Bureau of Land Management Considers to Increase Permits To The Wave

By Chloe Jones
Published: Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 5:05am
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Many hiking enthusiasts can only dream of getting a permit to see “The Wave,” an ocean of sandstone near the Arizona-Utah border. But the Bureau of Land Management is now considering allowing more visitors.

According to Mike Herder, district manager of the Arizona Strip District BLM, the bureau receives 150,000 to 160,000 permit applications for The Wave each year. The BLM currently issues just 20 permits per day for the area but is considering increasing that to 96 per day.

“We've been trying to keep in mind the the balance between allowing as many people as want to see it with the impacts of those visitors on the on the fragile features that are out there," Herder said. "We would be looking at things like how much of an increase in physical damage would we expect to see. And, what the impact would be to solitude and the visitor experience.”

Herder said the bureau is seeking comment on this issue and will be holding a public meeting on June 4.