GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Annual winter closures to motorized and mechanized vehicles (e.g., mountain bikes) will go into effect Dec. 1 on certain lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Grand Junction Field Office to reduce stress on wintering wildlife and prevent road damage.
Gates will be locked to mechanized and motorized travel on specific routes from Dec.1 to May 1. Other areas will be signed to notify the public of the seasonal closures.
“Animals are surviving on fat reserves during critical winter months," said Heidi Plank, wildlife biologist with the BLM. “Repeated disturbance can affect their ability to survive the winter."
The closures include: Coal Canyon Road in the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area, Blue Mesa, Beehive, Chalk Mountain, Grand Mesa Slopes at Horse Mountain, Sink Creek, Mesa Creek and Lands End roads. Also, roads branching from 16 Road will be closed at Garvey, Post and Lapham canyons.
All of the areas continue to be open to hiking and horseback riding. Many gated roads are monitored by law enforcement. Individuals who violate closures will be prosecuted.
For more information or to report violations in these areas call the BLM Grand Junction Field office, (970) 244-3000.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
