Home
News
Utah public lands being considered for possible wilderness designation concern Coloradans, judging from the number of Colorado license plates in the area every spring, said Terri Martin, of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
“A lot of people in Grand Junction consider the red rock desert to be their backyard and visit those lands, and want them protected for their future and their children,” Martin said.
Republican Utah Senator Bob Bennett has initiated a process to craft wilderness legislation for Bureau of Land Management lands in Utah's San Juan County, south of Moab.
Martin will be in Grand Junction Wednesday to present a 22-minute slideshow of southern Utah images, narrated by Robert Redford. After the slideshow Martin will give an update on Utah's political process regarding the wilderness effort.
“We believe Coloradans should have a voice in the process,” Martin said. “Coloradans know and love these places.”
They're federal lands and belong to all Americans, not just Utahns, she said.
Lee Gelatt, who lives in Grand Junction, agreed.
“It's just as valuable to us in Grand Junction as to those in Utah,” said Gelatt, who was first introduced to southeast Utah 20 years ago when he inventoried wilderness for the BLM.
“It's spectacular land that really deserves wilderness protection. There's so much to see. It's time it was protected in federal legislation.”
Bennett has sought local support in San Juan County for Utah wilderness by holding a half-dozen stakeholder meetings in the last few weeks.
A citizen proposal that languishes in Congress, America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, would designate about 9 million acres of BLM public land in Utah to the National Wilderness Preservation System. The legislation would protect landscapes such as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and BLM lands outside Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks and Dinosaur National Monument.
Bennett's initiative could protect the same amount of land, or less.
A group of Grand Junction residents met with Sen. Mark Udall staffer Jerry Otero June 1, to thank Udall for his support of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act and ask him to help Bennett pass legislation that “does justice to the lands included in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act.”
As a member of the Senate and Energy Natural Resources Committee — which handles public land legislation, Udall could be influential in gaining wilderness in Utah, Gelatt said.
“He's personally camped, hiked, and rafted through Utah's wild lands,” Martin said. “He knows what's at stake.”
Environmentalists believe designating wilderness in Utah will also mitigate dust on Colorado's snow. According to studies done at the Snow Optics Laboratory at the University of Utah, dust-covered snow melts earlier than a clean snowpack.
Desert soils are naturally stable, but when disturbed by activities such as all-terrain vehicles, or oil and gas development, excessive dust and erosion occurs, Martin said.
Wilderness designation would mitigate that, she said.
“A lot of people in Grand Junction consider the red rock desert to be their backyard and visit those lands, and want them protected for their future and their children,” Martin said.
Republican Utah Senator Bob Bennett has initiated a process to craft wilderness legislation for Bureau of Land Management lands in Utah's San Juan County, south of Moab.
Martin will be in Grand Junction Wednesday to present a 22-minute slideshow of southern Utah images, narrated by Robert Redford. After the slideshow Martin will give an update on Utah's political process regarding the wilderness effort.
“We believe Coloradans should have a voice in the process,” Martin said. “Coloradans know and love these places.”
They're federal lands and belong to all Americans, not just Utahns, she said.
Lee Gelatt, who lives in Grand Junction, agreed.
“It's just as valuable to us in Grand Junction as to those in Utah,” said Gelatt, who was first introduced to southeast Utah 20 years ago when he inventoried wilderness for the BLM.
“It's spectacular land that really deserves wilderness protection. There's so much to see. It's time it was protected in federal legislation.”
Bennett has sought local support in San Juan County for Utah wilderness by holding a half-dozen stakeholder meetings in the last few weeks.
A citizen proposal that languishes in Congress, America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, would designate about 9 million acres of BLM public land in Utah to the National Wilderness Preservation System. The legislation would protect landscapes such as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and BLM lands outside Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks and Dinosaur National Monument.
Bennett's initiative could protect the same amount of land, or less.
A group of Grand Junction residents met with Sen. Mark Udall staffer Jerry Otero June 1, to thank Udall for his support of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act and ask him to help Bennett pass legislation that “does justice to the lands included in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act.”
As a member of the Senate and Energy Natural Resources Committee — which handles public land legislation, Udall could be influential in gaining wilderness in Utah, Gelatt said.
“He's personally camped, hiked, and rafted through Utah's wild lands,” Martin said. “He knows what's at stake.”
Environmentalists believe designating wilderness in Utah will also mitigate dust on Colorado's snow. According to studies done at the Snow Optics Laboratory at the University of Utah, dust-covered snow melts earlier than a clean snowpack.
Desert soils are naturally stable, but when disturbed by activities such as all-terrain vehicles, or oil and gas development, excessive dust and erosion occurs, Martin said.
Wilderness designation would mitigate that, she said.
