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View Full Version : Rowdies grow out of control at Little Sahara



stefan
05-24-2007, 12:03 AM
Near-riot conditions'
Rowdies grow out of control at Little Sahara, say critics
BLM acknowledges incidents, but says reports of mayhem are blown out of proportion
By Joe Baird
The Salt Lake Tribune

Was it just another Easter weekend at the dunes? Or is there a problem at Little Sahara Recreation Area?

An environmental group has charged that the popular gathering spot for off-highway vehicle enthusiasts in Juab County, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, has gotten out of control.

As proof, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) cites a federal law enforcement report that described "near riot conditions" on two separate nights over the April 6-8 holiday weekend, plus 37 instances in which medical assistance was rendered and a final tally of 300 incidents that resulted in arrests or citations.

Altogether, an estimated 35,000 people visited Little Sahara over Easter, lured as always, by the wide open and hilly terrain the dunes provide for motorized recreation.

"People need to know what is happening," said Daniel Patterson, PEER's southwest director and a former BLM staffer. "I have to sound a warning about this, because we've seen it in other places, like the Imperial Sand Dunes in California, where things really got out of hand and they had big problems, even murders.

"Utah doesn't want that kind of a situation," said Patterson, an ecologist. "But if BLM doesn't act soon, that's exactly the kind of situation they're going to find themselves in."

BLM and law enforcement officials don't dispute the specifics of the report, which describes two "incidents" during the Easter weekend that each involved up to 1,000 people, took several hours to quell and resulted in the ejection of approximately 200 people from Sand Mountain, Little Sahara's largest single gathering spot, and an area where 24/7 riding is allowed.

"Groups of partyers were blocking an area and forcing women to bare their breasts in order to leave, along with numerous incidents of unwanted fondling of women," said the report, which was obtained by PEER. "When law officers took action, the crowd became unruly, throwing objects at the officers. A Utah [Highway Patrolman] was struck in the head and sustained minor injuries."

Sherry Hirst, manager for the BLM's Fillmore Field Office, acknowledges that those incidents went beyond the usual holiday problems. But she also believes they have been blown out of proportion, noting that the more family-friendly camping areas beyond Sand Mountain were unaffected.

Hirst maintains that overall crowd behavior has actually improved at Little Sahara on the big holiday weekends in recent years, even though the gatherings have grown larger over time. And she cites a larger law enforcement presence as the primary factor.

"When you look at the overall visitation, 35,000 people, the incidents referred to were handled very well and law enforcement kept them under control," said Hirst. "Eight to 10 years ago, it was really difficult, and that's when we began seeking help. Without that support we'd be hurting. We're very fortunate, and I think our visitors recognize that."

The Juab County Sheriff's Office is the lead law enforcement agency at Little Sahara, but on Easter weekend was bolstered by volunteers from other state, county and city police departments, swelling law enforcement ranks to as many as 75 officers, plus medical personnel.

"A lot of effort goes into making Little Sahara a safe and enjoyable place," said Juab County Sheriff Alden Orme. "There are always going to be incidents, and this year was no exception. We had a couple of incidents, and they were serious, but to us they were not out of the ordinary."

Given that, Orme says no major alterations are afoot for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, which is expected to draw around 20,000 people.

But Patterson insists that BLM will continue to court trouble as long as the agency fails to impose crowd limits at Little Sahara during the biggest weekends.

"They may have handled [the Easter events] well, but this is still very serious. The real question is, why is the agency allowing this kind of behavior to happen in the first place?" he said. "The current situation is not sustainable, and Utahns should be worried about that."

Patterson questions the wisdom of so heavily emphasizing one use - recreation - at Little Sahara, charging that the BLM is ignoring the environmental consequences across the 60,000-acre area in the process.

"The dunes have a unique biodiversity, but the BLM seems determined to provide unlimited off-road use, which displaces all other uses of public land."

JP
05-24-2007, 06:17 AM
:ne_nau:

stefan
05-24-2007, 07:24 AM
:ne_nau: :ne_nau:

Sombeech
05-24-2007, 08:51 AM
:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

accadacca
05-24-2007, 10:08 AM
:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

The showing of breasts? Criminal! :lol8:

Sombeech
05-24-2007, 10:16 AM
:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:
Looks like I'm going to have to start attending these parties.

Scott P
05-24-2007, 11:19 AM
Groups of partyers led by Shane Burros were blocking an area and forcing women to bare their breasts in order to leave

Why am I not surprised? :ne_nau:

Sombeech
05-24-2007, 11:43 AM
Groups of partyers led by Shane Burros were blocking an area and forcing women to bare their breasts in order to leave

Why am I not surprised? :ne_nau:

Then I'll be waiting for that trip report.

Sombeech
05-24-2007, 11:44 AM
wait, hold on,

:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

there we go

JP
05-24-2007, 04:15 PM
Problem :ne_nau:

:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

DAA
05-24-2007, 04:26 PM
:ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

All sounds pretty tame to me. And from what I've seen out there, it really is.

The Widowmaker, way back in the day before the do-gooders closed it down, now THAT was ROWDY!

UtahFire
05-24-2007, 04:37 PM
This is just another attempt to close one of the last "open" riding areas. These environmental groups will use any angle to shut down every last open riding area.

The next thing will be designated boating corridors on lakes. We can't have cross-lake boating!

JP
05-24-2007, 05:35 PM
As proof, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) cites a federal law enforcement report that described "near riot conditions"
Of course this coming from someone that probably wasn't there and hates motorized use of public lands. Wow. :roll:


"The current situation is not sustainable, and Utahns should be worried about that."
And I'm willing to bet "Utahns" were the vast majority of people gathered there :roll:



But she also believes they have been blown out of proportion
Someone with brains :five:


Hirst maintains that overall crowd behavior has actually improved at Little Sahara on the big holiday weekends in recent years, even though the gatherings have grown larger over time. And she cites a larger law enforcement presence as the primary factor.
And who would know this better than some "Arm-chaired Quarterback", why people who handle these situations first hand. :2thumbs:

greyhair biker
06-05-2007, 08:02 PM
she has probably never been to Easter Jeep Safari :ne_nau: :ne_nau: