About the Bluff River Trail Committe and History
About the Bluff River Trail Committee
The Bluff River Trail committee comprises volunteers from the Bluff community. Members of this committee from its inception to current population hail from different ethnic groups and have ranged in ages from 22-80. The Bluff River Trail is a project of the Bluff City Historical Preservation Association, in partnership with the Grand Canyon Trust and the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office. We have included members of the Bluff community, the Navajo Nation, San Juan County, and the San Juan School District in trail planning, signage, and educational programming. Trail segments were made possible by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), by ranchers who are descendants of Mormon pioneers, and by community leaders. During the federally-mandated Environmental Assessment, Indigenous cultural sites were identified and documented. Potential impacts to the sites were avoided by re-routing the trail when necessary.
History
In September 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sent a letter of intent to sell two BLM parcels that border the east and west edges of Bluff, Utah. Both parcels figured prominently in two prior studies, conducted in 1995 and 2001, in which a system of trails and restoration projects were envisioned that would “reconnect” Bluff residents and visitors with the San Juan River. In 2010 there were no public access points to the San Juan River from the service area of Bluff.
In November and December 2010, the Bluff City Historical Preservation Association (BCHPA) decided to take on the project, which clearly aligned with the BCHPA mission to acquire, own, preserve and restore real property that has historic and scenic significance to Bluff and the surrounding area (BCHPA 501c3 Charter). It was the BCHPA that commissioned the year 2001 study mentioned above. A citizen’s committee that eventually morphed into the Bluff River Trail Committee, formed specifically to create the principles that would guide the project. Meetings were held monthly from July through December 2011, culminating into a public meeting in November 2011.
In 2012, Grand Canyon Trust (GCT) became involved with the project and expanded the vision from acquiring the east and west BLM parcels to creating a publicly accessible, non-motorized hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding trail system from Sand Island Campground three miles south of Bluff all the way through town to the BLM east parcel. The GCT was instrumental in negotiating and funding the landowner easements, as well as providing technical support in the form of legal and GIS expertise. In May 2015, a Memo of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the BLM, BCHPA and GCT outlining the responsibilities of each agency for creating and maintaining the Bluff River Trail BRT). Since then leadership of the project has rested with the BCHPA, with strong support from the other two partners, and several other stakeholders, including the Bluff Service Area, San Juan County. In June 2015, easement agreements were signed with three local landowners whose properties constitute major sections of the trail route. In November 2016, a national, public scoping process was initiated as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
In June 2017, environmental assessments conducted by Abajo Archaeology were submitted for approval. In spite of the twists and turns in the project, the BRT is still grounded in the Guiding Principles first articulated in 2011.
1 Bluff Utah: A Study in Rural Community Planning: Bluff Floodplain Nature Park. A study and report conducted by Craig W. Johnson and report prepared by Gary Worthly, Utah State University, Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Field Service Program. May, 1995. Also see: Bluff Community River Preserve Master Plan: A Plan for Reconnecting the Community with the San Juan River. A study prepared by Planners, Inc., Santa Fe, New Mexico. September, 2000. Both studies are available in the Bluff library.
The Bluff River Trail committee comprises volunteers from the Bluff community. Members of this committee from its inception to current population hail from different ethnic groups and have ranged in ages from 22-80. The Bluff River Trail is a project of the Bluff City Historical Preservation Association, in partnership with the Grand Canyon Trust and the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office. We have included members of the Bluff community, the Navajo Nation, San Juan County, and the San Juan School District in trail planning, signage, and educational programming. Trail segments were made possible by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), by ranchers who are descendants of Mormon pioneers, and by community leaders. During the federally-mandated Environmental Assessment, Indigenous cultural sites were identified and documented. Potential impacts to the sites were avoided by re-routing the trail when necessary.
History
In September 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sent a letter of intent to sell two BLM parcels that border the east and west edges of Bluff, Utah. Both parcels figured prominently in two prior studies, conducted in 1995 and 2001, in which a system of trails and restoration projects were envisioned that would “reconnect” Bluff residents and visitors with the San Juan River. In 2010 there were no public access points to the San Juan River from the service area of Bluff.
In November and December 2010, the Bluff City Historical Preservation Association (BCHPA) decided to take on the project, which clearly aligned with the BCHPA mission to acquire, own, preserve and restore real property that has historic and scenic significance to Bluff and the surrounding area (BCHPA 501c3 Charter). It was the BCHPA that commissioned the year 2001 study mentioned above. A citizen’s committee that eventually morphed into the Bluff River Trail Committee, formed specifically to create the principles that would guide the project. Meetings were held monthly from July through December 2011, culminating into a public meeting in November 2011.
In 2012, Grand Canyon Trust (GCT) became involved with the project and expanded the vision from acquiring the east and west BLM parcels to creating a publicly accessible, non-motorized hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding trail system from Sand Island Campground three miles south of Bluff all the way through town to the BLM east parcel. The GCT was instrumental in negotiating and funding the landowner easements, as well as providing technical support in the form of legal and GIS expertise. In May 2015, a Memo of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the BLM, BCHPA and GCT outlining the responsibilities of each agency for creating and maintaining the Bluff River Trail BRT). Since then leadership of the project has rested with the BCHPA, with strong support from the other two partners, and several other stakeholders, including the Bluff Service Area, San Juan County. In June 2015, easement agreements were signed with three local landowners whose properties constitute major sections of the trail route. In November 2016, a national, public scoping process was initiated as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
In June 2017, environmental assessments conducted by Abajo Archaeology were submitted for approval. In spite of the twists and turns in the project, the BRT is still grounded in the Guiding Principles first articulated in 2011.
1 Bluff Utah: A Study in Rural Community Planning: Bluff Floodplain Nature Park. A study and report conducted by Craig W. Johnson and report prepared by Gary Worthly, Utah State University, Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Field Service Program. May, 1995. Also see: Bluff Community River Preserve Master Plan: A Plan for Reconnecting the Community with the San Juan River. A study prepared by Planners, Inc., Santa Fe, New Mexico. September, 2000. Both studies are available in the Bluff library.
