Redrock Report
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.

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!