BLM restricts "extreme sports" at Corona Arch and Gemini Bridges near Moab

Just curious what the mindset is from this user group? Good? Bad? And why do you feel that way?

kutv.com/news/features/loca…

Sorry title of thread should have read certain arches. Apologies.

I don't know the bridges area. My wife am I were at corona moments after a kid I on spring break splatted. I'm usually very open minded about public use but I can't say I disagree with the BLM.

I can't say that I'm suprised but I disagree with the complete closure. There are already tons of arches and features that are closed to climbers (ie all of arches NP I think) It seems like it was a good compromise to have wilderness eperiences in the NP's and less regulations on BLM land, but I guess it looks bad for people to keep going splat.

I can't help but add to this ongoing discussion. After spending 2+ years back east, I can honestly say, this is a mild restriction - "a two year restriction while they consider long term ordinances". They could have just closed it forever.

In North Carolina, you'd be hard up to find any place that would allow any one to do these kinds of activities. Many of the state's climbing areas were under control of the State Parks with many regulations. I once had to pour out 25 perfectly cold beers while traveling through one such park. Gates closed at 9 pm in summer - if you weren't camping you had to be out. This means, no sunset on a mountain top sipping a beer, unless you paid the 20 dollar/night camping fee. Even then, in my case, you get yelled at for not being in camp by 9 and the angry ranger who peeped inside your truck and saw a few beers blackballs you into pouring them out to avoid a fine.

I loved NC - beautiful, wild (in some places), generally very nice people, good climbing community. And, ultimately, the state has done a great job of managing their wild places with a population far exceeding that of Utah, and many western states. NC population = 9.8 million as compared to UT=2.9 mill.

So back to Utah - we are lucky to be able to pretty much camp where we want in many places absolutely free and with little to no regulation on drinking, gunshooting, atv riding, pot smoking, rock climbing, base jumping, and many other activities - some of which I do not support, but none-the-less are permissible to the general public.

In Utah, we enjoy an abundance of public lands in which to carry out sundry activities. I believe we owe this to the relatively sparse population. It has occurred to me that many of my favorite and isolated places here in UT many not remain so isolated and free forever. As more people move to the west and take part in outdoor recreation we will see more regulation. As for the Corona Arch closure and Gemini Bridges - after two years, they may open them up again for use. Perhaps with new regulations - perhaps they will remain off-limits. But, as others have stated, there are plenty other places around Moab where you can pull off stunts and post footage on Youtube.

In conclusion, the BLM and other agencies are doing their best to mitigate negative publicity while still allowing for a majority of activities to take place. Just enjoy the relative freedom while it lasts. Our great grand-kids may not have our same freedoms.

That's the thing thought Tut, the freedom is amazing! If we want our grand children to experience the same thing, then shouldn't we work to preserve and protect not only the resources, but the freedom to enjoy them?

I also have dealt with other parts of the country that are strictly regulated, and that's part of what I love about Utah so much and what I don't want to change.

John,
I agree with you. And I will be among the first to fight for these freedoms. But, given the increases in recreational use by people in these areas and the rising media coverage due to social networking, youtube, and other online arenas, I don't know that it will be so easy to protect them forever. I think one step (and to echo what I have seen others say) would be to stop posting so many videos on youtube and blogs. This kind of publicity can be damaging - if we really want to protect an area, keep it on the DL. I am generally very optimistic, but I also can see the reality of the situation and how it may play out over the long run.

This is a Malthusian issue. With exponential population growth you/we are bound to get more and even more mindless masses mimicking what they see on mass media. Good news is that in the absence of effective predators, stupidity and drugs might make up some of the difference.