ShareTrails | 12 Days of Legal Updates: Day 4 Massacre Rocks Closures

When Clark Collins, BRC’s visionary founder, passed away his obituary mentioned a closure in an area called Massacre Rocks that was popular for dirt biking and rock climbing. It was this closure that motivated him to start the BlueRibbon Coalition.

Since 2011, the Bureau of Land Management has been developing a plan for this area that would permanently close the remainder of this area that was left open for motorized recreation. The plan also proposed closing over 500 out of 700 rock climbing routes.

This last August, the BLM decided to move forward with closing this area to these popular recreation uses that had been managed for years to minimize damage to cultural and environmental resources.

The local rock climbers in the area were devastated to see many of their favorite climbing routes closed. The connection to this area also runs deep for BRC members, who have frequented the area to follow the tracks left by Clark Collins.

The administrative process that led to these closures has been drawn out and convoluted, but we have preserved our legal standing to challenge these closures. We are currently waiting on final action in an administrative appeal, then we will be assessing next steps to continue challenging these closures.

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