May 2010
Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:
1. Find out what is happening with the San Juan County wilderness process.
2. TAKE ACTION – Ask the White House to address climate change in public lands decisions.
3. Send us photos or videos of your family exploring Utah’s wild lands!
4. New redrock bill cosponsors include Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL).
San Juan County Wilderness Process Continues Despite Bennett Convention Loss
We want to update you
about the future of the San Juan-Canyonlands wilderness.
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Sen. Bob Bennett is
considering creating legislation to determine management for public lands in
the southeast corner of Utah in the San Juan-Canyonlands region. SUWA, with our partners in the Utah
Wilderness Coalition — including the Sierra Club and Great Old Broads — and other
conservation organizations including the Grand Canyon Trust have been active
voices in the process. Meetings have
been held every other week since mid-April, at which SUWA has presented the
UWC’s wilderness proposal.
At the beginning of this week’s meeting, Sen.
Bennett’s staff assured us that, despite the Senator’s loss at the recent Utah
Republican convention, Bennett remains committed to trying to move a San Juan
County public lands bill this year. If
time ends up being a limiting factor, the Senator would work to “hand it off
effectively” so the process could continue under the guidance and support of
another member of the Utah delegation.
For more detailed accounts of the San Juan County meetings, you can view the following posts:
Dispatch from San Juan County – No. 1
Dispatch from San Juan County – No. 2
Dispatch from San Juan County – No. 3
Dispatch from San Juan County – No. 4
If you have
not already done so, please contact your
members of Congress today and ask that they monitor the process
to help Sen. Bennett produce a bill for San Juan
County that offers meaningful protections for Utah’s redrock
wilderness. If you live in
Utah, please send a personalized message to Senator Bennett.
Tell the White
House to address
climate change in public lands decision
Early in
the Obama administration, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made clear that his
department would be looking through the lens of climate change when making
decisions affecting our public lands. He
even issued a Secretarial
Order saying “the realities of climate change require us to change how we
manage the land, water, fish and wildlife, and cultural heritage and tribal
lands and resources we oversee.” We
hoped that this signaled a break from the Bush administration, which ignored climate change issues in decisions like the
six controversial resource management plans for the Colorado Plateau. Unfortunately, the BLM has still not fixed
those plans or made any commitment to do so in the future. Clearly, the Interior Department needs some
guidance.
The White
House Council on Environmental Quality recently proposed draft guidance on the incorporation of climate
change in environmental analyses, but it also neglects to require an analysis of the impacts of
climate change on public lands and natural resources.
Addressing
climate change was supposed to be a priority for the Obama administration. So far, we haven’t seen much follow through even
as scientists warn that time is of the essence if we want to bolster the
ability of native plants and animals to withstand a hotter, drier climate. Please click here to tell CEQ chair Nancy
Sutley about the importance of including climate change in all of the
administration’s decisions – including those affecting Utah’s redrock wilderness.
Wanted:
Photos and Videos of Families in Wilderness
Do you have great photos and/or videos of you, your family or friends
exploring Utah’s wild lands? We’re looking for photos and videos of
people enjoying Utah’s wild country for use in an upcoming promotional
campaign. Please send photos either as files or links (to Flickr,
Picassa, or other web albums) and links to videos (on YouTube or other
video hosting sites; please do not email actual video files) to families@suwa.org.
*New Cosponsor Spotlight*
 Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) |
The number of House cosponsors for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act continues to grow! Those recently signing onto to the bill are Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). If you live in one of their districts, please thank your representative!
For a full list of cosponsors, click here. If your members of Congress are not on the list of cosponsors, please ask them to sign onto the bill by clicking here!
