their mandate and often times they find recreation far too valuable than exploration, and it’s my opinion they will come to that conclusion in this case. However, since the lease has been nominated they must follow the process which I’ve mentioned above, and hear from the mountain bike community in order to come to that decision.
Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns and Todd or I will follow up.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) Cheers,
Kent McNeill
CEO
International Mountain Bicycling Association