Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:

1. Thank President Obama for designating new national monuments.
2. Take action to protect the Gunnison sage grouse!
3. Ask your members of Congress to support Utah wilderness protection.
4. Activists overcome a storm to advocate for the redrock in DC.
5. See a Utah wilderness slideshow near you and get involved this spring!

Obama protects first large-scale landscape. Is a Greater Canyonlands National Monument in his future?

Camp inside the South Fork of Robbers Roost in the proposed Greater Canyonlands National Monument. Copyright Seth Andersen.

Did you hear the news?  On Monday, President Obama designated the largest new national monument of his administration in New Mexico – El Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument.

This is a big deal for those of us in Utah calling for the protection of the Greater Canyonlands region, as this is the first time the President has used the Antiquities Act to protect a large threatened landscape like those we’re working to protect in Utah’s redrock canyon country.

Please thank President Obama for using the Antiquities Act to protect public lands and then urge him to protect Greater Canyonlands!

1) Click here to send an email message to President Obama.

2) Click here to thank President Obama publicly by sending a letter to the editor of your local paper.

The more he hears that the public supports greater land protections, the more likely he is to protect the wild Utah landscapes that we love — including Greater Canyonlands.  Please take a moment to send a thank-you to President Obama today!

Help protect the Gunnison sage grouse!

Spring is coming and soon the Gunnison sage grouse, one of the most imperiled species in the United States, will be dancing at sunrise southeast of Moab to attract mates.  Meanwhile, these fascinating birds may be about to get the protection they need to avoid becoming extinct, but they need your help.

Take action!  Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that you support protecting the Gunnison sage grouse.

Photo: BLM

Fewer than 5,000 Gunnison sage grouse remain, occurring in less than 10 percent of their historic range.  The remaining small and isolated populations are at risk due to poorly managed development and other threats.

Take action!  Please tell the USFWS that the Gunnison sage grouse needs protection immediately.

The USFWS has a chance to save the Gunnison sage grouse from extinction by protecting this bird under the Endangered Species Act and designating the habitat that the birds need to survive as “critical habitat”.  In Utah, roughly 3,000 acres of redrock wilderness overlaps with the proposed critical habitat designation.

Decisive actions like these could put these birds on the road to recovery, but the USFWS needs to hear from you.  Take action!  Please send USFWS director Dan Ashe an email in support of protecting the Gunnison sage grouse.

Thank you for helping to make sure that future generations can marvel at the Gunnison sage grouse.

For more information, read this recent New York Times op-ed urging the USFWS to protect the Gunnison sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to protect America’s redrock wilderness!

Later this spring, redrock champions Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) will re-introduce America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, legislation that would protect over 9 million acres of spectacular public lands in Utah.

Having a long list of original cosponsors – those other members of Congress who sign on in support of the bill – from throughout the country at the time of introduction will help display our strength as Utah wilderness advocates.

Will you help us add to this list?

Here are 3 easy actions you can take:

1) Send an email to your members of Congress by clicking here.

2) Sign our new petition to Congress by clicking here.

3) Share our Take Action image on Facebook here.

Thank you for helping to protect America’s redrock wilderness!



Redrock activists make the difference in DC

Wilderness Week activists from Utah meet with the White House Council on Environmental Quality about protecting Greater Canyonlands.

We can never overstate how much grassroots support for protecting Utah wilderness has helped to advance the cause.  For the Utah Wilderness Coalition’s biannual Wilderness Week in Washington, DC, about 31 fabulous redrock activists traveled from Utah and across the country to ask members of Congress to cosponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act (ARRWA), a piece of legislation that would protect over 9 million acres of Utah wilderness.  Utah activists also met with administration officials about protecting Greater Canyonlands and urged members of Congress to defend the President’s authority to designate national monuments through the Antiquities Act.  They even perservered through a storm that resulted in many cancelled flights and extra days in DC.  Thanks to all of this year’s Wilderness Week participants!

Read more on our blog here.

Click here for more photos from the week.

Spring is here: time to get involved in the Utah wilderness campaign!


In addition to the inspiring activism by the Wilderness Week participants mentioned above, redrock activists throughout the country have been busy advocating for Utah wilderness protection.  Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Friends for Utah Wilderness collected 500 postcards in support of protecting Greater Canyonlands and America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act at a local event.  And the Mainers for Utah Wilderness have begun a letter collecting drive to convince their new senator to cosponsor ARRWA!

Click here to let us know how YOU want to help out with the Utah wilderness campaign.

The Moab Earth Day Bazaar will once again celebrate an “Ode to Greater Canyonlands”.  Click here to RSVP and invite friends on Facebook.

