Zion National Park will issue a Special Use Permit to the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah to allow its participants to ride through the park on August 1 in recognition of the National Park Service centennial anniversary. The Zion Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel in the park will be closed for a short period of time early in the morning to accommodate the cyclists with the least amount of disruption to park visitors.
This will be a one-time event that will promote the National Park Service centennial goal of connecting with and creating the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. The Tour of Utah is a unique opportunity for the service to connect with a large multi-national audience that follows this and other cycling events. Tour of Utah cyclists will not be racing through the park. They will be following a pace car as a cycling demonstration to highlight alternative transportation opportunities and promote exercise and outdoor recreation.
The NPS is approving this cycling demonstration event through its Special Use Permit process. The permit authorizes activities that benefit an individual, group, or organization rather than the public at large and requires written authorization and management controls to protect park resources and the public interest. The NPS’s decision to approve the request allowing the Tour of Utah as a cycling demonstration through the park does not provide blanket approval or consideration for future permit requests as this event is associated with the NPS centennial only.
The park worked closely with the Tour of Utah on anticipated permit conditions to eliminate or substantially reduce potential environmental impacts, safety concerns, and effects on visitor use:
—Proposed use of a helicopter for filming was denied to protect nesting activity and habitat for federally threatened and endangered animals as well as to protect soundscape and wilderness values.
—The event start time has been set for early morning, when visitation is historically low and roadway closures would have the least effect on visitor access to the park.
—For safety and to protect park resources, event staging areas are not permitted inside the park as these would be unsuitable along the steep and curving roadway.
Duration of the demonstration ride within the park from the south entrance to the east entrance is expected to be less than one hour beginning in the 8 o’clock hour on the morning of August 1. Race spectator and staging areas will not be allowed in the park due to safety concerns with managing traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians given the nature of the steep and sharply curving roadway and tunnels in the park. Spectators are welcome at Zion Canyon Village for the race start and east of the park along State Route 9 between the park’s east entrance and Mt. Carmel Junction.
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I suppose the “conditions” that were established for this event are some consolation to the communities that didn’t even want this event held in their area. Perhaps the earlier start time was more to accommodate the heat for the riders than anything else, but this makes it sound like a “concession” for the locals and visitors. I think we all know who are being conceded to in this situation.