Protect Wild Utah

The wild lands of the Zion-Mojave region of southwestern Utah feature stunning and dramatic landscapes of sandstone cliffs and canyons, Joshua tree forests, and more. These lands, many of them wilderness quality, are located in one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. and are increasingly threatened by sprawl and off-road vehicle use.

Please help us keep this bill from moving during the lame duck session of Congress. A hearing is scheduled this coming Thursday.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Washington County Growth and Conservation Act

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I care deeply about the protection of the spectacular public wildlands of southern Utah. I strongly oppose the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act (S. 3636/H.R.5769), introduced this spring by Senator Bennett and Congressman Matheson.

The beauty and wildness of the Zion-Mojave region is already threatened by the unchecked sprawl in this fast-growing county, and the Washington County bill would further fuel rampant development in the area at the expense of other public values. Though claiming to balance growth and conservation, the bill calls for the disposal of public lands at taxpayer expense with no demonstrable need.

In addition, I oppose provisions in the bill that would direct the proceeds from the sale of these public lands --lands that belong to all Americans-- to build new pipelines and finance unchecked, questionable new development projects.

We should not be liquidating important public resources and our children's natural inheritance to fund private development and irresponsible sprawl. The land disposal would also bypass existing law requiring important public and congressional input; we deserve to have a say on such an important topic.

The Washington County bill also significantly shortchanges the magnificent wilderness-quality lands in the region by protecting less than a third of deserving acres. As a result, the irreplaceable biological and ecological diversity of these wild open places are at risk from off-road vehicles and other damaging activities.

I feel strongly that the many wilderness-quality lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the region should be preserved in perpetuity for future generations to enjoy and explore.

For these reasons, I urge you to oppose the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act (S. 3636/ H.R. 5769) and to make sure it is not rushed through Congress. In the final days of this session, do not allow the bill to be expedited as stand-alone legislation or through attachment to a spending bill or any other legislation. Instead, we should pursue a more balanced and measured approach to address growth and conservation in the stunning lands of southwest Utah that belong to all of us.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 13, 2006

Background Information

In March 2006, Utah's Senator Bob Bennett and Representative Jim Matheson unveiled disappointing draft legislation for the management of public lands in southwestern Utah’s Washington County. Their draft bill proposes wilderness protection for less than 30 percent of the deserving lands in the region and proposes to sell off to private developers up to 40 square miles of federal public land -- land owned by all Americans.

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, which proposes protection for deserving public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) across Utah, recommends 323,300 acres for wilderness protection within the Zion-Mojave region. In contrast, the draft Washington County Growth and Conservation Act would only protect roughly 93,000 acres of these BLM lands for wilderness, leaving over two thirds of deserving lands on the chopping block.

The Wilderness Society and partner groups are concerned that the bill, while making only minimal conservation gains, would also require a massive sell-off of federal public lands -- up to 25,000 acres -- as well as authorize numerous new roads and utility corridors. In addition, proceeds from the public land sales would be used to build new pipelines and finance unchecked new development. As written, the proposal not only fails to provide for responsible and sustainable land use but also sacrifices community open space and existing wild lands in the region.

Conservation groups are also troubled with the lack of a public planning process in shaping the bill. The Wilderness Society and its partner groups have held numerous meetings with Sen. Bennett, and even put together a series of public hearings in Utah to collect a public record on the bill, but still the bill is moving forward, unamended.

You Can Help -- Ask your Representative and Senators to oppose the legislation.