The end justifies the means seems to be the motto of many Utah environmentalists groups.  Groups have been caught planting endangered species in areas just to get the area protected.  They have gone as far as making up wanted dead or alive posters, fake party posters, or staging elaborate scenes claiming they have been threatened as a publicity stunt.  They use these posters and staged events to sale T-shirts and raise money.  According to article in the Cortez Journal 2014 the “Wanted Dead or Alive” poster was made into a collectible T-Shirt.

“Well, not all of the notices. Members of Great Old Broads kept a few of the photocopied pages and, in their irrepressible manner, proudly made the skull, crossbones and threat into a collectible T-shirt.” 

One of the other common practices is to take a picture of something and claim it is something totally different.  A picture is worth a thousand words especially if the reader can be manipulated to believe something that isn’t true.

These groups have become masters at misdirection, partial truths, and fabricated pictures that they claim to be evidence.  Here is a photo of a snow covered trail or road that was taken by Andrew Gulliford who appears to be associated with the Great Old Broads for Wilderness.  Mr. Gulliford is also a professor of History & Environmental Studies at Fort Lewis Collage in Durango Colorado.

“Courtesy of Andrew Gulliford – The illegally built ATV trail in Recapture Canyon stands out in snow in late December 2013. Two volunteers for the ATV group San Juan Public Entry & Access Rights (SPEAR) received misdemeanor convictions, probation and 5,000 in fines for their role in trail construction.“

Gulliford claims that what you are looking at is an illegally built ATV trail going into Recapture Canyon.  This is a route into Recapture Canyon that much is true, but it was not constructed illegally or even as an ATV Trail.  This is a road that was created with heavy equipment by one rancher that needed access to his cattle.  Years ago the Rancher brought in a bull dosser and pushed in this road. The road actually enters the canyon on the west side and then traverses down and across Recapture Canyon to exit out the east side of the canyon towards Jenny’s Canyon.

So the only part of Gulliford’s statement that is true is that it goes into Recapture Canyon and yes you can see it.  The snow covers up the blade marks on the right at this particular spot but just a few feet backwards or forward you would be able to see evidence of a dosser creating this road.

Here is another one of Gulliford’s pictures of an ATV gate where it crosses a fence.

This fence is located up on top of the west rim of Recapture Canyon. This particular trail and area is currently open to motorized use and is still in use today.  The fence marks the boundary of the private land and Bureau of Land Management Land and to prevent having gate left open these types of gate ramps are used.

As a matter of fact another ATV gate was installed in Recapture Canyon in 2015 at the main gate where the road goes down into the Canyon on the east side of the Recapture Dam.  This ATV Gate was installed because there is a legal ATV trail that travels down Recapture Canyon for several miles before the trail exits the Canyon out the west side.

In conclusion its important to remember that these types of photographic tricks are used to mislead readers that are not familiar with the area or even the situation.  These types of tricks has only one purpose and that is to achieve their agenda at any cost.

If doubt the environmental movements motivation to achieve their goals at any cost just look at what has happen to the City of Escalante, Utah as a result of the designation of the grand staircase.  When people’s lives and their lively hood don’t matter all that is left is “the end justifies the means“.