Trails Utah pitches federal bill to ease wilderness boundaries, enable shared-use Bonneville Shoreline Trail

Sarah Bennett, executive director of Trails Utah, described a bill authored with support from Congressman John Curtis to modify selected wilderness boundaries along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail so that shared-use trail construction and mechanized maintenance work would be possible in specific, built-up segments.

Bennett framed the measure as a narrower, trail-focused offshoot of prior Central Wasatch conservation and recreation legislation. She said the bill would retract wilderness boundaries in small areas to allow Forest Service managers and local partners to build and maintain a mountain-bike–friendly alignment and to create a more consistent management framework across Cache, Salt Lake and Utah counties. Bennett cited IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) and other advocates in support.

Commissioners asked about wildfire and defensible-space implications where wilderness boundaries currently meet private-property lines. One commissioner recommended pursuing larger buffer zones and coordinating with state wildland fire and forestry officials so mechanized fuels work and defensible-space measures could be executed; Bennett agreed to reach out to state fire and forest lands staff and to incorporate defensible-space recommendations into local coordination.

Commissioners also asked who would maintain new trail segments and whether volunteer groups or municipal budgets would cover upkeep. Bennett said some segments are maintained by volunteers and that no dedicated county maintenance budget exists yet; she said private easements and local outreach would be handled after federal boundary adjustments and that the Forest Service district ranger has reviewed and approved the proposed alignment as buildable.

No formal action was taken; Bennett said she would follow up with commissioners about wildfire-buffer recommendations and share a more detailed map and alignment notes.