Also, SUWA’s grassroots organizers are back in action in the East and Midwest regions!

Click here for the upcoming schedule of presentations and events. To suggest a venue or group for a presentation in your area, please contact Clayton (clayton@suwa.org) in the Midwest and Jackie (jackie@suwa.org) in the East.


Sign the petition to protect Greater Canyonlands

Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:

1. New signature campaign against Governor Herbert’s public land grab.
2. Greater Canyonlands becomes a hot topic in the Utah State Legislature.
3. Help protect the President’s ability to designate national monuments.
4. SUWA & our partners file a lawsuit to protect Desolation Canyon.
5. Hear our thoughts on Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell.

“For Kids and Lands” launches signature campaign against Gov. Herbert’s public land grab

An exciting new group in Utah is speaking out against Utah Governor Herbert’s public land grab, and they are asking Utah citizens to help them.

“For Kids and Lands” is an informal group of educators, community leaders, and other citizens who care about Utah’s kids and landscapes.  In their words, “We came together because we are concerned that efforts by the state of Utah to assert ownership over publicly-owned federal lands in Utah would not benefit – in fact would harm – both of these precious resources.”

The group has drafted a position statement – endorsed by over 50 community leaders and educators – opposing the state of Utah’s efforts to claim ownership over federal public lands and dirt routes crossing federal lands.  Instead, they call for another path: “realistic solutions for education funding and stewardship of public lands.”

How you can help:  Go to www.forkidsandlands.org and add your name.  Please help spread the word on Facebook and encourage your
friends to sign too!

This action is important because Utah legislators are poised to pass a new bill that would further advance Gov. Herbert’s public land grab agenda.  The bill instructs the state’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office to “identify a process for the state to transfer and receive title to public lands.”

Greater Canyonlands discussion heats up in the Utah State Legislature

Terry Tempest Williams, Utah Senator James Dabakis and Mark Ritchie of Black Diamond Equipment testifying at the Greater Canyonlands hearing

On February 5, Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis and State Representative Patrice Arent introduced a resolution in the Utah legislature in support of Congressional or Executive action to protect Greater Canyonlands—a watershed moment in the effort to preserve this landscape for future generations.

Two days later, and with less than 24 hours notice, Utah wilderness supporters packed a hearing room at the Utah State Capitol to support Sen. Dabakis’ resolution.  The Utah Senate Natural

Resources committee listened to testimony from Mark Ritchie, COO of Black Diamond Equipment, and Terry Tempest Williams, among others. Mark Ritchie spoke of Greater Canyonlands’ importance as a resource that helps to support Utah’s $5 billion a year outdoor recreation industry. author Terry Tempest Williams spoke of Greater Canyonlands as a “a spiritual reservoir” and “a geologic truth that belongs to all of us.”  Only one person was present to speak against the resolution.

The committee members were very polite and talked about the need to protect Greater Canyonlands (with some disagreement about what
“protection” means).  Then they voted to take up the resolution during Interim Committee – which is a victory (they could have just killed it).  The bottom line is that thanks to you, and the thousands of supporters of protection for America’s redrock wilderness across the country, we are moving forward.

If you haven’t already, please become a citizen co-signer of the resolution by clicking here.  You don’t have to be a Utah citizen to participate!

For more ways you can help protect the Greater Canyonlands region, visit greatercanyonlands.org and “like” the Protect Greater Canyonlands page on Facebook.



The Antiquities Act is under attack!

Thanks to the Antiquities Act, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was protected in 1996.  Photo copyright James Kay.

It’s been an exciting few weeks with support building to protect the Greater Canyonlands every day!  But if we let our guard down we could lose the best tool to protect the Greater Canyonlands – the Antiquities Act.  This law, passed in 1906 and championed by Teddy Roosevelt, gives the President the authority to protect threatened public land as a national monument.  The Antiquities Act has been used dozens of times by presidents of both parties, and was the first step in protecting Arches, Zion, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon.

In just the first month of Congress, four different bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate that would gut the Antiquities Act – leaving the American people with little hope of protecting treasured places with a Congress that is stubbornly stalling wilderness legislation

Help protect the Antiquities Act – Contact your members of Congress today!



Still fighting for the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness


At the end of January, SUWA and a coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Salt Lake City challenging the Interior Department’s decision to allow nearly 1,300 new oil and gas wells in Utah’s Desolation Canyon region.

Approved last year, the “Gasco project” was heavily criticized in editorials across the country but calls for a compromise decision were rejected by Secretary Salazar.  The drilling project was also roundly decried by congressional leaders, representatives from the outdoor industry, and environmental leaders who called on the Interior Department to protect Desolation Canyon while allowing a reasonable level of development in less sensitive areas.

