The BLM permit stipulates that during EJS, RR4W are responsible for the trails that are in use on that day. If they leave the trails open, RR4W would be responsible for everyone on that trail that day. No wonder they don't want that.
But I just find all that whining funny. Trails are not closed for good. The purpose is not to drive away the offroad crowd, as you put it. They are trying hard to conduct their event in the proper manner. In fact, the purpose is for 'wheelers to (finally?) accept responsibility for our trails. We've got to give our input at the next land use evaluation, as BLM is obligated to listen to the public.
For all of us who have played tennis at a public parks, it's really nothing new: if you show up on the day when they have a tournament, and you're not part of that tournament, guess what - you don't get to use that public park on that day. People grumble about this, too, but it's nothing special.
Due to the way EJS has grown - and grown out of hand, particularly on the occasions when EJS coincides with spring break - and due to the pressures from anti-access groups, it was clear that more regulations would be coming.
Now, EJS is a special case compared to other occasions when I was in Moab. Tensions run high at EJS (fights at Potato Salad Hill are not going to help sway opinion to our side...), LEOs are strung out thin, reponses to violations are strict, and LEOs tend to err on their side of caution. Also, they bring in LEOs from other districts to help. And you wouldn't believe what you see on the road at EJS - good 'wheeling rigs for sure, but nowhere near street legal. Should the people running those rigs really be surprised that they draw the ire of the law?
EJS is fun, but also crazy. If you want to see it, I'd say it's worthwhile. But if you want to go 'wheeling, you're better off doing it any other time than Easter week. For me, it was fun watching 'Big Saturday' (and guess what: the police closes off Hwy 191 for the Big Bang departure, I'm sure some tourists have been inconvenienced by that closure of a public roadway...). I won't be back for it, though.
In contrast, Blazer Bash has been nothing like that. The athmosphere at that time of the year is far more relaxed. And trails are not closed, either.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Editorial is due to the fact that the Editor of a national 4WD publication got into a bind with the Law (right or wrong, whatever), and this is the Editor's personal way of getting back to the Law. What good is power if you can't make use of it?
P.S. The big issue to me is that people who wheel just don't pay much attention to land use issues. Just look in this forum. A little ways down is a thread about a petition to open a local wheeling spot. That petition attracted not even 200 signatures over the course of 3 (count'em: three!) freaking years! That pretty much means nobody cares...
