The Bureau of Land Management announced that the agency has completed a new campground near the North Klondike Bluffs trailhead (Utah).
As per a report, new rules restrict camping to designated areas, requiring that visitors use an established toilet or pack out all human waste; and prohibiting wood cutting and collecting within the Klondike Bluffs Mountain Bike Focus Area and a nearby isolated 160-acre BLM parcel. The rules will take effect on May 23.
According to a press release, on busy weekends in Moab, hundreds of visitors camp on the side of the road to the Klondike Bluffs trails, with many trying to gain access to the trails and dinosaur track sites.
A 2019 environmental assessment for the project outlines observed impacts: “The almost constant use of public lands for dispersed camping in the Focus Area is damaging soils, woodland resources, vegetation, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, paleontological resources, recreation opportunities, scenic values and reduction of forage,” it reads.
The area’s popularity has prompted the BLM to devise impact management plans.
“These changes will improve visitor experiences and recreation opportunities in the Klondike Bluffs area while protecting the natural and cultural resources that make it an exciting place to visit,” said BLM Moab Field Manager Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt in the press release.
This story originally appeared on Moab Sun.