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S.J.R. 16
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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 planning, management, and interpretation
25 that spans the length of the Trail;
26 . declares that the designation shall 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, which shall
29 develop a management plan that focuses on interpretation, management of key Trail-related
30 public use areas on public lands, and access;
31 . declares that this designation shall have no effect on private property rights, water
32 rights, grazing rights, or other existing rights on public lands;
33 . declares that portions of the trail that are public roads shall be managed for public
34 transportation and not rerouted as a result of historic trail designation;
35 . recognizes that the Trail supports local and regional tourism economies by
36 attracting tourists having an interest in the Southern Utah culture and the history of
37 western settlement;
38 . declares that acquisition of Trail-related lands by the state of Utah is prohibited;
39 . declares that the Board of State Parks and Recreation is authorized to designate
40 additional trails within the state of Utah as state historic trails, and that designated
41 trails shall be determined to be of statewide significance and shall meet other
42 criteria as defined by the board.
43 Special Clauses:
44 None
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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 show that during the spring
66 and summer of 2010, church group visits provided community benefits of from $3,000 to
67 $15,000, with a total benefit of approximately $80,000;
68 WHEREAS, nearly the entire Trail is on federal lands managed by the United States
69 Forest Service;
70 WHEREAS, much of the remainder of the Trail is on roads managed by the state of
71 Utah, a county, or a municipality, with only small and relatively insignificant portions of the
72 Trail crossing into private property;
73 WHEREAS, currently, federal managers of lands along the Trail give little priority to
74 the Trail and generally fail to coordinate with each other regarding Trail management;
75 WHEREAS, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Grand Staircase-Escalante
76 National Monument (GSENM) actively limits public use of Trail-related sites;
77 WHEREAS, in the summer of 2010, the GSENM began denying permission to church
78 groups to hold historic-oriented events at Dancehill Rock or to camp at Forty Mile Spring, two
79 areas popular with church groups;
80 WHEREAS, the GSENM is also engaged in an ongoing controversy with Kane and
81 Garfield counties over the management of the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, which provides access
82 to these historic sites;
83 WHEREAS, while many consider the Hole-in-the-Rock Road to be one of the best all
84 terrain vehicle (ATV) roads in the area, the GSENM does not allow ATV use on the
85 Hole-in-the-Rock Road;
86 WHEREAS, these GSENM policies substantially limit access to the Trail and
87 Trail-related historic sites;
88 WHEREAS, evidence regarding tourism in Southern Utah suggests that historically
89 significant trails attract tourists, especially families and retired persons;
90 WHEREAS, these are also the visitors most likely to contribute to local economies
91 during their stay in the area;
92 WHEREAS, local tourism interests believe that a focus on the historical significance of
93 the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail could be a significant boost to the tourism economies of
94 communities along the Trail;
95 WHEREAS, however, Escalante businesses are concerned that GSENM policies
96 limiting access to, and use of, Hole-in-the-Rock Trail resources adversely affects the local
97 tourism economy; and
98 WHEREAS, it is fitting that the state of Utah designate the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail
99 from Parowan to Bluff as a state historic trail for the use and enjoyment of future generations:
100 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
101 honors the Utah pioneers who participated in the 1879-1880 trek of the San Juan Mission and
102 successfully constructed and traversed a trail from Parowan, Utah, to Bluff, Utah, through
103 some of the most difficult and desolate terrain in the Western United States.
104 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah designates the
105 Hole-in-the-Rock Trail from Parowan to Bluff as a state historic trail.
106 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that the
107 designation shall be coordinated through an inter-organizational collaborative team consisting
108 of counties, applicable state and federal land and resource management agencies, and relevant
109 non-governmental organizations.
110 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that a
111 management plan shall be prepared that focuses on interpretation, management of key
112 Trail-related public use areas on public lands, and access.
113 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that this
114 designation shall have no affect on private property rights, water rights, grazing rights, or other
115 existing rights on public lands.
116 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that portions of
117 the trail that are public roads shall continue to be managed for public transportation and not
118 rerouted as a result of historic trail designation.
119 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that acquisition
120 of Trail-related lands by the state of Utah is prohibited.
121 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the state of Utah that the Board of
122 State Parks and Recreation is authorized to designate additional trails within the state of Utah
123 as state historic trails, and that designated trails shall be determined to be of statewide
124 significance and shall meet other criteria as defined by the board.
125 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Board of
126 State Parks and Recreation, the cities of Parowan and Bluff, Utah, the Kane County
127 Commission, the Garfield County Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, Escalante
128 Heritage Center, the United States Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the State of
129 Utah Historic Preservation Office.
Legislative Review Note
as of 2-8-12 1:31 PM