Redrock Report
May 2009

Find out what's happening this month with the redrock:
1.  ORV activists illegally ride through Paria Canyon.
2.  Grassroots leaders plan for upcoming year in Moab.
3.  Colorado Senator Mark Udall is among the new redrock bill cosponsors!
4.  Wild Utah Local Action Month is coming this summer!
5.  The SUWA slideshow is in Maryland this June.

 

ORV Activists Organize Illegal Ride Up the Paria River

 Paria River ORV Protest
Protesters drive their ATVs, motorcycles and jeeps illegally up the Paria River

On May 9th, roughly 300 off-road vehicle (ORV) activists took part in an illegal ride up the Paria River to protest enforcement of the riverbed's closure to motorized vehicles.  The canyon lies within the Paria-Hackberry Wilderness Study Area in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and has been closed to ORV use by the Utah Bureau of Land Management (BLM) since the year 2000.  Unfortunately, the BLM never enforced the ORV restriction, relying instead on voluntary compliance, even though the agency had documented that "motorized vehicle travel and associated impacts were increasing significantly" in the Paria River and side canyons.  As a result, ORV users have been traveling up the riverbed for years, claiming this scenic wilderness as an R.S. 2477 “highway” and 4-wheeler playground.

Counter-demonstrators also showed up at the scene, proclaiming local support for the monument and calling for protection of the river -- which the BLM has found suitable for Wild and Scenic River designation.  For more photos and links to newspaper articles condemning the ride, click here.

 

Grassroots Leaders Plan for an Exciting Year Ahead

Grassroots Leader Retreat- Arnaud Dumont
Grassroots Leaders brainstorm at the beautiful Canyonlands Field Institute (photo credit Arnaud Dumont) 
From May 15-17, about 25 "Grassroots Leaders" and SUWA grassroots staff traveled to the Canyonlands Field Institute in Professor Valley (outside of Moab, UT) for a weekend of sharing experiences, planning grassroots actions for the next year, and enjoying being out in the redrock.  These dedicated Utah wilderness activists journeyed from places such as California, New Jersey, Minnesota, and northern Utah for the event.  The beautiful location turned out to be the perfect setting for discussion and planning for the exciting opportunities in the year ahead.  Everyone returned home energized with new ideas to work in their communities to further protection for the redrock.

If you would like to get more involved with the grassroots leadership program, fill out a short form by clicking here.

 

*New Cosponsor Spotlight*

Mark Udall
Colorado Senator Mark Udall recently became the first ever redrock cosponsor from the Intermountain West

This month, Colorado Senator Mark Udall became the first ever Senate cosponsor of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act to hail from the Intermountain West.  Sen. Udall is intimately familiar with the redrock landscapes of Utah and, as heir to a strong family legacy of bold conservationists, he now gives voice to countless Western supporters of the Redrock.  Also, as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, Sen. Udall’s expertise on public lands is evident to his constituents and colleagues and lends extra credibility to the importance of advancing America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act in the Senate.  If you live in Colorado, please thank Sen. Udall for his support!

A second first-term Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, also recently signed on to the redrock bill, continuing former senator Hillary Clinton's longstanding support.

Additionally, the number of cosponsors for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act has continued to build in the House.  Those recently signing onto to the bill are Adam Smith (D-WA), Gregorio Sablan (I-MP), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Robert Brady (D-PA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Mike Quigley (D-IL).  If you live in New York or any of the above districts, please thank your Senator or 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!

 

Get Ready for Wild Utah Local Action Month!

Every summer, Congress has an in-district work period, meaning that your Senators and Representatives will be in their local offices instead of in Washington, DC.  This is a great time for you to meet with your members of Congress or their staff and ask for their support of Utah wilderness!

During "Wild Utah Local Action Month," SUWA staff will help you organize a meeting in your community with your Representative and/or Senator.  These meetings can help build support among members of Congress for Utah wilderness by showing them that their constituents care enough about this issue to ask for a meeting.

Although upcoming in-district work periods are in July and August, it is never too early to start getting a group together or plan for a local meeting with your member of Congress.  For more information, please contact SUWA's National Grassroots Organizer Jackie Feinberg at jackie@suwa.org or 202-266-0474. 

 

See a SUWA Slideshow in Maryland this June

See SUWA's multi-media slideshow presentation, Wild Utah: America's Redrock Wilderness, in June...

Jackie Feinberg, SUWA's National Grassroots Organizer, will be presenting in Maryland this June.  For more information or to schedule a slideshow along the East coast, email Jackie at jackie@suwa.org. 

To schedule a slideshow in the Midwest, email Clayton Daughenbaugh at clayton@suwa.org. 

To schedule a slideshow in the West, email Barbara Eubanks at barbara@suwa.org. 

Click here for a complete slideshow schedule.