Nearly a decade ago, two Utah men used picks, shovels and other tools to blaze an illegal 7-mile all-terrain vehicle trail through Recapture Canyon, damaging ancient cooking structures, rock walls and other priceless artifacts.
Today, the Bureau of Land Management is considering a proposal by local officials to designate the southeast Utah canyon as an official motorized route, setting off a vigorous debate over how to balance the protection and promotion of American Indian sites on public lands.
The agency last week wrapped up a monthlong public comment period and this spring is expected to release an environmental assessment on the proposed 14-mile trail, which would traverse one of the most archaeologically rich counties in the nation. Read more.