BLM rejects Arch Canyon petition

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management has rejected an environmental group's petition to shut down vehicle traffic that follows a stream bed at San Juan County's Arch Canyon.

The BLM said Arch Canyon has a perennial stream that harbors three species of fish, but that the fish are doing well. It says vehicles cause far less stream damage than flash floods.

The 8-mile dirt route crosses the stream bed 60 times. Arch Canyon is about 20 miles west of Blanding.

BLM Monticello Field Office Manager Tom Heinlein said the agency will now go to work on possibly establishing a permit system, footpaths and designated camping sites to protect Arch Canyon.