Moab and more closing? (1 Viewer)

[Symon623]

Got this from another board I'm on. Any info?

S. 799 America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009 will close the doors on Utah recreation



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Todd Ockert
E-mail: landuse@ufwda.org
Tulare, Ca. 11 May 2009

S. 799 America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009 will close the doors on Utah recreation!

The wilderness bills keep rolling along in Washington DC. They are after 9.5 million acres in Utah and the Red Rock area this time. The Omnibus bill was not enough, so now they want to surround Moab Utah with Wilderness!
Here are the areas they are attempting to make into wilderness in this bill.

Great Basin wilderness area – 2,239,700 acres
Zion and Mojave desert Wilderness area – 375,500 acres
Grand Staircase-Escalante Wilderness area – 1,729,540 acres
Moab-LA Sal Canyons Wilderness area – 296,800 acres
Henry Mountains Wilderness area – 434,300 acres
Glen Canyon Wilderness area – 902,000 acres
San Juan-Anasazi Wilderness area – 531,300 acres
Canyonlands Basin Wilderness area – 725,700 acres
San Rafael Swell Wilderness area – 1,106,900 acres
Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin Wilderness area – 1,168,800 acres

This bill was introduced by Sen Durbin of Illinois.
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 4/2/2009
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] - 4/2/2009
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 4/2/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 4/2/2009
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] - 4/2/2009
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] - 4/2/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 4/2/2009
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 4/2/2009
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 4/2/2009
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 4/2/2009
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 4/2/2009
Sen Reed, Jack [RI] - 4/2/2009
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 4/2/2009
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] - 4/2/2009
Sen Udall, Mark [CO] - 5/6/2009
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 4/2/2009

Please take the time to write to your elected representatives, and tell them enough is enough! Most of these lands do not meet the original intent of the Wilderness Act of 1964 “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
If we want to have anyplace left in Utah to recreate, we need to stop this land grab again NOW!


****

United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) is the leading representative for four wheel drive enthusiasts. UFWDA is a group of individuals, clubs, state, regional, provincial and national associations and businesses in the United States and around the world; our members span the globe from the U.S. and Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Japan, South Africa, and Iceland. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of this effort contact United Four Wheel Drive Associations today at 14525 SW Millikan Way #22622, Beaverton, OR 97005-2343, 1-800-448-3932 or visit www.ufwda.org.

 

[Tools R Us]

There is no need for any of that stuff to be open, just sit at home and explore it on google earth.

 

[Jim S.]

I can't begin to tell you how much this angers me. Having just spent time there the beauty of the place is astounding and never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I return. With the exception of Kali all the politicians pushing this are from the East. Kennedy won't permit a wind farm off his shore but will gladly take this from us. Get off your duffs people and start writing letters or we're all going to be wheeling at the mall.

Just look at the pics from CM09 and the pre-run. Don't let these asshats infringe on this. I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[Blues Dawg]

wow - the list of facisits above is impressive, as jim notes they are mostly from the east and only one from the southwest. We need to write both of our senators and post a link to thsi on neghboring states mud pages.

 

[Symon623]

I guess the BRC and effected locals are all over this......

I was just in Moab for 8 days and there is no way pictures and videos do it any justice.... it is way more impressive live and in your face....Those who have been know what I'm talkin about, those who haven't? need to.

I bet in the next 6-10 years one or more of the western states will threaten/try to secede from the union....then I will move to that state.

 

[bkfj40]

It never ceases to amaze me some of the stuff that our elected representatives try to get with their own agenda. The senator's from the east have already built on all of their land and now want to make sure that no one can enjoy or explore the land out west...they want to be able to build a ranch and own the land themselves for their retreat.....

what a bunch of bs...

btw...good meeting you Jim at CM...I was the wrencher under the green fj40 a few campsites up from you, but not the owner of the rig


bk

 

[Tools R Us]

... The senator's from the east ...

You would think that they would have enough problems to solve in their own areas without needing to poke their noses into others biz, but that would probably require real work.

 

[Jim S.]

Brian, it was a pleasure meeting you and Sean. I really felt for you guys.

UFWDA or some one should post a map of Utah with an overlay of the proposed closures/land grab. As the old cliche goes; a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Symon623]

Best I could do;

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s799/text[/URL]
Fullsize link to below pic[/URL]

Colorado BBS discussing it[/URL]

 

[Symon623]

linky to more info;

GovTrack: S. 799: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

 

[splitshot]

the list of facisits above is impressive

I could think of a few other expletives to give them, but feel it wise not to post them here.

Guess there will be a day when we'll have to trade our rigs for hayburners to get away from the crowds, but they will restrict THAT due to the flatulence warming the environment.

 

[ttora4runner]

The Utah Four Wheel Drive Association has been on this issue as well.

 

[WyoCruiser]

Do contact your elected legislators. As noted, it's not just the reps from MA, NY, etc.

The Left Coast is also to blame. The People's Republic of California for one. I used to exist there. Tried to change things for 20 years. Now I choose to live in Wyoming. Wyoming has its challenges, but our Senators and Rep are right thinking on this and many other issues. I have had several face to face conversations with them and was not shouted down, told to sit down or shut up. They generally reflect old Wyoming values.

