Environmental extremists thought they had locked down another piece of America’s public land forever.
They pushed through last-minute rules to keep hardworking Americans from enjoying the great outdoors.
But environmental radicals got a nasty wake-up call when these Utah patriots took back their land and showed them who really owns America’s wilderness.
Congress delivered a crushing blow to Biden’s land grab
The fight over Utah’s Orange Cliffs has been brewing for years, with environmental groups like the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance trying to ban off-road vehicles from public land that belongs to all Americans.¹
In January, just days before Joe Biden left office, his administration finalized a rule that would have blocked off-road vehicles from eight miles of the stunning Orange Cliffs area in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.¹
But Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT) wasn’t about to let environmental radicals steal access to land that Utah families have enjoyed for generations.
She introduced legislation using the Congressional Review Act to overturn Biden’s anti-recreation rule, and Congress passed it in May.¹
President Donald Trump signed the resolution on May 23, delivering a crushing blow to the environmental lobby’s latest land grab.¹
"My legislation was a response to local voices who wanted to access land they have enjoyed and explored for generations," Maloy said.¹
Utah patriots celebrated their victory with an epic ride
Brett Stewart and Jean Robert Babilis weren’t waiting around to celebrate their hard-fought victory.
In late May, the two off-road enthusiasts led a convoy of four vehicles on the 100-mile Poison Spring Loop – including those precious eight miles that environmental groups desperately wanted to keep locked away from the public.¹
Stewart, who runs Utah O.H.V. Advocates, bounced behind the wheel of a Can-Am Maverick X3 that he compared to a "Ferrari on dirt."¹
Right behind him came 70-year-old Babilis, pushing his 114-horsepower Polaris side-by-side through the red rock canyonlands and spraying sand in defiance of the environmentalists who fought for years to keep his kind away.¹
"We’re going to have a beautiful day, guys," Babilis said before hitting the gas.¹
The route was absolutely stunning – dramatic red rock formations, desert gardens, and vast canyon vistas that showcase the incredible beauty of America’s public lands.¹
But those eight miles on National Park Service land were particularly sweet, representing a victory over environmental extremists who think they know better than local communities about how to use their own backyard.
Environmental groups are throwing a fit over losing control
Jack Hanley from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance spent two days slowly picking his way through the landscape in a Toyota 4Runner, whining about off-road vehicles the entire time.¹
Hanley and his colleague, staff attorney Hanna Larsen, complained that opening up Orange Cliffs could lead to more off-road vehicle access in national parks.¹
"That tension has been brewing for a very long time," Larsen said. "And it’s come to a head with this."¹
With President Trump back in office, Larsen admitted environmentalists were in "defense mode," picking their battles and trying to minimize what she called "damage."¹
Translation: they know their days of controlling public land are numbered.
Walt Dabney, who was superintendent at Canyonlands National Park in the 1990s, griped that off-road vehicles would "ruin it for everybody else."¹
"You don’t have to go everywhere," Dabney complained.¹
That’s rich coming from someone who thinks a small group of environmental elites should decide where millions of Americans can recreate on their own public land.
The real story is about freedom versus control
Ben Burr, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, called out the environmental movement’s "purity culture nonsense."¹
"It’s like skiers versus snowboarders, e-bikes versus non-e-bikes, non-motorized versus motorized — we’ve created all these distinctions and tribes we put ourselves into," Burr explained.¹
"But really all the agencies should be looking at is: How do I make the benefit of being here available to the most people?"¹
That’s exactly right.
Utah now has more than 200,000 registered off-road vehicle users who want to enjoy the same landscapes that environmental groups think should be reserved for their preferred activities.¹
Babilis has spent decades driving four-wheelers and motorcycles on southern Utah trails, sharing the experience with his seven children and more than 20 grandchildren.¹
Some of the places he used to drive have been closed by the federal government, including in Bears Ears National Monument.
"They just shut off every trail that we’ve been riding on for decades," Babilis said.¹
For Stewart, exploring the outdoors in vehicles that can handle rough terrain is therapy that allows him to experience vast landscapes away from crowds.¹
"I’m not worried about it being overridden because it’s so spread out," Stewart said. "The bigger the playground, the less people we’ll see."¹
This victory shows what’s possible under Trump
The Orange Cliffs victory is just the beginning of what Americans can expect now that President Trump is back in office.
The Blue Ribbon Coalition is currently involved in three lawsuits against the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management to open some 1,600 miles of trails that were closed during the Biden administration.¹
Senate Republicans have proposed bold plans to make more public land available for housing and economic development, though they temporarily withdrew one proposal over the weekend.
The Trump administration is also moving forward with plans to ramp up logging, mining, and oil drilling while considering shrinking several national monuments that were expanded under previous Democrat administrations.
Environmental groups are already in panic mode because they know their stranglehold over America’s natural resources is coming to an end.
After four years of Biden’s war on outdoor recreation and American energy, it’s refreshing to see common sense returning to public land management.
The Orange Cliffs victory proves that when Americans fight back against environmental extremism, they can win.
And with President Trump leading the charge, there’s a lot more winning coming down the trail.
Sources: ¹ The Washington Post, "What an 8-mile stretch of dirt road says about the meaning of America’s public lands," July 2, 2025
