Are you part of a student group that supports protecting Greater Canyonlands? Add your group to the list of those signing the letter below by sending an email to Clayton at clayton@suwa.org.

Dear President Obama,

On behalf of the undersigned student organizations and our members on university campuses across the country, we would like to express our support for permanently protecting Greater Canyonlands by proclaiming it a national monument.

Greater Canyonlands – a magnificent 1.8 million acre region of publicly-owned wildlands surrounding Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah – is without question, a world class landscape deserving of the highest levels of protection. At the heart of Utah’s redrock country, the Greater Canyonlands area is home to unparalleled views, 12,000 years of ancient history, and world-renowned recreation opportunities. The Greater Canyonlands region is also home to over 950 species of desert plants and a wide variety of wildlife, including mountain lions, desert bighorn sheep and more.

A Greater Canyonlands National Monument would encompass Canyonlands National Park at its heart and expand to include the entire basin surrounding the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. It is these wild rivers that have helped to shape the region’s unique landscape—carving remarkable bridges and canyons. Protection of Greater Canyonlands under the Antiquities Act would not only safeguard important wildlife habitat, but also some of the region’s most valuable and well-preserved cultural legacies.

As students passionate about the protection of our national heritage, so that we might enjoy these landscapes and share them with our families, we are concerned that poor management of off-road vehicles (ORVs) places stress on Greater Canyonlands’ fragile landscape. In addition, oil and gas drilling, tar sands exploration, and potash development in and around Greater Canyonlands pose a continued threat to the region’s integrity. Permanent protection of this region and improved management will secure Greater Canyonlands as a world renowned destination for our generation and those to come.

As students, we truly appreciate your support of our nation’s special places; from Fort Monroe and Fort Ord to Chimney Rock and Cesar Chavez, your commitment to our public lands and cultural sites carries deep meaning for our generation. Please consider expanding your contribution to America’s protected landscapes by designating a Greater Canyonlands National Monument. We will treasure these lands and appreciate your action to protect them.

Thank you for your vision and leadership.

Sincerely,

Arizona

ASU Outdoors Club – Arizona State University

California

UC Berkeley Cal Climbing Club
Environmental Law Society – University of California Berkeley Law
Students Interested in Environmental Education and Reinforcing Advocacy (SIEERA) – The University of California Riverside

Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University Sierra Student Coalition
Students for Environmental Concerns – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois Wesleyan College Democrats
Western Illinois University Campus Greens

Maine

Environmental Coalition at Colby College

Michigan

Michigan State University Sierra Student Coalition
Environmental Action – University of Michigan

Minnesota

The Outdoor Club – University of Minnesota
Field Ecology Club – Minnesota State University

New Hampshire

Dartmouth Mountaineering Club

New York

Geneseo Environmental Organization – Geneseo State University
Yovel: The Green Zionist Alliance @ NYU

Utah

Ecoresponse – Brigham Young University
Utah: University Student Clean Air Network – The University of Utah
College Democrats of Brigham Young University
Utah Valley University Revolutionary Student’s Union

Virginia

Outdoors at UVA -University of Virginia

Washington, DC

Georgetown University Outdoor Education
George Washington University Environmental Law Association

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin – Madison Sierra Student Coalition