Abstract
During the last decade, perhaps no public lands issue has been more controversial than the debate over wilderness designations on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. By the terms of the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), wilderness areas can only be created on BLM lands if those lands are "roadless." As a result, much of the fight over wilderness designations has focused on roads. Wilderness advocates argue for a strict definition of roads-one that would not include old wagon trails, and would thereby open up more land for potential wilderness designation.' Wilderness opponents, on the other hand-often states and rural counties-argue for a definition of roads that includes wagon trails andjeep tracks, and would therefore preclude wilderness designations on a great deal of the western landscape.4
Recommended Citation
Hughes, Robert H.
(2002)
"That Was Then, But That's What Counts: Freezing the Law of R.S. 2477,"
Utah Law Review: Vol. 2002:
No.
3, Article 10.
Available at:
https://dc.law.utah.edu/ulr/vol2002/iss3/10