Arizona plan criticized

ST. GEORGE — A proposed management plan for nearly 3 million acres of public land that borders southern Utah is drawing criticism from a variety of conservation groups.

While the Arizona Strip is geographically isolated from the rest of Arizona, much of its recreational, economic and cultural history is linked with southern Utah. Ranchers from Utah still hold grazing permits there for cattle, off-road-vehicle enthusiasts ride the dusty trails, and other backcountry recreationists are attracted to the rugged landscape.

"No one is really happy with everything in the plan," said Diana Hawks, lead planner for the Bureau of Land Management Arizona Strip Field Office team that is now analyzing and compiling comments for a final decision on the plan.

"We received comments from all over the world," she said. "A lot of people love the area and want it protected."

The BLM's resource-management plans now in place on the Arizona Strip are up to 13 years old. The proposed plans are the result of two years of work with various stakeholders.

The BLM team is now analyzing more than 11,000 public comments received on the plans for managing the Arizona Strip and the two national monuments, the Grand Canyon-Parashant and Vermilion Cliffs, in the northwest corner of Arizona.

"People are concerned about access, and right behind that is wilderness and protection of resources in the monuments," Hawks said. "Livestock grazing, recreation and keeping remote airstrips open are also a concern."

The environmental-impact statement covers three separate management plans for the remote lands: two for the national monuments and one for the 1.7 million acres of BLM land along the Arizona Strip. The 293,000-acre Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is managed by the BLM, while the 1.05 million-acre Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is jointly managed by the BLM and the National Park Service.

Bill Towler, community-development director for Coconino County, Ariz., said the BLM's management plans for the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, which sits within his county, and other public lands are a top concern for county leaders. In their comments to the BLM, county officials said they want more restrictions on trails and travel in the area, with a focus on preserving "natural quiet over the entire planning area, not just in monuments and those areas as having wilderness characteristics." The BLM's preferred alternative is not the best option, they said.

"Our perspective was that the process seemed to be driven by Utah interests," Towler said. "Coconino County tends toward the green end of things and favors wilderness."