S.J.R. 16 Enrolled

1

JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE
2 HOLE-IN-THE-ROCK SAN JUAN MISSION HISTORIC
3 TRAIL
4 2012 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Chief Sponsor: Ralph Okerlund
7 House Sponsor: Michael E. Noel
8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This joint resolution of the Legislature honors the Utah pioneers who participated in the
12 San Juan Mission and designates the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail, over which the San Juan
13 Mission passed, as a state historic trail.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 . honors the Utah pioneers who participated in the 1879-1880 trek of the San Juan
17 Mission and successfully constructed and traversed a trail from Parowan, Utah, to
18 Bluff, Utah, through some of the most difficult and desolate terrain in the western
19 United States;
20 . designates the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail (Trail) over which the San Juan Mission
21 passed as a state historic trail;
22 . sets forth how the designation is to be conducted;
23 . recognizes the importance of conserving the Trail for the use and enjoyment of
24 future generations, to foster cooperative and coordinated planning, management,
25 and interpretation that spans the length of the Trail;
26 . urges that the designation be coordinated through an inter-organizational
27 collaborative team consisting of counties, applicable state and federal land and
28 resource management agencies, and relevant non-governmental organizations;
29 . urges that a management plan be developed, with the participation of Garfield

30 County, Iron County, Kane County, San Juan County, the Bureau of Land Management, the
31 National Park Service, and the United States Forest Service that focuses on interpretation,
32 management of key Trail-related public use areas on public lands, and access;
33 . declares that this designation shall have no affect on private property rights, water
34 rights, grazing rights, access rights, or other existing rights on public lands;
35 . declares that portions of the Trail that are public roads shall be managed for public
36 transportation and not rerouted as a result of historic trail designation;
37 . recognizes that the Trail supports local and regional tourism economies by
38 attracting tourists having an interest in the Southern Utah culture and the history of
39 western settlement; and
40 . urges the Board of State Parks and Recreation to designate additional trails within
41 the state of Utah as state historic trails, if they are determined to be of statewide
42 significance and to meet other criteria as defined by the board.
43 Special Clauses:
44 None
45
46 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
47 WHEREAS, the San Juan Mission's trek over the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail (Trail) is
48 recognized as one of the most difficult and courageous wagon journeys in the history of
49 western settlement;
50 WHEREAS, the state of Utah Historic Preservation Office has certified the national
51 significance of the Trail, and the National Park Service has affirmed this significance by
52 designating the Trail as a national historic site;
53 WHEREAS, the Trail is accessible along much of its route and there are several sites
54 along the Trail that are of high historical significance;
55 WHEREAS, currently, there is no unified, trail-wide effort to interpret the Trail for
56 visitors;
57 WHEREAS, the Escalante Heritage Center has a direct physical and cultural link to the

58 Trail and can serve as a focal point for visitor contact in the middle portion of the Trail;
59 WHEREAS, the Hole-in-Rock Foundation has plans for a future visitor facility in
60 Bluff;
61 WHEREAS, the visibility of the Trail has increased significantly in the past year due to
62 the publication of Gerald Lund's book, "The Undaunted";
63 WHEREAS, interest in visiting the Trail has increased significantly, particularly among
64 Utahns who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;
65 WHEREAS, an analysis of these visits in the Escalante area shows that during the
66 spring and summer of 2010, church group visits provided community benefits of from $3,000
67 to $15,000, with a total benefit of approximately $80,000;
68 WHEREAS, much of the Trail is bordered by federal lands managed by the United
69 States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), or the National Park Service;
70 WHEREAS, a significant portion of the Trail is contiguous with or adjacent to public
71 roads managed by the state of Utah, a county, or a municipality, with only small and relatively
72 insignificant portions of the Trail crossing into private property;
73 WHEREAS, federal managers of lands along the Trail are initiating efforts to cooperate
74 and coordinate with local governments to increase interpretive opportunities along the Trail
75 and engage in coordinated Trail management;
76 WHEREAS, BLM's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) seeks to
77 improve public use of Trail-related sites;
78 WHEREAS, in the summer of 2011, the GSENM began issuing permission to large
79 groups to hold historic-oriented events at Dancehill Rock or to camp at Forty Mile Spring, two
80 areas popular with culturally oriented groups;
81 WHEREAS, the GSENM is also engaged in an ongoing effort with Kane and Garfield
82 counties over the management of the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, which will increase
83 interpretation of, and access to, these historic sites;
84 WHEREAS, many consider the Hole-in-the-Rock Road to be one of the best all terrain
85 vehicle (ATV) roads in the area, and Utah counties and federal agencies desire to appropriately

86 manage ATV use on the Hole-in-the-Rock Road;
87 WHEREAS, interpretive opportunities and access to the Trail and Trail-related historic
88 sites are largely undeveloped;
89 WHEREAS, evidence regarding tourism in Southern Utah suggests that historically
90 significant trails attract tourists and are culturally beneficial, especially for families and retired
91 persons;
92 WHEREAS, these are also the visitors most likely to contribute to local economies and
93 to benefit from interpretive opportunities during their stay in the area;
94 WHEREAS, local tourism interests believe that a focus on the historical significance of
95 the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail could be a significant boost to the tourism economies of
96 communities along the Trail;
97 WHEREAS, coordination between federal and local agencies will maximize
98 responsible use by current and future generations; and
99 WHEREAS, it is fitting that the state of Utah designate the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail
100 from Parowan to Bluff as a state historic trail for the use and enjoyment of future generations:
101 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
102 honors the Utah pioneers who participated in the 1879-1880 trek of the San Juan Mission and
103 successfully constructed and traversed a trail from Parowan, Utah, to Bluff, Utah, through
104 some of the most difficult and desolate terrain in the Western United States.
105 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah designates the
106 Hole-in-the-Rock Trail from Parowan to Bluff as a state historic trail.
107 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges that this
108 designation be coordinated through an inter-organizational collaborative team consisting of
109 counties, applicable state and federal land and resource management agencies, and relevant
110 non-governmental organizations.
111 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges that a
112 management plan be developed, with the participation of Garfield County, Iron County, Kane
113 County, San Juan County, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the

114 United States Forest Service that focuses on interpretation, management of key Trail-related
115 public use areas on public lands, and access.
116 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges that this
117 designation have no affect on private property rights, water rights, access rights, grazing rights,
118 or other existing rights on public lands.
119 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges that
120 portions of the trail that are public roads should continue to be managed for public
121 transportation and not rerouted as a result of historic trail designation.
122 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges the Board
123 of State Parks and Recreation to designate additional trails within the state of Utah as state
124 historic, scenic, or recreational trails, if the trails are determined by the board to be of statewide
125 significance and to meet other criteria as defined by the board.
126 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Board of
127 State Parks and Recreation, the cities of Parowan and Bluff, Utah, the Kane County
128 Commission, the Garfield County Commission, the Iron County Commission, the San Juan
129 County Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, Escalante Heritage Center, the United
130 States Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the State of Utah Historic Preservation
131 Office.