2025 Year In Review

In 2025, Ride with Respect (RwR) began to gain ground for motorized access in the Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges area while spearheading every kind of trail work in every direction from Moab (see photos).

If you haven’t already made a tax-deductible contribution to this effort, there’s still time to send a check to Ride with Respect, 395 McGill Avenue, Moab, UT 84532. (Be sure to indicate if your receipt should be dated in 2025.) RwR continues to be supported by many volunteers and donors, including the following who gave over a thousand dollars this past year:

1. Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation (UDOR)
2. Anonymous
3. Peter Lawson
4. Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA)
5. Rocky Mountain ATV/MC
6. KMAC Corporation
7. Great Western Resources
8. John Borg
9. Timberline Trailriders
10. Rob Stickler
11. Grand County Recreation Special Service District
12. Xtreme 4×4 Tours
13. Dave McEuen, CPA for HEB Business Solutions

Trail Work

In 2025, RwR contributed another several-hundred hours to maintain motorized singletrack, ATV, and 4WD trails in southeast Utah. We’re catching up with maintenance thanks to heavy equipment, vehicles, and hand tools granted by UDOR as well as the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative. The UDOR grant even covered upgrading our truck to haul the RwR excavator on 4WD trails. Through a new UDOR grant, RwR contracted the TPA’s professional trail crew to improve motorized singletrack around the San Rafael Swell, which did a few-hundred hours of trail work in its own right. RwR spent weeks in the field with UDOR’s own trail crew based in Moab, which is likewise growing capacity. SITLA provided fence materials to delineate dispersed campsites north and south of town, and the Overland Expo Foundation provided fifteen volunteers. RwR maintained Sovereign Trail with help from the staff of Utahraptor State Park as well as the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. The BLM and Sand Flats Recreation Area continued to help plan and implement a handful of projects across Grand and San Juan counties, with more in the works for next year.

Motorized Trails Committee

RwR assisted Grand County in forming the Motorized Trails Committee (MTC) in 2019, and I (Clif) have chaired the advisory committee ever since. In 2025, MTC volunteers performed another several-hundred hours of trail work on top of RwR, often lending their own vehicles and tools. Regarding the BLM’s reassessment of its Labyrinth Rims Travel Management Plan (TMP), the MTC developed input for the Grand County Commission, which a slight majority of the Commission adopted wholesale (see Labyrinth Rims section below for details).

The MTC also provided feedback to its liaison, Commissioner Martinez, on the formation of a trail crew that’s dedicated to motorized routes around Moab. The Commission unanimously approved allocating $200,000 of Transient Room Tax revenue that will be matched by UDOR for UDOR to hire this motorized trail crew starting in the middle of next year. $200,000 is still just half of what Grand County allocates for non-motorized trail work (which excludes funding from non-county sources such as RTP, and excludes spending on non-trail routes like paved paths). Nevertheless it is a hundred times more than what Grand County has been spending on motorized trails through a $2,000 Recreation Special Service District grant to RwR, which we appreciate, plus minor assistance through things like the Moab Spring Spruce Up event each spring. I provided more detail when speaking between minutes 0:13:50 and 0:17:06 of the Commission’s September 16th meeting.

The point is that this new county-matched state crew dedicated to motorized trail work is a huge step forward. The UDOR crew dedicated to motorized recreation puts an onus on the MTC, RwR, and the land managers themselves to help line up productive projects. This is a great problem to have given that there’s no shortage of trail sections to improve for safety, sustainability, and the satisfaction of diverse trail enthusiasts.

Education

Part of RwR’s education work is through other organizations, as I continue to proudly serve on the boards of UPLA, NOHVCC, and the AMA. I volunteered this time along with all fundraising and administrative work for RwR. This past year, RwR also provided many hours of input to onX Maps, as onX was receptive to making its app more useful for planning one’s trip but also more educational to recreate responsibly. RwR appreciates onX and other map makers for improving this aspect of their product. In the long run, infusing some education into all tourism marketing makes business sense, and RwR can help craft the best messaging.

