BLM rangers seek community support as staffing gaps leave millions of acres thinly covered

BLM field staff told the Emery County Public Lands Council local enforcement capacity is strained and the agency is seeking community help to identify problem locations.

"We've got 5,500,000 acres between Price and Bernal," said Hunter, the Zone 2 district chief, summarizing the district's coverage. He added that only two rangers are currently working portions of that area and that the field office has approval to hire an additional ranger but not yet funding for a second planned position.

BLM staff recounted recent enforcement activities — a state-warrant arrest, assistance on search warrants and several search-and-rescue incidents — and described a pro-active vision for community-based policing: they asked residents and user groups to send GPS coordinates or photos when they encounter issues so rangers can prioritize responses.

County law enforcement and BLM discussed interagency agreements and cross-deputization to improve response options. Council members noted there may be roughly $4,000,000 available for law-enforcement support through recreation-related funding channels and urged outreach to state legislators and congressional offices to secure recurring positions.

BLM also announced planned local projects that will be signed or are pending signatures, including County Roads work at Buckhorn Wash and a Department of Wildlife Resources bighorn-sheep gathering decision. The BLM representatives committed to return with periodic updates and asked the council to escalate safety and enforcement priorities to legislators where appropriate.