Why is the Vernal Field Office Developing a Travel Management Plan?

The Vernal Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) (October 2008) directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vernal Field Office (VFO) to complete a Travel and Transportation Management Plan for all the BLM-managed public lands in Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah Counties, and a small portion of Grand County, Utah.

On May 31, 2017 a settlement agreement was reached in the case titled Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, et al.v U.S Department of the Interior, et al.. This agreement has significant implications for travel and transportation planning efforts in the Richfield, Price, Moab, Kanab, and Vernal BLM field offices.  The settlement specifies the order and date for Travel Management Assessment.

What is the Travel and Transportation Management Plan?

Comprehensive travel and transportation management planning addresses access needs for a wide array of public land uses including agricultural, commercial, and recreational activities. Access needs are evaluated within the context of BLM’s legal mandates to protect sensitive natural and cultural resources on public lands. Based on this comprehensive evaluation, every route on BLM-managed lands located within the VFO boundary will receive one of the following designations as a result of the planning process: open, closed, or limited. Designations are based on specific program definitions found in law, regulations, or policy guidance as they apply to individual resource programs.

How is a Travel and Transportation Management Plan Developed?

Travel and transportation management planning is a systematic, multi-step process that includes the following: 

• • Information Gathering: Conduct GPS mapping of existing routes and identify planning issues.
  • Data Refinement: Collect resource data required to successfully evaluate each route.
  • Route Evaluation Preparation: Divided the planning area into sub-regions and produce planning maps.
  • Public Feedback I: Solicit public input at open house/workshops to ensure all information has been collected.
  • Route Evaluation: Evaluate each possible route to determine all possible uses and potential impacts.
  • Route Designation: Assign a preliminary designation to each route (open, closed, or limited).
  • Public Feedback II: Re-solicit public input to ensure that all possibilities have been examined.
  • Alternative Development: Produce a range of alternatives based on public feedback.
  • Preferred Route Network: Develop preferred route network based on route evaluation and public input.
  • Final Route Work Approval: Receive approval for final route network after satisfying National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for analysis and disclosure of potential environmental impacts.
  • Prepare & Sign Plan: Develop a sign plan based on the final approved route network and produce signs.
  • Produce Maps: Produce recreational travel maps of the approved route network.
  • Rehabilitate Closed Routes: Routes designated as "closed" will be reclaimed and rehabilitated.