by Tim Peterson, Utah Wildlands Director
Delicate Arch, perhaps the most iconic vista in Utah, has become an icon for Utah, featured on license plates, post cards, and coffee mugs. But eastern Utah is more than sandstone and desert landscapes – it is home to soaring peaks, rushing streams, verdant meadows, and towering pines.
These outstanding public lands, all outside Utah’s famed “Mighty Five” national parks, deserve permanent protection as wilderness. Right now, we have the best chance in 30 years to designate up to 4 million acres of wilderness through legislation called the Eastern Utah Public Lands Initiative. The Trust is working with our conservation partners, stakeholders, and decision makers regarding the future of land management in up to eight counties in eastern Utah, and we are looking to secure permanent protection for our matchless public lands.
Take a journey with us across eastern Utah on a photo tour to explore some of the wild, beautiful, and culturally rich places at stake. From high alpine meadows in the Uinta Mountains and forested canyons in the Abajos to the ancestral Puebloan granaries and petroglyph panels near Comb Ridge, you’ll see the diverse landscapes that need to be preserved for future generations.
In the next few months, the two and a half-year-long Public Lands Initiative process will culminate with draft legislation introduced to Congress. Through our discussions, we have identified many areas of agreement between conservation groups, the State of Utah, counties, and key stakeholders. These areas of agreement should form the basis for any proposal in Utah. If done correctly, the bill has the opportunity to secure new wilderness, national conservation areas, and watershed protection zones while exchanging state lands out of newly protected areas.
Unfortunately, we are hearing the draft legislation may include poison pills – like limitations on a President’s use of the Antiquities Act – that we cannot support, are unnecessary, and doom the initiative’s chances in Congress. The proposal may also include too much development, and too little conservation. Successful legislation would have the support of key stakeholders and would ensure that everyone comes out ahead. We stand ready to continue to participate in good faith, and believe that with some effort, a win-win could be possible.
Comments (1)
Leave A Comment