Grand Canyon Trust Endorses Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Back to Press Releases)
May 27, 2005

The Grand Canyon Trust endorses The Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2005 introduced in the Senate Thursday by Senator Bob Bennett and co-sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch. The House version of the bill was introduced by the other members of the Utah delegation earlier this month.

This 88,000 acre land trade in eastern Utah will convey to the Bureau of Land Management valuable recreational lands, critical watersheds and wildlife habitat, and lands in Wilderness Study Areas, protecting them from being privatized and developed. In exchange, Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) will receive federal oil and gas development property that will generate revenues for their beneficiaries, the school children of Utah.

“This exchange has a broad coalition of support, from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to rural Republican county commissioners,” said Laura Kamala, director of Utah programs for Grand Canyon Trust. “ It provides better management for federal lands in southeast Utah.”

Utah State Trust Lands consulted with BLM, local city and county governments, business owners and conservation organizations in Grand and Uintah counties while designing the exchange. The trade will benefit the southeast Utah economy and the outdoor recreation industry where a large tract of open space near the Colorado River will be protected from being fragmented by development. “This land exchange will directly benefit our business,” said Denise Oblak, owner of Canyon Voyages Adventure Co., “Our clients come for a wilderness experience and development in the river corridor would have removed that opportunity.

Many other tourism dependent businesses in Moab agree. “The land exchange includes a 4000 acre tract of SITLA lands in the town of Castle Valley that would go to the BLM.  “From our perspective this land swap is a win, all around,” said Bruce Keeler, mayor of Castle Valley. “The trade will conserve valued open space, protecting our watershed and critical winter range for the La Sal Mountain deer herd.”

The legislation provides direction and a process to arrive at fair values and an equal exchange, which The Grand Canyon Trust supports.

 “Utah State Trust Lands has responded favorably to the concerns of stakeholders affected by the trade,” said Kamala. “Where rare plant and wildlife issues exist, SITLA is working with the State’s Natural Heritage Program and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to mitigate effects of minerals development on lands they would acquire.”

For more information contact:

• Laura Kamala 435-259-8702
• Denise Oblak  435-259-6007
• Bruce Keeler   435-259-2298

For additional background information on Grand Canyon Trust see: www.grandcanyontrust.org

### END NEWS RELEASE ###

(Back to Press Releases)