Guest Editorial by Lukas Brinkerhoff
BEEP! BEEP! That blaring sound you’ve been hearing is the Emergency Broadcast System and this is not a test.
ST. GEORGE, Utah (November 26, 2024) — Southern Utah’s Bear Claw Poppy Trail and Zen Trail are in imminent danger. These two highly popular trails are located on Utah State Trust Lands (SITLA). SITLA has begun the process of receiving proposals to turn that land into cash. This means there could be anything from McMansions to high density housing to a proposed uber high end resort along the lines of Amangiri with nightly stays costing over $10K.
Between these two trails alone, there is an average of 140,000 trail visits each year. They are some of the most popular trails for locals as the access is right out of the neighborhood. Plus, thousands of visitors each year travel to Washington County specifically for recreational purposes often driven by this area.
It’s safe to say that the two trailheads are almost always full.
In addition to the mountain bike trails, two incredibly popular climbing areas would also be affected. Both Moe’s Valley and a portion of the Gap are located within this prime real estate.
As these things tend to go in Washington County, there are a lot of different entities involved and a lot of history that goes into what those different groups want and are willing to accept as a viable alternative to developing this land. SITLA as an organization is not tied to much other than their mandate to create funds for the Education Department.
A wide coalition of climbers, mountain bikers and hikers are tirelessly working to make sure these areas stay open and unchanged. There are a lot of people that use and are passionate about this chunk of land. I won’t bore you with the specifics as there is a lot of nuance, a lot of history, and a lot of politics tied up in these 3,000+ acres of sandstone and alkaline soils, but we do need your help.
The best tool we have right now is to make sure that elected officials are aware of the threat and that they understand how important these places are for our communities. This is most likely going to be a marathon of an effort and we’re going to need the support of all public officials to come up with a viable and acceptable solution.
To that end, we ask that you take a few moments to sign the petition to show your support for these trails and to let elected officials know that you are asking for their support.
And unfortunately, we can’t turn off that blaring beep until these trails are permanently protected, so you best get at it.
Sign the petition here, Petition to Permanently Protect the Greater Moe’s Valley Area including Moe’s Valley, Green Valley Gap, Zen Trail & Bearclaw Poppy Trail in Washington County, Utah
You can find more information including maps at http://moesvalley.com
