Climbing
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently decided not to auction 85,000 acres near Moab, UT. The land was set to be leased for oil and gas development. We the climbing community voiced our opinions, and the BLM heard us.
The BLM planned to auction 85,000 acres, out of 100,000 originally applied for, this September. The Access Fund called for help, and more than 5000 climbers made their voices heard, ultimately stopping the auction from taking place. This sale, in particular, threatened many renowned climbing areas near Moab, including; Spring Canyon, Mineral Bottom Road, Lost World Butte, and Hell Roaring Canyon.
As it stands now, the BLM is the sole decision-maker for our public lands. Determining every aspect of land use. The Access Fund needs your help to initiate some reform to the way mining and mineral leasing is conducted. “But until our country’s antiquated mining and mineral leasing laws are reformed, we’ll continue to fight these battles all across the country. We need to take this fight to Congress and push for critical reforms,” says Access Fund Policy Director, Erik Murdock.
“We’d like to thank all of the climbers around the country who responded to our call, this is a big win for the climbing community, and is proof that we’re a powerful force for protecting public lands.”
– Access Fund Executive Director, Chris Winter
Although this is a big win, we must stay vigilant to similar auctions taking place. Take a minute and make your voice heard, by signing this petition. Regarding mineral and mining reform, pertaining to leasing laws. So we can help protect natural resources and public land use opportunities all over the continent.
