UUMFE Signs On to Support America's Red Rock Wilderness Act | Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act will permanently protect some of the most magnificent lands of our nation including the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Greater Canyonlands, and the lands adjacent to and surrounding Utah’s five national parks, including Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef.

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act will protect the irreplaceable and spectacular wild public lands of Utah that are the natural heritage and birthright of all Americans. We urge you to join with us to protect America’s iconic red rock landscapes for generations to come. To sign on follow link below,

Sign On to America Red Rock Wilderness Act

Letter of Support

Dear Representative/Senator:

On behalf of the millions of Americans who comprise our members and supporters, including scientists, anglers, ranchers, hunters, outfitters, naturalists, outdoor enthusiasts, business owners, paddlers, hikers, and wildlife watchers, we write to express our enthusiastic support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, soon to be introduced by Rep. Alan Lowenthal/Sen. Dick Durbin. We urge you to become an original co-sponsor and support the protection of Utah’s iconic wilderness quality landscapes during the 116th Congress.

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act will permanently protect some of the most magnificent lands of our nation, including the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Greater Canyonlands, and the critical wildlands adjacent to and surrounding Utah’s five national parks, including Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. In total, the bill would preserve for posterity around nine million acres of wilderness-quality public lands, all owned by the American people under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management and unique to the world. These lands encompass a great diversity of habitats, from undulating expanses of sand dunes to towering sandstone monoliths and cool desert oases. The Colorado River system—the very lifeblood of the Western U.S.— winds its way through the wildest parts of the landscape on its journey to the Grand Canyon and beyond.

Wilderness designation is the ultimate protection for all these rare and fragile resources. But our members throughout the country also treasure these places for the many opportunities they offer for primitive recreation, like hunting, fishing, boating, horseback riding, hiking, camping, wildlife-viewing, and sight-seeing. All of these activities would be allowed to continue under the America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act and would help support the economies of nearby communities.

Sadly, without the Red Rock bill’s protection, the pristine character of these wildlands continues to be threatened by mining, oil & gas development, proposed tar sands development and inappropriate off-road vehicle use. Protecting the lands in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act would restore a critical balance to land management in the region, allowing industrial and off-road vehicle use to continue elsewhere in Utah, while preserving the wildest places that merit protection but remain seriously threatened.

As we face the future of climate change, protection of the last wild places is even more essential to ensure ecosystem durability and species adaptation. Utah’s wildlands are home to a startling array of sensitive wildlife, including two dozen endangered or sensitive species such as the Gila monster, desert tortoise, bald eagle, and peregrine falcon. Leading scientists suggest preserving large refugia will allow threatened species such as these to adapt and survive. A human tale exists here as well: these lands contain some of the most archeologically and culturally valuable resources in the country, such as petroglyphs and pictographs dating as far back as 12,000 years. While these treasures have remained largely preserved by the area’s remoteness, they face increasing risk from industrial activity and off-road vehicles and vandals.