Southern Utah Wilderness AllianceThis is from Southern Utah Wilderness 
Alliance
forwarded by Jane Clark

On April 26, U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar instructed Utah Gov. 
Gary Herbert and his "Balanced Resource Council" to "Be not afraid," no new 
monuments would be designated without their involvement.

We would almost certainly not have Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef 
National Parks -- which first gained administrative protection -- as well as 
the recently established Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, if 
past administrations had granted such extreme deference to local interests.

Some of the American West's most treasured landscapes were protected by 
Republican and Democratic administrations using authority under the 
Antiquities Act to establish national monuments, which later were often made 
national parks. By pandering to Utah politicians, Salazar puts this 
administration at odds with the great conservation legacy that dates back to 
Teddy Roosevelt.

Utah wilderness activists waiting for Sec. Salazar

Secretary Salazar's meeting at Utah's state capitol was billed as the first 
stop of President Obama's "America's Great Outdoors Initiative" listening 
tour, supposedly a time when citizens have the opportunity to weigh in on 
conservation issues.

Instead, Salazar directed his comments to Governor Herbert's "Balanced 
Resource Council," which lacks a single representative from a local, 
regional or national environmental group.

In fact, the constituency includes some of Utah's most radical anti-federal 
politicians.  Herbert himself recently signed legislation allowing Utah to 
condemn federal land for the state's use (his unconstitutional action will 
fail in court).

Our thanks go to the many Utah citizens who filled the meeting room wearing 
"Protect Wild Utah" buttons; Salazar may not have listened to you, but he 
had to see you!

Salazar's actions are unprecedented and could be extraordinarily harmful to 
Utah's redrock country.

Please write to Nancy Sutley, Chair of President Obama's Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) to ask the Obama administration to re-assert its 
full authority under the Antiquities Act.  (Go to SUWA's website 
www.suwa.org  and take action)

Sincerely,
Deeda Seed
Grassroots Outreach Director
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
425 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111 | 801-486-3161 | 
www.suwa.org

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