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Travel board warns draft BLM resource-management guidance could cap group sizes and limit public events on federal lands
Summary
Board members and staff reported a BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) discussion that includes potential limits on group sizes and special-event permitting on federal lands in the county; staff invited board members to a public rec board meeting on March 26 in Castle Dale to comment before decisions are finalized.
Members of the Emery County Travel Bureau and staff raised concerns about a draft Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource-management discussion that could add blanket restrictions on group sizes for events on federally managed recreation lands.
During the meeting staff said the BLM and recreation partners are reviewing a proposed approach that could limit permitted group sizes for public-land events to a relatively low figure (attendees of roughly 200–250 were discussed in the meeting record) and could change how the agency prioritizes competing permit requests on the same dates. Travel Bureau staff and related event organizers told the board that such a blanket limit could have unintended consequences for county-supported events that use BLM-managed trailheads and staging areas for permitted activities.
Robin, the Travel Bureau events coordinator, briefed the board on the rec-board discussion and said the draft guidance would modify the BLM’s event permitting process by adding management guidelines on allowable group sizes and other constraints. "This could really affect what we're doing," Robin said, urging the board and businesses that rely on trail-based events to monitor the process and, if necessary, submit public comment.
Staff noted the BLM’s existing special recreation permit (SRP) and NEPA procedures still apply; the draft guidance would be an additional management layer. The board was urged to consider attending a public meeting of the recreation board in Castle Dale (staff said the meeting was scheduled for March 26) and to encourage local event organizers, hotels and restaurants that would be affected by permitting changes to submit comments.
Board members asked for clarity on how the draft guidance would be applied: whether limits would be a per-event cap, a per-weekend cap across the region, or applied by site-specific resource-impact analysis. Staff said those details were still being worked out by the agency, but warned a broad, non-site-specific cap could close off event opportunities even where a site’s resources could accommodate larger gatherings.
No Travel Bureau policy change was made at the meeting; staff said they would alert the board when public-comment windows open and would share meeting dates so board members and local stakeholders can weigh in.
