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S.J.R. 16

             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: ____________

             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 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
             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 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


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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