Utah Wilderness
America's Redrock Wilderness Act
 The state of Utah abounds with wilderness, and more than nine million acres in the state qualify as official wilderness as defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964. This is one of the largest blocks of intact wilderness in the lower 48 states.
America's Redrock Wilderness Act would designate these nine million acres of stunning wild lands in Utah as official wilderness, protecting them from energy and mineral development and rampant abuse by off-road-vehicles.
In April of 2007, America's Redrock Wilderness Act was reintroduced into the 110th Congress by Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Senator Richard (D-IL) with 125 cosponsors in the House and a record 18 in the Senate - the list continues to grow. Utah activists around the country are working to gain even more cosponsors.
The bill has been introduced into every Congress since 1989 but has not passed primarily because of extreme opposition from the Utah delegation. But this Congress may be more friendly to efforts to protect the environment and public land. The Sierra Club and its Utah wilderness coalition partners are working full speed ahead to advance the bill. Prospects are especially bright in the House of Representatives. Your letters to your Representative and Senators can make a significant difference at this opportune time.
History of America's Redrock Wilderness Act
The battle for Utah wilderness has persisted for nearly 30 years -- since the Federal Land Policy and Management Act in 1976 directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conduct an inventory of potential wilderness areas. The original inventory fell far short of what wilderness advocates knew to be eligible, so citizens conducted their own inventory. By 1990 they had identified 5.7 million acres of wilderness quality areas that should be recommended to Congress as additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Efforts to pass comprehensive Utah wilderness bills in Congress have been ongoing, though debate persists over how much land actually qualifies.
In 1998, citizen activists completed their second round of inventories, using updated scientific methods, and with a much better appreciation of the biological importance of Utah wild lands. The citizen "reinventory" removed from the original citizen inventory unprotected lands that had been scarred by development. They also identified more than 3 million additional acres that qualified for wilderness designation, bringing the total to over 9.1 million acres. Even the BLM has increased its estimate of land qualifying as wilderness, confirming what wilderness advocates already knew, and opening the door for protecting even more Utah wilderness areas.
In 1989, Rep. Wayne Owens from Salt Lake City introduced the 5.7 million-acre Citizens' Proposal (now titled America's Redrock Wilderness Act) as legislation in the U.S. Congress. Since 1992, Rep. Maurice Hinchey of New York has sponsored this legislation in the U.S. House, and since 1997 Richard Durbin of Illinois has sponsored the bill in the U.S. Senate. While the bill has broad nationwide support, it has not passed primarily because of extreme opposition from most of the Utah delegation.
As former Representative Wayne Owens explained, "To paraphrase John Muir, anyone can destroy a wilderness...But only God can create a wilderness -- and only wise government and wise laws can preserve it. What we now elect to save in Utah over the next few years of discussion, will always remain. What we neglect to protect can never be recovered."
Photo courtesy James Kay.
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