BLM looks to increase fees at Little Sahara, Utah

Source: BLM looks to raise fees at popular recreation area
December 13th, 2009 @ 9:34pm
By John Hollenhorst

JUAB COUNTY -- Federal officials are proposing a hefty increase in fees at one of Utah's most popular recreation areas.

Depending on which plan you choose, it could nearly double the cost of racing around on the Little Sahara sand dunes.

To some degree, we've all been subsidizing the recreation at Little Sahara whether we go there or not. That's because the place loses money. The shortfall has to be made up by U.S. taxpayers. That's what officials hope to change.

Motorsports enthusiasts flock to Little Sahara, especially on holiday weekends. This year nearly 300,000 people came. Next year the feds want them to pay more for the privilege.

It costs money to run the place for staff, utilities, toilets, camping facilities and other services. However, visitors have not been paying enough to keep it in the black. So the Bureau of Land Management is proposing a significant increase.

"What we're trying to do is kind of pay as we go with our operation out there," said Glenn Carpenter with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. "The new plan is to try to get the revenue that we generate to approximately match the amount that we spend every year. We're not trying to make a lot of money but we are trying to make ends meet."

Under the proposal, the annual vehicle pass would jump from $75 to $120. The one-day pass, which currently costs $8 per vehicle, $10 on holidays, is being scrapped entirely.

Instead there will be a two-day pass for $25, $30 on holidays or a new seven-day pass for $40.

The government does plan to sweeten the deal. Twenty miles of dirt roads in the area will finally get pavement this spring at a cost of $7 million.

Well-publicized crashes this year focused attention on safety issues, especially the crash that killed former Congressman Bill Orton. However, the fee increase will not affect staffing for enforcement and emergencies.

"I think the risks are pretty constant," said Carpenter. "There's additional technology, more horsepower, in some of the vehicles. So they go faster and jump farther. If people exercise some restraint in what it is that they do, then it will still remain a very safe place to go and play."

The BLM is accepting written comments for the next month. The new fee plan is expected to be approved in January and in effect in April.

Resources:

• Little Sahara Recreation Area
• Bureau of Land Management - Fillmore Office

2010 Little Sahara Recreation Area Visitor Passes went on Sale November 2

The 2010 annual passes for Little Sahara Recreation Area will go on sale beginning Nov. 2, 2009. The cost of the first vehicle pass is $75. Additional vehicle passes are available for $50.

Passes may be purchased at two locations between 8:00 am to 4:00 pm: the Willard R. Fulmer Visitor Center or the BLM Fillmore Field Office. Gift certificates will also be available during this time.

For more information about Little Sahara Recreation Area, call 435-743-3100 or visit http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/fillmore/recreation/special_recreation/little_sahara_recreation.html

The BLM manages more land - 253 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

Some calling for regulations at Little Sahara Sand Dunes

Source:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=481&sid=6397867

Some calling for Sand Dune regulations, but injured driver isn't
May 6, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY -- The accidental death of former Congressman Bill Orton has focused new attention on the dangers of dune buggies. Now a YouTube video of a spectacular crash last Sunday at Little Sahara Sand Dunes has added to the debate.
As horrible as the crash looks, we're happy to report the driver, Chris Torres, survived; surgeons were able to reattach his severed right hand.
Torres spoke to KSL Wednesday afternoon from the intensive care unit he is hospitalized in. He said no one should use his accident as an argument for more regulation; he did a wheel stand on purpose, but the landing was not what he expected.

