The lands managed by the Vernal District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are a colorful continuum of geologic strata and paleontological wonders. Located on the eastern and southern flanks of the Uinta Mountains, stretching south to the Desolation and Grey Canyons of the Green River and the Eastern Book Cliffs, this region lies at the northernmost extent of the Colorado Plateau. The heart of this region is protected within Dinosaur National Monument, where two of the West's great rivers, the Yampa and the Green, converge. A portion of the Green River corridor is safeguarded within the national monument, but surrounding this small island of protected land are over 100,000 acres of unprotected plateaus, canyons, and mountains that provide the monument with critical views, watersheds, and habitat for a rich mosaic of wildlife. As its name suggests, the monument also holds one of the world's largest deposits of fossilized dinosaur bones.

South of the Greater Dinosaur area lies the White River canyon. The White River is a perfect example of how a river brings life, beauty, and diversity to the desert landscape. From atop the ridges to the south of the river, one can appreciate the lush green ribbon of life that the river provides in the midst of an arid desert.

Still farther south lie Bitter Creek, Dragon, Seep, and Sweetwater Canyons, Wolf Point, and several other wild and remote landscapes deserving of federal protection. These areas are part of the Book Cliffs ecosystem, a diverse expanse of high forested mountains and canyons that provide important habitat for elk, black bear, mountain lion, and many other species. In fact, the Vernal area is one of Utah's most important sanctuaries for wildlife.

The Vernal Supplement to the Draft Resource Management Plan (Supplement) examines protective management for these lands with wilderness characteristics outside of existing Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). The Vernal Supplement is an important step toward proper management of these critical lands, but key improvements remain to be made to the final plan.

Issues BLM should address in the Supplement:

• All of the Vernal District's wilderness quality lands should be considered for protection, and the total area protected should be increased: BLM should consider protection for all 438,295 acres of these lands, not merely the 277,596 acres that the BLM has identified in the Supplement. Further, the protection of 277,596 acres of wilderness-quality lands outlined in Alternative E of the Supplement is the minimum level of protection the agency should provide. As the BLM has been overly restrictive in deciding which lands should be protected – despite agency guidance that is much broader – the agency should also protect much more or all of the 438,295 acres that citizens have identified as having wilderness characteristics.
• BLM should analyze the extensive benefits of protecting non-WSA lands with wilderness characteristics to wildlife and cultural resources: BLM should also provide adequate analysis of the significant benefits to cultural resources and wildlife which protection of these lands would afford. The diverse ecosystems and rich history of the area would benefit greatly from a balanced plan.
• Protection for these lands must be incorporated into BLM's final plan: Finally, it is vital that BLM's final plan incorporate protection for lands with wilderness characteristics outside of existing WSAs, and that Alternative E, presented in the Supplement, not be summarily rejected. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has provided BLM with an alternative plan, the Great Dinosaur/Bookcliffs Heritage Plan, which balances protection for the area's many resources with access for oil and gas development. This management plan offers the most benefit to the diverse resources of the Vernal District, providing an even better alternative than Alternative E. If BLM does not adopt the Great Dinosaur/Bookcliffs Plan in full, it must incorporate protections outlined in the Supplement into its final plan. 

Wilderness-quality lands account for 25% of the public lands within the Vernal District. The Greater Dinosaur/Book Cliffs Heritage plan would help ensure that the public can continue to enjoy camping, river-running, fishing, hunting, walking, wildlife viewing, and other traditional activities on these lands without the disruptive sights and sounds of vehicles or industrial development. Under the Greater Dinosaur/Book Cliffs Heritage plan, approximately 75% of the lands managed by the Vernal BLM (as opposed to 93% percent in the BLM's preferred alternative) would be available for oil and gas leasing and development. Protecting about 25% of the area's spectacularly scenic, wildlife-rich lands is NOT an outrageous proposition, and would help provide the public with a more balanced, multiple-use management plan.

Click here to visit the BLM's planning website for the Vernal District.