Read more by clicking here.



Our take on Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell


SUWA Legislative Director Richard Peterson-Cremer on Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell:

“We are gladdened to see this impressive nominee to be the next Secretary of the Interior. Sally Jewell has a tremendous record supporting important conservation measures while also understanding the numerous uses of our public lands.  Importantly for Utah, she is well-versed in the importance of the outdoor recreation economy and the crucial role that protected public lands play in its success. We look forward to working with Ms. Jewell in the coming years to further protect Utah’s redrock.”



Sign the petition to protect Greater Canyonlands

Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:

1. Moving one step closer to overturning the BLM Richfield land use plan.
2. Let Gov. Herbert know you support a public process for Greater Canyonlands!
3. Utah citizens rally outside of Gov. Herbert’s Energy Summit.
4. If you’re a student, show your support for Greater Canyonlands!
5. Read all about Greater Canyonlands in the news.

Opening brief filed against Bush-era land use plan

Last month a coalition of conservation groups led by SUWA moved one step closer to overturning the highly unbalanced land management decisions in the Bureau of Land Management’s Richfield field office resource management plan or “Richfield RMP.” As a direct result of this plan, world-renowned southern Utah wilderness landscapes like the Dirty Devil Canyon complex (including Butch Cassidy’s infamous hideout, Robber’s Roost), the Henry Mountains (the last mountain range to be mapped in the lower 48 states), and Factory Butte were put at risk from off-road vehicle damage.

On December 20, the groups filed their opening brief challenging the legality of the Richfield RMP and arguing that the BLM’s plan violated a host of federal land management, environmental protection, and cultural resource laws. The matter is being heard in the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

The next week, The Salt Lake Tribune called on the Obama administration to “withdraw these hurtful land-use plans and set about doing them correctly”:

“The environmental groups, led by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, make a strong case that the Richfield plan reflects very little understanding either of the land it is supposed to be managing or of the federal laws, rules and executive orders that were supposed to guide the planning process. By leaving so much of the area open to energy development, and by authorizing what the lawsuit describes as a ‘spider web’ of OHV routes that, added up, would stretch from Atlanta to Anchorage, the agency has clearly failed to do its job.”

Make a call for Greater Canyonlands

Indian Creek in the Greater Canyonlands region. Copyright Tom Till.

In December, a coalition of conservation organizations sent a letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert urging him to “support the creation of a
transparent, fair, public process” to discuss a potential Greater Canyonlands National Monument in southeastern Utah.

Here’s how you, too, can make a difference in advancing the campaign to protect Greater Canyonlands:

Simply call 1-800-705-2464 and tell the receptionist that you would like to leave a message for Governor Herbert encouraging him to create a public process to protect Greater Canyonlands as a national monument.

If you live in Utah, you can also encourage Governor Herbert to begin a public process to protect Greater Canyonlands by clicking here.

For more ways you can help protect the Greater Canyonlands region, visit greatercanyonlands.org and “like” the Protect Greater Canyonlands page on Facebook.



Utahns rally for clean energy and protected public lands

Photo by Kathlene Audette.

Warmed against a bitter chill and a darkening sky by their passion and esprit de corps, more than 200 enthusiastic citizens rallied outside Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s Energy Summit last week to demand leadership for a clean energy future that also protects Utah’s spectacular public landscapes.

Speakers argued that Utah’s political leaders are selling the state’s world-class landscapes to extractive industries looking to exploit fossil fuels. They pointed to the Governor’s public land grab as a tool to facilitate that energy development – a tool that would decimate some of Utah’s most precious wild places and harm Utah’s recreation economy.

“The single biggest threat to our beautiful public lands and multi-million dollar outdoor recreation economy is our Governor’s one-sided dirty energy policies,” said Tim Wagner with the Sierra Club. “When the Governor talks about the state taking ownership of millions of acres of federal lands, make no mistake: the intent behind this loony idea is to make as many acres as possible available for pump jacks, strip mines, pipelines and roads.”

Inside the summit, Governor Herbert exhorted that “Utah is open for business in energy development. We aren’t playing favorites. We want all our resources made available.”  But the focus was on fossil fuel-based energy, including tar sands, oil shale and nuclear power. Members of Utah’s congressional delegation called for the weakening of federal decision-making processes (like NEPA and the Endangered Species Act) to facilitate development of oil shale and tar sands.

Students, take action!


