The wild lands of the Zion-Mojave region of southwestern Utah feature brightly-colored sandstone cliffs and canyons, and sparse stands of the resilient and rugged Joshua tree. These stunning and dramatic landscapes, which contain many areas proposed for wilderness protection, are located in one of the fastest growing counties in the United States and are increasingly threatened by sprawl and off-road vehicle use.
The Washington County Growth and Conservation Act, sponsored by Senator Bennett (R-UT) and Congressman Matheson (D-UT), would have significantly shortchanged protection for the majority of wilderness quality lands in southwest Utah. We are pleased that the 109th Congress adjourned without allowing this ill-conceived proposal to pass at the last minute. We thank you for your support in this accomplishment.
More than 120 outdoor recreation, conservation, taxpayer, and business groups as well as the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Tribe joined The Wilderness Society in opposing the bill because of its potential effects on the stunning red rock canyons, mesas and other magnificent landscapes of southwest Utah.
We appreciate that Congress rejected this short-sighted plan. We urge the bill sponsors to allow adequate time for public planning processes to be completed before again considering any development bill for southwest Utah that would impact our wild public lands.
The Wilderness Society is working with the Utah Wilderness Coalition and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to ensure that more of this incomparable land is protected as Wilderness. Click here to download a PDF of the Utah Wilderness Coalition's " A Proposal to Protect Utah's Zion-Mojave Wilderness."
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