Yes, Wyoming does have some Kalifornicators who have become a dominant voice around Jackson, as well as a cancerous growth around Cheyenne, but we're fighting to prevent its spread. Our state capitol is only 90 or so miles from the sprawl of the sanctuary city of Denver and Boulder, the Berkeley of the Rockies. Their effluence continues to waft northward.

 

[TrAiLbUs1]

I posted this on every board I'm on and have gotten many to write their leaders...I hope everyone responds to this BS. I originally backed this act when it was about mining, oil companies, and commercial development of Utah lands..but I'm freaking pissed now to see they piggie backed OHV users

Unfortunately, Durbin specifically mentioned offroad use when he introduced the bill on the floor of the senate...

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009. This legislation continues our commitment to preserve natural resources in this country.

America's Red Rock Wilderness Act will designate as wilderness some of our nation's most remarkable, but currently unprotected public lands. Bureau of Land Management, BLM, lands in Utah harbor some of the largest and most remarkable roadless desert areas anywhere in the world. Included in the 9.4 million acres I seek to protect are well known landscapes, such as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and lesser known areas just outside Zion National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Arches National Park. Together this wild landscape offers spectacular vistas of rare rock formations, canyons and desert lands, important archaeological sites, and habitat for rare plant and animal species.

I have visited many of the areas this act would designate as wilderness. I can tell you that the natural beauty of these landscapes is a compelling reason for Congress to grant these lands wilderness protection. I have the honor of introducing legislation on the 20th anniversary of the year it was first introduced by my friend and former colleague in the House of Representatives, Wayne Owens. As a member of the Utah delegation, Congressman Owens pioneered the Congressional effort to protect Utah's red rock wilderness. He did this with broad public support, which still exists not only in Utah, but in all corners of Nation.

The wilderness designated in this bill was chosen based on more than 20 years of meticulous research and surveying. Volunteers have taken inventories of thousands of square miles of BLM land in Utah to help determine which lands should be protected. These volunteers provided extensive documentation to ensure that these areas meet Federal wilderness criteria. The BLM also completed an inventory of approximately 7.5 million acres of the land that would be protected by America's Red Rock Wilderness Act and agreed that the vast majority qualify for wilderness designation.

For more than 20 years, Utah conservationists have been working to add the last great blocks of undeveloped BLM-administered land in Utah to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Together, we celebrate the recent passage of a national public lands bill that protects over 180,000 acres of wilderness in Washington County, UT, for future generations. The more than 9 million acres of lands that would be protected by this legislation surround eleven of Utah's national park, monument and recreation areas. These proposed BLM wilderness areas easily equal their neighboring national parklands in scenic beauty, opportunities for recreation, and ecological importance. Yet, unlike the parks, most of these scenic treasures lack any form of long-term protection from commercial development, damaging off-road vehicle use, or oil and gas exploration.

Americans understand the need for wise stewardship of these wild landscapes. This legislation represents a realistic balance between the need to protect our natural heritage and demand for energy. While wilderness designation has been portrayed as a barrier to energy independence, it is important to note that within the entire 9.4 million acres of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act the amount of "technically recoverable" undiscovered natural gas and oil resources amounts to less than four days of oil and four weeks of natural gas at current consumption levels. In fact, protecting these lands benefits local economies because of the recreational opportunities they provide.

Unfortunately, scientists have already begun to see the impacts of global warming on public lands throughout the West. Hotter and drier conditions, larger wildfires, shrinking water resources, the spread of invasive species, soil erosion, and dust storms are all expected to increase over the next century. These threats make the need to protect the remaining undisturbed landscapes and wildlife habitats in Utah's red rock wilderness even more urgent.

America's Red Rock Wilderness Act is a lasting gift to the American public. By protecting this serene yet wild land we are giving future generations the opportunity to enjoy the same untrammeled landscape that so many now cherish.

I would like to thank my colleagues who are original cosponsors of this measure. Origin cosponsors are Senators Boxer, Cantwell, Cardin, Feingold, Harkin, Kennedy, Kerry, Lautenberg, Leahy, Lieberman, Menendez, Reed, Sanders, Stabenow, and Whitehouse. Additionally, I would like to thank the Utah Wilderness Coalition, which includes The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and the Wasatch Mountain Club; the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance; and all of the other national, regional and local, hard-working groups who, for years, have championed this legislation.

Theodore Roosevelt once stated:

The Nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value.

Enactment of this legislation will help us realize Roosevelt's vision. To protect these precious resources in Utah for future generations, I urge my colleagues to support America's Red Rock Wilderness Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

 

[TrAiLbUs1]

ALL ya have to do is go to GOOGLE

and type in EMAIL for (insert your state here) senators

EASY as hell!

I made sure to stike on a few notes..that OHV users now a days are extremely enviromentally consious...also that access to lands is vital for people with disablilities to be able to access. That was just a couple I used..but man we need to fight this chit or we will see more closures like this.

BTW TELLICO is officially closed now...IN AZ we are lucky enough to have all these lands..but look out east and in the midwest..also Texas people have to drive for 4 hours just to hit trails. I want my children to be able to enjoy this fine sport...same as my father passed on the heritage to me.

SO fight for our rights to wheel and access state lands.