Torres also emphasized that drugs and alcohol were not involved, and his dune buggy proved itself. "It did not crush. It did not collapse. It protected me, and I'm here alive today because the car did its job," he said.
But his friend, Ron Cobbley, who sold the dune buggy to Torres just last week, called us to emphasize a different point: unsafe conditions at Little Sahara Sand Dunes are because of crowding and extreme driving.
"My concern is there isn't any rules when you get out on the sand," Cobbley said. He wants more training and education, possibly some kind of traffic control and riders wearing helmets and wrist restraints to keep arms inside the vehicle.
Torres used a harness but not wrist restraints, a key reason he injured both arms and severed his right hand.
"It basically was a tragedy, what happened to this guy, and I don't know that it could have been prevented or not," Cobbley said. "I just think that there's no rules when it comes to off-road."
Little Sahara typically has over 100 accidents and two or three deaths each year. "There are so many folks that go there and use that area we're really surprised there aren't more accidents than occur out there," said Eric Stucki, with Utah State Parks and Recreation.
Government overseers strongly support more education, but not necessarily more regulation. "How many times have we heard that the federal government is over-regulating this activity or that activity? We have to find a balance of some sort," said Glenn Carpenter, West Desert district manager for the Bureau of Land Management.
Except for the failure to use wrist restraints, Torres says he did his wheel stand stunt safely, including the use of spotters up and down the hillside. "We did everything the way that we should have done it, correctly, and I don't think that any kind of a regulation would have helped or deterred this accident from happening," he said.
Later this year, Utah State Parks plans to launch an online training program so off-roaders can get up to speed on safety by learning at their computer.

Little Sahara Sand Dune Guide

www.DuneGuide.com

Little Sahara State Park in the News

Source:http://www.enidnews.com/blueprint2009/local_story_066214825.html

Doin' the dunes
Little Sahara is an ‘economic hub for northwest oklahoma’By Cass Rains, Staff Writer
WAYNOKA — About four miles south of Waynoka hundreds of thousands of people visit one of Oklahoma’s state parks on an annual basis.
Little Sahara State Park offers all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts some of the best sand riding in the United States.“Little Sahara State Park is ranked by ATV Magazine as one of the top five parks for off-road enthusiasts,” said Park Manager Jason Badley. He said the park “roughly” sees about 300,000 visitors a year, most from the eastern part of the United States, which is a boon to area economies, especially in nearby Waynoka.
“We are only here because of the park,” said Don Blalock, owner of Little Sahara Sand Sports and Little Sahara Power Sports, which cater to the park’s customers. “We completely rely on it.”
Blalock said his business sells ATV parts and accessories to thousands of riders who visit the park.“We’ll have an over 2,000-per-day customer count on a busy day,” Blalock said. “It’s pretty amazing the amount of visitation we get out here.”
The lack of dunes east of the Rocky Mountains makes Little Sahara a premiere destination, he said.“It’s consistently ranked in the top 10 as one of the top riding areas in the country.”Despite such high accolades, Blalock said a majority of his customers are from out of state.“Over 50 percent of the business in my store are people from the Kansas City and the Dallas metro areas,” he said. “It has always amazed me to have so few a number of customers from Oklahoma.“I think maybe a lot of times you don’t even notice what is in your own backyard.”Little Sahara offers more than 1,600 acres of rideable sand dunes, ranging in height from 25 feet to 75 feet.Amenities at the park include showers, picnic areas, RV hookups with electric and water and tent sites. Seasonal concessions provide refreshment, and fuel and groceries are located nearby.Badley said the park has 92 recreational vehicle sites, with electric and water, and there are more than 200 RV sites at private campgrounds near the park. He said the park has two particularly busy seasons: mid-March through mid-June and the beginning of September through the first of December.“Those are the times we really see our customers coming out to the park,” Badley said. “We’re really busy.”
He said not all visitors can be accommodated at the park, which has been good for the area economy. “They do fill the surrounding towns and motels. They have a big economic impact, especially on the fuel-buying,” Badley said. “This is a pretty big economic hub for northwest Oklahoma.“They’re coming here in RVs with ATVs. There’s a lot of local industry that solely caters to our customers.”
Badley said in the eight years he’s been at the park he has been able to see families that come each year, a favorite part of his job.“I just enjoy meeting the campers who come,” he said. “Seeing the kids come here year after year. ... It’s pretty neat to be part of their family experience ...”
The park also is nearby other state parks and attractions, such as Alabaster Caverns State Park, Great Salt Plains State Park, Boiling Springs State Park and Gloss Mountains.

Little Sahara, OK Dune Guide:
http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_little_sahara_ok.htm

www.DuneGuide.com