Through the MTC, RwR has also helped Grand County develop its Trail Ambassador program to promote minimum-impact practices, with motorized ambassadors primarily funded by an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Grant from UDOR. This year the Commission moved its Trail Ambassador program over to a new 501c3 nonprofit called Steward Moab. Although the Commission is providing a few hundred-thousand dollars' worth of one-time resources, Steward Moab will need other funding to keep its education work going. Steward Moab is run by the same professionals who developed the Trail Ambassador program to be responsive of both land-management concerns and recreational interests including motorized. Each year thousands of Moab visitors are new to OHV recreation or the backcountry setting, and the Utah adult OHV education course lays a great foundation, but Steward Moab is positioned well to reinforce those messages.

Another local entity that’s worth supporting is Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSAR). They get significant Utah OHVR grants for equipment, but they also do among the most rescues (particularly remote rescues) of any county in the state. Like most SAR teams, they generally don’t bill the people they rescue. Plus, until GCSAR members respond to an incident, they are volunteering when on call day or night. This year, a half-dozen GCSAR members also volunteered to maintain motorized trails through the MTC. You can make a tax-deductible donation directly to GCSAR. Likewise you can donate to SAR teams across Utah by purchasing a USARA card and by checking the EMS/SAR box to contribute $3 when renewing your vehicle registration in Utah. Of course you can also try joining a local SAR team. Finally you can prevent a rescue by preparing thoroughly for your next adventure.

E-Bike use of Moab Mountain Bike Trails

As described in our 2024 Year in Review, RwR assisted the MTC in advising the Grand County Commission on the BLM’s plan to consider opening Moab-area mountain-bike trails to Class 1 e-bikes. The MTC encouraged the development of a BLM draft alternative that permits Class 1 e-bike use of all mountain bike trails except for ones that cross WSAs or USFS land, which matches what the BLM had scoped earlier in 2024. In 2025 the MTC reiterated this request, and I spoke between minutes 2:02:38 and 2:05:00 of the Commission’s May 6th meeting. The Commission deliberated between minutes 2:18:20 and 2:54:10, ultimately supporting the MTC’s request in a split decision, and the BLM released a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) including this alternative a couple months later.

Then RwR assisted the MTC to further advise the commission, now supporting this alternative since Class 1 e-bikes shouldn’t unduly impact mountain biking, and since it should help prevent other classes of e-bike and e-motorcycle from using mountain-bike trails (see attached MTC letter). That said, for an orderly phase-in, the MTC recommended opening one third of the trails over a three-year period. I emphasized these points between minutes 0:13:30 and 0:14:43 of the Commission’s July 15th meeting. The Commission deliberated between minutes 4:18:20 and 4:52:03, ultimately supporting Class 1 e-bike use of all the scoped trails in a nearly unanimous decision. The only exception was the Raptor Route in Sand Flats Recreation Area, which the Commission recommended leaving closed to e-bike use until the USFS opens the upper end of it. The Commission’s other distinction from MTC input was to recommend a phase-in period of two years instead of three years.

A couple months later, the BLM decided to allow Class 1 e-bike use of all the scoped trails, which specifically excludes the Hidden Valley Singletrack and Porcupine Singletrack by the Colorado River since they cross WSAs as well as Fisher Mesa and Lower Porcupine Singletrack (which is actually above the Porcupine Rim 4WD route) because they cross USFS land. The BLM decision also excludes the Eagle Eye portion of Raptor Route, but it allows e-bikes on the rest of Raptor Route below Eagle Eye. The BLM decided against a phase-in, but delayed opening any of the mountain-bike trails to Class 1 use until March 1st of 2026, which provides five months to prepare the trails and educate the public. For at least two years thereafter, the BLM decided to monitor for negative impacts to the trails or other trail users. It’s important to keep other classes of e-bike and e-motorcycle off of these trails. For these types of use, RwR is working on improving motorized singletrack opportunities, as they best accommodate the emerging spectrum of two-wheelers.

Manti-La Sal National Forest LMP

Regarding the revision of a Land Management Plan (LMP) for Manti-La Sal National Forest, this year the Grand County Commission requested that the USFS refrain from designating Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWAs). Between minutes 0:43:13 and 0:46:53 of the Commission’s February 18th meeting, RwR commented in support of this request, noting that other layers of management such as the Mount Peale Research Natural Area already provide similar protections. Between minutes 4:08:25 and 4:33:23, the Commission discussed and voted in a split decision to support this request. We hope that the USFS accommodates this request along with keeping ROS zones closer to the current LMP as summarized in our 2023 Year in Review. Whether for heightened wildfire conditions or evolving vehicle technology, the USFS should maintain flexibility to manage efficiently and effectively. We appreciate the Commission for encouraging pragmatism and planning that squarely pursues the UFSF mission of multiple use and sustained yield.

Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges TMP

Fortunately this year the BLM chose to reassess its 2023 decision to close 317 miles of designated routes in the Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges travel management plan. As described in our 2023 Year in Review, RwR appealed the decision in partnership with TPA, COHVCO, and CORE. As described in our 2024 Year in Review, we challenged the completeness of the administrative record (AR). This year our counsel Great Western Resources filed the Statement of Reasons (SOR) that provides an overview of the 2023 decision’s overreach and insufficiencies such as identifying the value of individual routes, analyzing economic impacts, demonstrating negative impacts, considering alternatives to closure, and even following basic NEPA procedures like staying within the decision space established by the 2022 draft alternatives.

In fact the BLM developed its 2021 preliminary alternatives based on what the agency believed to be an appropriate balance point under the new Biden administration. However newly appointed BLM leadership pressured the Moab Field Office to develop a far more restrictive alternative in 2022 and then make a decision closest to that alternative in 2023. By reassessing that decision, the BLM is now giving due consideration to its Moab Field Office and on-the-ground realities provided by entities like RwR that mapped many of these routes about a quarter-century ago and have largely maintained them ever since.

If need be, RwR and its partners have more evidence to continue appealing the 2023 decision, and we trust that the same is true of the State of Utah and BRC’s case in federal court. Nevertheless we’re optimistic that the BLM will voluntarily reopen many of these routes so we may support the agency and return to the trail work that conserves resources more effectively than indiscriminate closure ever could.

To that end, RwR and its partners submitted comments on the BLM's reassessment including a plant and wildlife report that analyzes several high-value trails encompassing a range of settings found in the planning area. The comments prominently feature the input of Grand County’s Motorized Trails Committee, which was assisted by RwR. This input includes specific comments on 86 routes that the MTC prioritizes to reopen. In a split decision, the Grand County Commission supported the MTC’s input wholesale and the Commission’s own letter encouraging the BLM to reopen most of the routes, which the Commission discussed between minutes 4:10:45 and 4:47:00 of its October 21st meeting. RwR commends the Grand County Commission for so closely considering the MTC’s input and for ultimately adopting it. While remaining responsive to non-motorized recreation, the Commission now clearly supports the MTC mission of conserving the abundance, diversity, and quality of motorized trails for everyone. We’re relieved to see Grand County fully backing all forms of responsible recreation.

Antiquities Act and Federal Agency Reform

As described in our 2024 Year in Review, both the presidential proclamation of national monuments and subsequent development of extremely restrictive management plans demonstrate the need to reform the Antiquities Act, which has been increasingly contorted to hijack vast BLM and USFS lands from their multiple-use mission despite that such a decision clearly belongs in the legislative branch. RwR recognizes that Congress is busy rolling back other forms of executive overreach such as the BLM’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, even the USFS’s 2001 national Roadless Rule. Nevertheless, outside of Alaska and Wyoming where proclaiming monuments already requires Congress, Antiquities Act abuse is the most systemic obstacle to moderating public land management. Only when the Antiquities Act stops being treated like a trump card can we resolve issues to achieve sustained use and conservation of resources.

Until then, inefficiency will come from the ping-pong between presidential administrations, but it doesn’t have to come from the agencies themselves. Unfortunately agency reform would take more than the ten-month project called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and DOGE didn’t do the careful and comprehensive assessment RwR was hoping for. From our perspective locally, DOGE made some things better, but it made more things worse. Through the probation-period firings and deferred resignations, the BLM and USFS lost some of their most dedicated employees, particularly seasonal staff who do on-the-ground work and high achievers who can more easily find employment elsewhere.

As with Antiquities Act reform, perhaps future efforts to increase productivity and reduce costs in the executive branch should actually be led by the legislative branch, as efficiency is a bipartisan goal. Granted, Congress itself caused colossal waste this year from the longest-ever government shutdown, and this branch ought to improve its own operation. Our country’s founders never envisioned the dominance of a two-party system but, with 535 elected officials, Congress is still best suited to work things out.

Conclusion

Overall 2025 was a success for RwR to regain some access, maintain all kinds of trail, and lay the groundwork for more of both next year. We couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support of individuals, businesses, and government at all scales. Please stay engaged, and stay on the trail, but all while enjoying the ride!