Off-road group to oppose rules for Wayne area

An advocacy group for off-road recreational vehicles plans to fight the Bureau of Land Management plan to restrict driving in a popular area in Wayne County.

The BLM plan for the Factory Butte area calls for designated routes and reduced open areas and is drawing sharp criticism from opponents.

The proposed change "makes it difficult for the (OHV) community to police itself and work with federal agencies in the spirit of cooperation," Utah Shared Access Alliance director Michael Swenson said in a July 14 letter to Cornell Christensen, manager of the BLM's field office in Richmond.

Currently, the entire Factory Butte area is designated as "open" for OHV use, but the new restrictions are expected to be introduced this fall. The BLM said off-road restrictions are necessary because of two imperiled species of cactus. Areas containing endangered Wrights Fishook cactus and threatened Winkler cactus will be closed to motorized use under the BLM plan.