BLM prohibits vehicles in west desert burned area

SKULL VALLEY, Utah — Federal officials are outlawing motor vehicles on about 42 square miles of land in Utah’s west desert as part of an effort to allow the land to recover from a wildfire.
 
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Monday said the restrictions would begin immediately for an area east of State Highway 196 and west of the Stansbury Mountains.
 
The new rule still allows public access by foot or horseback. The restrictions are expected to last about two years.The Big Pole fire burned across about 70 square miles in that area last year.
 
Crews have been trying to rehabilitate the land with seeds, erosion controls and fences.
 
BLM officials say the area is popular with target shooters, off-road vehicle riders and others who sometimes damage the landscape and the rehabilitation efforts.