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Blog Archives - Page 2 of 128
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April 26th, 2017Action comes just as Trump orders a review of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
For immediate release
April 26, 2017Contact: Jen Ujifusa, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, 202.266.0473
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Today Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced S. 948, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill that would protect as wilderness 9.2 million acres of Utah’s spectacular federal public lands. He was joined by 17 cosponsors from 13 states, underscoring the importance of these remaining wild landscapes to the American people.
America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act would permanently protect special places managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Utah like Labyrinth Canyon, the Dirty Devil, the San Rafael Swell, and the West Desert, ensuring some of the last, best remaining wildlands in the lower 48 states remain wild for future generations of Americans who own these lands.
The other cosponsors are: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The bill is the companion to H.R. 2044, sponsored by Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), which currently has 30 cosponsors in the House.
The bill introduction could not be better timed, and the lands involved could not be under greater threat. Today, President Trump also issued an Executive Order that would undermine a generation of National Monuments going back to 1996, including Utah’s own Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, as well as dozens of other monuments designated in the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations.
The executive order calls for an agency review of every monument since 1996 that exceeds 100,000 acres, or any monument the agency deems as having “inadequate public outreach,” thereby putting in jeopardy some of America’s most beloved lands and waters. It is the first time any president has launched such an extreme attack on national monuments.
“Senator Durbin understands what this administration does not: that these lands are one of our country’s most precious and vulnerable treasures, and the most reasonable course of action is to ensure their permanent protection,” said Scott Groene, Executive Director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “Utah’s wilderness promotes resiliency against climate change for humans and wildlife alike, provides a place for families to find rest and solitude, and represents the highest values of the American people. We are grateful to Senator Durbin and the senators who joined him for recognizing the true value of these lands and for standing up for them.”
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April 25th, 2017FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2017Scott Groene, Executive Director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, released the following statement regarding the Executive Order that President Trump is expected to sign tomorrow directing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to conduct a “review” of all national monuments over 100,000 acres that were created in the last 21 years:
“This executive order by President Trump is the opening salvo in an unprecedented attack on America’s federal public lands, and Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are directly and deliberately in the crosshairs.
“At Bears Ears, the President has asked Secretary Zinke to manufacture the political cover for his administration to break the government’s promise to Native American Tribes to protect and preserve their ancestral homeland. At Grand Staircase, the President is seeking to reward his Big Coal backers at the expense of one of the nation’s wildest and most dramatic redrock landscapes.
“This order should alarm every American who cares about our country’s cultural and natural heritage.”
Bears Ears National Monument. Copyright Tim Peterson
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April 12th, 2017For Immediate Release
April 12, 2017SALT LAKE CITY – Mountain West Hard Cider today announced the launch of its new Desolation Prickly Pear Hard Cider in honor of Southern Utah’s iconic Desolation Canyon, available beginning this Saturday, April 15.
In an effort to help protect and defend the Utah’s red rock wilderness, Mountain West will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each bottle of Desolation Cider to The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). Desolation Canyon is well known for its whitewater rapids, spanning 83 remote miles of Utah’s Green River, and its spectacular public wild lands.
“Given the near constant controversy over public lands in Utah, the importance of protecting and preserving those resources is more crucial than ever,” said Jennifer Carleton, co-owner of Mountain West Hard Cider. “SUWA’s conservation efforts impact not only those who call Utah home, but also the over 4 million visitors to Utah’s great wilderness areas. We wanted to do our part to support the very canyons that inspire our ciders.”
“We are thrilled to be involved with Desolation and Mountain West Hard Cider”, said Karin Duncker, associate director of SUWA. “Desolation Canyon encompasses some of the most beautiful and pristine wild public lands in southern Utah. The support of Jennifer, Jeff, and the great Mountain West Hard Cider team helps us bring our message to an even broader audience. Plus, I’ve tasted it, and Desolation is terrific!”
The addition of prickly pear fruit to the cider during fermentation imparts subtle flavors of melon and a delicate citrus finish, along with giving the 6.9 percent ABV cider its slight rosy color. Prickly pear juice, also known as the ‘cactus apple’ was chosen for Desolation Hard Cider because the prickly pear plant is common to deserts throughout the southwest.
Desolation joins Ruby, 7-Mile and Cottonwood, rounding out the four ciders that will be available from Mountain West Hard Cider year-round. You can find Desolation Hard Cider at Mountain West Hard Cider’s tasting room and production facility located at 425 N 400 W, in Salt Lake City, and at select bars and restaurants throughout the state.
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ABOUT MOUNTAIN WEST HARD CIDER
Mountain West Hard Cider Company, proud member of Utah’s Own, sources only the finest local ingredients from the Mountain West region to craft every day, seasonal, and artisan hard apple ciders. Mountain West is owned and operated by Jennifer and Jeff Carleton. They share a passion for the community, locally-owned business, and obviously: good times with good friends. Relying on award-winning years of experience from their cider maker, Joel Goodwillie, the three of them are ready to show people that The West isn’t just for beer anymore. Mountain West Hard Cider is proud to call Utah home.ABOUT SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans. For more information, visit www.suwa.org. -
April 8th, 2017Read More »Our e-newsletter with the latest on redrock wilderness news and events.
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April 7th, 2017Great news! America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, the bill to protect 9.2 million acres of Utah’s stunning BLM wilderness lands, has been reintroduced in the House by Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47). The bill number is H.R. 2044. We expect the Senate companion bill will be introduced within a month.
Please click here to ask your member of Congress to cosponsor it!
Lowenthal was joined by 30 cosponsors from 17 states, underscoring how important it is to protect these lands on behalf of all Americans. The complete list is:
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13), Matt Cartwright (PA-17), John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Dwight Evans (PA-02), Bill Foster (IL-11), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Daniel Lipinski (IL-03), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Gwen Moore (WI-4), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Tim Ryan (OH-13), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Tim Walz (MN-01), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Peter Welch (VT-AL), and John Yarmuth (KY-03).
If your representative is on this list, click here to thank them. You can also thank them on social media—just make sure to let them know you’re a constituent and where you’re from!
“These national treasures are our birthright as Americans, and are a bedrock part of who we are as a people,” Lowenthal said. “My bill will safeguard these wild and precious lands, as well as the waters, flora, and fauna within them. This is in keeping with the powerful American ethos of conservation as embodied by John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Olaus and Mardy Murie, Aldo Leopold and so many other champions of our great wild places.”
We are glad to have a champion like Lowenthal join their ranks. Please help us build cosponsors by acting now.
Thank you!