Are you part of a student group that supports protecting Greater Canyonlands?  With our coalition partners, we have begun to collect names of student organizations that are willing to urge President Obama to designate Greater Canyonlands as a national monument as part of our effort to display broad support for action from throughout the country.

Click here to read the letter from students to President Obama.

If you are part of an organization that would like to be added to the list, please send an email to Clayton at clayton@suwa.org.



In the news


Redrock supporters from Utah and across the country (and even the world!) have spoken out about their support for protecting Greater Canyonlands in the media through opinion pieces and letters-to-the-editor (LTEs).

Click here to view recent media from Utah citizens.

Click here to view recent media from supporters outside of Utah.

To join our LTE team or volunteer in other ways for Utah wilderness, fill out our grassroots survey!



Sign the petition to protect Greater Canyonlands

August 2012

Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:
1.  Join our online activist team.
2.  Oil, gas, and seismic projects threaten proposed wilderness.
3.  Outdoor industry speaks out against Herbert’s public land grab.
4.  The SUWA Roundup is next month!

 

Become a Super Online Activist for Utah wilderness

More than ever, online activists are playing an important role in advocating for Utah wilderness protection.  Whether it be by commenting on a news article, sharing an action alert on Facebook or posting a photo, redrock activists can easily contribute to the online discussion on relevant issues.

Want to make more of an impact with your online activity?  Click here to sign up for our Online Activist Team and we’ll let you know how you can help advocate for the redrock on the web.

Interested in some simple, easy ways to start?

Help us spread the word about Greater Canyonlands by sharing our new video!

1) WATCH AND SHARE our new video on Protecting Greater Canyonlands.

2) SIGN AND SHARE our petition urging Utah Governor Herbert to stop his public land grab.

3) LIKE our Facebook page and join in on the discussion!

 

Proposed wilderness threatened in Moab area

The Moab field office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently placed proposed wilderness in its crosshairs.

First, the BLM is proposing an oil and gas lease sale for February 2013 that includes a number of leases inside the Coyote Wash and Big Triangle proposed wilderness areas.  In addition, two parcels in this proposed lease sale may implicate Moab’s watershed.  SUWA submitted comments on August 13 asking that these contentious parcels be removed.

Second, the BLM is seeking to approve a large seismic project at the doorstep of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.  Apparently, officials at the Moab field office feel that the best way to introduce visitors to these two spectacular parks is by making them pass through oil and gas industrialization (perhaps to appreciate the protected lands more?). This proposed seismic project would set loose large vibroseis thumper trucks (think tractors – see photo below) on the Big Flat/Labyrinth Canyon region, threatening proposed wilderness as well as one of the state’s preeminent desert bighorn sheep herds. Inexplicably, the BLM is considering this approval even though the company seeking to do the testing does not have leases for 25% of this project area. SUWA has submitted comments and hopes to dissuade the BLM from this wrongheaded plan.

 

Outdoor industry pushes back against Herbert’s public land policies

Earlier this month, America’s outdoor recreation industry pushed back against Utah Governor Gary Herbert, whose radical land grab policies threaten to carve up and sell off Utah’s spectacular public lands. 

In a recent meeting with the governor, Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), expressed his frustration over Utah’s public land policies and read a strongly worded statement from the trade group’s board of directors:

“Of greatest concern,” the group wrote, “is the governor’s lawsuit challenging the federal government over jurisdiction of the federal public lands and some road claims within national parks, monuments and wilderness areas. We have not and will not sit silently on threats to the nation’s recreation infrastructure.”  Read more on our blog.

Please contact Governor Herbert today and tell him you share the Outdoor Industry’s sense of outrage over his anti-wilderness land grab (see sample text below).

Sample text to Governor Herbert:
I urge you to listen to the concerns of the Outdoor Industry Association and citizens across the nation who want to see Utah’s spectacular public lands protected, not carved up by roads, leased to developers, or sold to the highest bidder. Please drop your land grab!

 

Join us in the beautiful San Rafael Swell this September!

Don’t forget — this year’s SUWA Roundup is scheduled for September 21-23 at Hidden Splendor in the San Rafael Swell.  There’s no better opportunity to meet fellow redrock enthusiasts and learn more about the wilderness lands we’re all working to protect. 

Relax and socialize on Friday evening, then take part in guided day hikes (from easy to challenging) or other fun activities on Saturday before sharing a potluck dinner with newfound friends.  Sunday you’ll awake to fresh brewed coffee and breakfast prepared by the SUWA staff.  If you plan to join us this year, please RSVP so we can plan accordingly.

For more details, please visit our Roundup information page.

Spread the word on Facebook by clicking here.

 

Sign the petition to protect Greater Canyonlands